When Francis James Child was collecting his 305 ballads in the 19th Century maybe he realized he was on to a winner with number 100. This is a traditional Scottish ballad dating from 1775 sometimes called Lord Thomas of Winesberry but more commonly recorded a Willie o’ Winsbury.
Without intending to I have built up my own modest collection of this song with the following versions :
Anne Briggs – on the Topic Records collection – the first version I heard and still the best in my book. With just a mandolin accompaniment her perfect English diction may not please the Scottish folk fanbase but her rendition gives a clarity and soul to the song.
Charlotte Grieg on Bloodshot Records compilation The Executioner’s Last Songs Vol.2
Dick Gaughan from the 1972 album Gaughan (sung in broad Scots )
Meg Baird does a nicely arranged version on her new labum Lost Companion; she also covered this along with Helena Espvall & Sharron Kraus on the 2006 album Leaves From A Tree.
Fairport Convention – Farewell Farewell by Richard Thompsom from Liege and Lief uses the tune with new lyrics. On The Wicker Man soundtarck the melody is used in the song Summer Is Icumen In. (I know that Pentangle also covered the song but i haven’t got this yet).
The story of the song is that the King has been away (in Spain) and comes back to find his daughter Janet (or Jane) looking “pale and wan”. He fears that she has been inpregnated while he’s been away, she denies this but he gets her to strip naked and the truth that she is with child is plain to see. The cad turns out to be Willie and for this deed the king vows that he should hang. This is quite a predictable outcome but then the story gets interesting. When the king sets eyes on Willie he is besotted with this young man who is dressed in silk, has cheeks like red berries and milk white skin. He declares: “Had I been a woman as I am a man, my bedfellow you would have been” . Instead of hanging him he asks if he’ll make an honest woman of his daughter and offers to make him lord of his land. Willie is his own man, however, and while he consents to marry Janet he refuses to become a Lord. The couple ride off and presumably live happily ever after.
It is in these final details which hint at the King’s homoerotic fantasies for this young Willie (pun intended) that for me explains why it continues to fascinate today’s folky laddies and lasses.
You can download Anne Brigg’s marvelous collection which includes this song from e-music.
Edit (29th December 2008): Yet another version of the song found on the album The High High Nest by Stephanie Hladowski (Singing Knives records)
