“Johnny Doyle”

Description

Johnny and his sweetheart plan to elope, but the girl's servant reveals the plan. The girl is taken and forced to wed another. She becomes sick to death. The mother relents and offers to send for Johnny, but it is too late; the girl bids farewell and dies

Notes

Not to be confused with "Johnny Doyle II," a variant of Laws C5, "The Wild Mustard River (Johnny Stile)." Flanders, in Flanders-Ancient3, included this song based on the thematic similarity to "Lord Saltoun and Auchanachie" -- but Coffin's notes confess "Certaimly 'Johnny Doyle' has little but its basic motif in common with Child 239." - RBW

Broadside LOCSinging as201890: H. De Marsan dating per _Studying Nineteenth-Century Popular Song_ by Paul Charosh in American Music, Winter 1997, Vol 15.4, Table 1, available at FindArticles site. - BS

Same tune

• The Heart That Can Feel for a Suffering Maiden (per broadside Bodleian Firth c.18(85))

Cross references

• cf. "Lord Saltoun and Auchanachie" [Child 239] (plot)

Broadsides

• Bodleian, Firth c.18(85), "Johnny Doyle" ("There's one thing that grieves me and that I must confess"), The Poet's Box (Glasgow), 1857; also Firth c.18(84), Firth b.25(291), Harding B 11(1911), "Johnny Doyle" ("I am a fair maiden what's crossed in love"); Harding B 18(324), "Johnny Doyle!" [same as LOCSinging as201890]
• LOCSinging, as201890, "Johnny Doyle!," H. De Marsan (New York), 1861-1864 [same as Bodleian Harding B 18(324) ]

Recordings

• Burzilla Wallin, "Johnny Dial (Doyle)" (on OldLove)

References

1. Laws M2, "Johnny Doyle"
2. Randolph 87, "Johnny Doyle" (3 texts, 2 tunes)
3. Randolph/Cohen, pp. 80-81, Johnny Doyle"" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 87A)
4. SharpAp 83, "Johnny Doyle" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
5. Hudson 44, pp. 159-160, "Johnny Doyle" (1 text)
6. Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 248-250, "Johnny Doyle" (1 text, locally titled "Johnny Dile"; tune on pp. 421-422)
7. Eddy 73, "Johnny Doyle" (1 text, 1 tune)
8. Gardner/Chickering 15, "The Lost Johnny Doyle" (1 text, 1 tune)
9. FSCatskills, "Johnny Doyle" (1 text, 1 tune)
10. Flanders-Ancient3, pp. 279-285, "Johnny Doyle" (3 texts, 1 tune)
11. Warner 81, "Young Johnnie" (1 text, 1 tune)
12. SHenry H137, pp. 431-432, "Johnny Doyle" (1 text, 1 tune)
13. BrownII 129, "Johnny Doyle" (1 text)
14. Peacock, pp. 687-690, "Johnny Doyle" (2 texts, 3 tunes)
15. Leach-Labrador 16, "Johnny Doyle" (1 text, 1 tune)
16. Karpeles-Newfoundland 67, "Johnny Doyle" (1 text, 1 tune)
17. Mackenzie 34, "Johnny Doyle" (1 text)
18. O'Conor, p. 16, "Johnny Doyle" (1 text)
19. DT 430, JONDOYLE*
20. Roud #455
21. BI, LM02