“Cruel Was the Press Gang”
Description
"Oh! cruel was the press-gang That took my love from me; Oh! cruel was the little ship That took him out to sea; And cruel was the splinter-board That took away his leg; Now he is forced to fiddle-scrape And I am forced to beg."
Notes
Although I haven't met this in any traditional collections, it sounds so traditional that I decided to risk including it in the Index. - RBW
References
- Baring-Gould-MotherGoose #196, p. 137, "(Oh! cruel was the press-gang)"
- BI, BGMG196