I found this ballad in a pile of Anne Briggs recordings. (Do yourself a favor and search for her on YouTube — she’s got a fabulous voice.) “Martinmas Time” is about the most nondescript title you could possibly give a ballad, because “It fell about the Martinmas time” is in so many ballads. I suppose “A Lover and his Lass” would be even vaguer, but I’ve never heard of a song called that.
It fell about the Martinmas time,
When snow lay on the borders
There came a troop of soldiers here
To take up their winter quarters.[Refrain]
With me right fol lay-dle lee-dle lai-da dar-i-o
With me right fol lay-dle lee-dle lar-i.They rode up and they rode down, and
They rode over the border.
There they met a fair pretty girl
And she was a farmer’s daughter.[Refrain]
They made her swear a solemn oath
With a salt tear in her eye, oh,
That she would call at their quarter gates
When no-one did espy, oh.[Refrain]
So she goes to the barber shop
To the barber shop went soon, oh,
She’s made them cut her fine yellow hair
As short as any dragoon, oh.[Refrain]
Then she goes to the tailor shop
And dresses in soldier’s clothes, oh,
A pair of pistols down by her side
And a nice little boy was she, oh.[Refrain]
When she came to the quarter gates,
It’s loud, loud she did call, oh,
“There comes a troop of soldiers here
And we must have lodgings all, oh!”[Refrain]
The quartermaster he comes out
He gives her half a crown, oh,
“Go and find lodgings for yourself,
For here there is no room, oh.”[Refrain]
But she drew nearer to the gates
And louder she did call, oh:
“Room, room, you gentlemen,
We must have lodgings all, oh!”[Refrain]
The quartermaster he comes out
He gives her eighteen pence, oh
“Go and find lodgings in the town
For tonight there comes a wench, oh.”[Refrain]
She’s pulled the garters from her legs
The ribbons from her hair, oh,
She’s tied them ’round the quarter gates
As a token she’s been there, oh.[Refrain]
She drew a whistle from her side,
And blew it loud and shrill, oh
“You’re all very free with your eighteen pence
But you’re not for a girl at all, oh.”[Refrain]
And when they knew that it was her
They tried to overtake her.
She’s clapped her spurs to her horse’s side
And she’s galloped home a maiden.[Refrain]
I think part of the reason Martinmas Time appeals to me, besides the usual aesthetic factors, is that it shows a female character who is quite seriously distressed at the threat of rape, but then rallies and . There’s a lot of ballads about women who use wiles or cleverness to avoid being raped or killed, but they never seem to lose their cool throughout the whole episode. There’s at least one where women choose to die rather than lose their honor. And there’s a few where a guy lays a girl down and “he’s never once asked her leave”, which I guess is a grey area because it’s not clear whether she consents or not, but still squicks me out.
First heard this from Paul Brady and Andy Irvine 1976-don’t know Anne Briggs as yet!
Whats’ moderation?
Just means I have to approve all comments before they appear, to cut down on spam/trolling. Not that I really need it… you’re the first comment I’ve gotten in months. Perhaps unsurprising, as I haven’t posted any ballads in months. Perhaps I should restart, although 1/day is too many for a beginner with a tiny rep.