"Early, Early in the Spring" (Roud 152, Laws M1) is a British folk song that has been collected from traditional singers in England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada and the United States. It tells the story of a sailor gone to sea whose beloved promises to wait for him. When he returns she has married a rich man and he goes back to sea with a broken heart and a bitter attitude. In a few American versions the betrayed lover is a cowboy.
Other names for this song include As I Was Walking Up London Street, I Was Forced on Board to Serve My King, The Sailor Deceived, Sweet William (or Willie), and The Disappointed Sailor, and cowboy variants are called Cowboy's Girl, Following the Cow Trail and The Trail to Mexico.
A sailor goes on board ship (sometimes pressed) while his sweetheart pledges her undying love. <blockquote>
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During his voyages he writes to her but hears nothing in return. He thinks of her when in danger during storms and battles. When he returns to England he sometimes finds a letter in the street: <blockquote>
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He goes to her father's house, where her father tells him she is married, often to a rich man: <blockquote>
</blockquote> He curses false love and greedy fathers: <blockquote>
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and vows to return to face the dangers of naval warfare. <blockquote>
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Sometimes she pleads with him to find another love, claiming her father had withheld the letters:
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and:
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Some English versions are very short, having only three or four verses and missing many details of the original ballad plot.
Three broadsides printed between 1690 and 1700, with one dated 1694, titled THE Sea-man's Complaint FOR His Unkind Mistress Of Wapping and two more which include The Young Womans Answer in her own Vindication tell pretty much the same story, and starts: <blockquote>
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There seem to have been no more recent broadsides, though a version titled "The Disappointed Sailor" appeared in "A Pedlar's Pack of Ballads and Songs" published in Edinburgh in 1869.
The Roud Folk Song Index lists 75 versions of this song collected from traditional singers - 15 from England, 7 from Scotland, 3 from Ireland, 8 from Canada and 42 from the US, plus 3 cowboy variants, all from Arkansas.
Available to listen online:
Peggy Seeger, Cyril Tawney, Tina Greer and Bob Davenport have all recorded versions of this song.