“Maids When You're Young Never Wed an Old Man”
Description
Examples of why young women should not marry old men. A girl married at sixteen, and has lived an unsatisfactory life. Details are given of the old man's various performance problems. The girl notes that she eventually found solace with a young man
Notes
In their notes to Sam Larner's recording, MacColl & Seeger cite a version from the appendix to the 1791 edition of Herd's "Scottish Songs," which they call a "remarkably close parallel to Mr. Larner's." Without seeing it, I'm hesitant to assign "EARLIEST DATE," but that has the ring of certainty about it rather than careless lumping. - PJS
I'm assured by others that they're the same, and have adjusted the Earliest Date accordingly (the more so as every other version is rather recent). But I'm leaving the comment here because, well, I still haven't seen it. - RBW
Cross references
- cf. "An Old Man Came Over the Moor (Old Gum Boots and Leggings)"
- cf. "I Wouldn't Marry an Old Man"
- cf. "I Wouldn't Have an Old Man"
- cf. "No Balls at All"
- cf. "My Husband's Got No Courage In Him"
- cf. "A Bird in a Gilded Cage"
- cf. "The Whirly Whorl"
- cf. "The Old Bachelor (I)"
- cf. "The Burnt-Out Old Fellow [An Seanduine Doighte]"
- cf. "Le Mari de Quatre-Vingt-Dix Ans (The Ninety Year Old Husband)"
- cf. "Roll Me From the Wall" (theme)
Recordings
- Sam Larner, "Maids When You're Young Never Wed an Old Man" (on SLarner02)
- Jeannie Robertson, "Maids When You're Young [Never Wed a Auld Man]" (on FSB2, FSB2CD); "An Old Man Came a Courting Me" (on Voice01)
References
- Kennedy 207, "Never Wed a' Auld Man" (1 text, 1 tune)
- Fowke/MacMillan 60, "An Old Man He Courted Me" (1 text, 1 tune)
- Silber-FSWB, p. 156, "Maids When You're Young, Never Wed An Old Man" (1 text)
- Gilbert, p. 72, "Don't Wed an Old Man" (1 text)
- DT, NOWEDOLD*
- Roud #210
- BI, K207