“I Know My Love”

Description

"I know my love by his way of walking," his speech, his clothes. She laments, "If my love leaves me, what will I do?" She knows he is courting strange girls in Maradyke. He rejects her because of her lack of money

Notes

Paul Stamler suggests that this is a version of "Tavern in the Town" (based on the stanza about the dancehouse in Maradyke, which is almost the same as in "Tavern"). I am more reminded of "Queen of Hearts." The first half-stanza, we might note, seems to exist independently of any plot at all, and is fairly popular.

The inevitable result: I list this as a separate song, with a lot of cross-references. Roud lumps it with "Love Has Brought Me to Despair" (Laws P25) -- which for him is a huge family, though Laws lists only a handful of songs in the group. - RBW

Also collected and sung by David Hammond, "I Know My Love" (on David Hammond, "I Am the Wee Falorie Man: Folk Songs of Ireland," Tradition TCD1052 CD (1997) reissue of Tradition LP TLP 1028 (1959)) - BS

Cross references

References

  1. Silber-FSWB, p. 143, "I Know My Love" (1 text)
  2. DT, KNOWLOVE
  3. Roud #60
  4. BI, FSWB143

About

Author: unknown
Earliest date: 1959 (sung by David Hammond on "I Am the Wee Falorie Man: Folk Songs of Ireland")
Found in: Ireland