Willie Taylor
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"Willie Taylor" is a traditional English folk song, and among the oldest in the TLJ repertoire, with the earliest known version appearing in a chapbook from the 1710s under the title "The Female Sailor's Garland".[1] It tells the story of a woman who disguises herself as a man to follow after her lover who has been pressed to sea. In modern iterations, after being discovered by her captain, she learns her lover is unfaithful and kills him, after which she often ends up in command of her own ship. The song has enjoyed great popularity in both the British Isles and North America, leaving numerous versions extant from the 18th century through to the present day.[2]
The Longest Johns' version was released as track 11 on Voyage.
Factoids
The 1710s version, though much longer than modern ones, has all the same story beats in place except for the ending: rather than Willie (here William) turning out to be unfaithful, when the woman is discovered, the captain helps her track him down and sees the couple happily wed. This ending is attested at least through the mid-18th century, though verses were already being omitted by the 1740s,[3] but the modern, murderous ending appears by the turn of the 19th century.[4]
Other 19th century versions end with the female protagonist marrying the captain, and a few American examples eschew the happy ending entirely, resolving with the woman either drowning herself in grief or arrested for her crime.[5]
The song was popular enough to inspire an 1880 comic opera titled "Billee Taylor", which broadly follows the plot of the ballad, though it ends with the unfaithful Billee being arrested, rather than murdered.[6]
Though unnamed in many modern iterations (including the Johns'), in other instances, the female protagonist may be named some variation on Sarah Gray, Sally Brown, or Susan Dunn; however, in the earliest versions her name was Elizabeth.
Lyrics
As performed on Voyage.
Willie Taylor and his youthful lover, full of mirth and loyalty,
They were going to the church to be married; he was pressed and sent to sea.
She dressed in sailor's clothing, boarded on a man o’ war,
For to find the life they’d stolen, and the man she did adore.
{Chorus}
Dally dilly dum dilly dum dum dum dum,
Dally dilly dum dilly dum dum day.
Dally dilly dum dilly dum dum dum dum,
Dally dilly dum dilly dum dum day.
Said the captain to this fair maid, “What misfortune brought you here?"
"I'm in search of my true lover, whom you pressed on the other year."
"If he is your true lover, he has proved to you untrue;
He is married to another, left you here alone to rue."
{Chorus x2}
She got up the very next morning, early as the break of day,
There she spied her Willie Taylor, walking along with his new fair maid.
She drew out a brace of pistols that she had at her command,
There she shot her Willie Taylor, with his bride at his right hand.
When the captain found her, and the deed that she had done,
He made her a chief commander over a ship and a hundred men.
{Chorus x2}
Willie Taylor and his youthful lover, full of mirth and loyalty,
He is buried, cold and lonesome, she still sails the open seas.
{Chorus}