“Lord Lovel”

Description

(Lord Lovel) is setting out on a voyage. (Lady Nancy) begs him not to go, but he is determined. Soon after he reaches his destination, he misses Nancy and turns for home. He finds that she has died for love of him. He proceeds to do the same

Notes

Although Child treated this as an entirely serious ballad, Bronson calls it "too too insipid," and believes it survives only because of its tune.

Comic versions are common. Sandy Paton states that Child refused to print a comic text that came to his attention. Cazden et al state that "At least nine of the versions compiled by Bronson may be identified as comic [and we note that many others might be but are fragmentary]"; they find a comic version in America as early as 1836. Numerous other parodies, comic versions, and rewrites are also listed. - RBW

Same tune

• Sam Cowell (BarryEckstormSmyth p. 147; cf. the notes to "Billy Barlow (II)")

Cross references

• cf. "Lily Lee" (plot)
• cf. "Bright Phoebe" (plot)
• cf. "Mother, Mother, Make My Bed" (floating verses)
• cf. "Abe Lincoln Stood at the White House Gate" (lyrics, form)
• cf. "The New Ballad of Lord Lovell (Mansfield Lovell)" (lyrics, form)

Recordings

• Winifred Bundy, "Lord Lovel" (AFS, 1941; on LC55)
• Nora Cleary, "Lord Levett" (on IRClare01)
• Ethel Findlater, "Lord Lovel[l]" (on FSB4, FSBBAL1)
• Tom Lenihan, "Lord Levett" (on IRTLenihan01)
• Lucindia Perkins, "Lord Lovell" (on JThomas01)
• Frank Proffitt, "Lord Lovel" (on FProffitt01)
• Jean Ritchie, "Lord Lovel" (on JRitchie01)

References

1. Child 75, "Lord Lovel" (11 texts, 1 tune) {Bronson's #1}
2. Bronson 75, "Lord Lovel" (71 versions+3 in addenda)
3. BarryEckstormSmyth pp. 139-148, "Lord Lovel" (3 texts plus 1 fragment, 2 tunes); p. 482 (additional notes) {Bronson's #36, #48}
4. Belden, pp. 52-54, "Lord Lovel" (1 text plus reference to 5 more; also texts of two Civil War parodies, the first of which, Ga, is "The New Ballad of Lord Lovell")
5. Randolph 17, "Lord Lovel" (2 texts, 1 tune) {Bronson's #38}
6. Randolph/Cohen, pp. 34-37, "Lord Lovel" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 17A) {Bronson's #38}
7. Eddy 13, "Lord Lovel" (5 texts plus an excerpt, 4 tunes; the "E" text has its first line from "The New Ballad of Lord Lovell (Mansfield Lovell)" but is still this song) {Bronson's #30, #46, #59, #68}
8. Gardner/Chickering 6, "Lord Lovel" (1 text plus mention of 2 more, 1 tune) {Bronson's #63}
9. Flanders/Brown, pp. 215-216, "Lord Lovell" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #22}
10. Flanders-Ancient2, pp. 148-173, "Lord Lovell" (12 texts plus a fragment, 5 tunes) {L=Bronson's #22}
11. Linscott, pp. 233-235, "Lord Lovell" (1 text, 1 tune)
12. Davis-Ballads 20, "Lord Lovel" (12 texts plus 3 fragments, of which "M" may not be this song; 4 tunes; 21 more versions mentioned in Appendix A) {Bronson's #18, #9, #45, #5}
13. Davis-More 20, pp. 146-151, "Lord Lovel" (3 texts, 3 tunes)
14. BrownII 21, "Lord Lovel" (2 texts plus 2 excerpts and mention of 3 more)
15. Chappell-FSRA 11, "Lord Lovel" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #62}
16. Hudson 12, pp. 90-91, "Lord Lovel" (1 text)
17. Ritchie-Southern, pp. 16-17, "Lord Lovel" (1 text, 1 tune)
18. Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 99-102, "Lord Lovell" (2 texts plus a fragment; 2 tunes on pp. 389-390) {Bronson's #8, #25}
19. Scarborough-NegroFS, pp. 55-56, "Lord Lovel" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #14}
20. Brewster 12, "Lord Lovel" (7 texts, 2 tunes) {Bronson's #58, #41}
21. SharpAp 21 "Lord Lovel" (3 texts plus 2 fragments, 5 tunes){Bronson's #33, #34, #6, #47, #7}
22. Sharp-100E 26, "Lord Lovel" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #11}
23. Creighton/Senior, pp. 41-43, "Lord Lovel" (1 text, 2 tunes) {Bronson's #40, #39}
24. Leach, pp. 250-252, "Lord Lovel" (2 texts)
25. Friedman, p. 97, "Lord Lovel" (2 texts, but the "B" text is "Abe Lincoln Stood at the White House Gate")
26. OBB 155, "Lord Lovell" (1 text)
27. FSCatskills 33, "In Search of Silver and Gold" (1 text, 1 tune -- a facsimile of an "improved" version by George K. Hamilton which provides a happy ending for the piece)
28. McNeil-SFB1, pp. 93-95, "Lord Lovel" (1 text, 1 tune)
29. Niles 30, "Lord Lovel" (1 text, 1 tune)
30. Sandburg, p. 70, "Lord Lovel" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #12}
31. Lomax-FSNA 209, "Lord Lovel" (1 text, 1 tune)
32. LPound-ABS, 2, pp. 4-6, "Lord Lovel"; pp. 6-7, "Lord Lover" (2 texts)
33. JHCox 12, "Lord Lovel" (3 text plus mention of two more)
34. JHCoxIIA, #8A-C, pp. 32-37, "Lord Lovell," "Lord Lovell" (3 texts, 1 tune, but the "C" text is "The New Ballad of Lord Lovell (Mansfield Lovell)") {Bronson's #61}
35. MacSeegTrav 9, "Lord Lovel" (1 text, 1 tune)
36. Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan 38, "Lord Levett" (1 text, 1 tune)
37. Darling-NAS, pp. 44-46, "Lord Lovell" (1 text, plus texts of "Abe Lincoln Stood at the White House Gate" and "The New Ballad of Lord Lovell")
38. Silber-FSWB, p. 178, "Lord Lovel" (1 text)
39. DT 75, LORDLOVL
40. Roud #48
41. BI, C075