“No Sign of a Marriage”
Description
The girl says she has been waiting long enough for marriage. Her sweetheart, who thinks marriage too "confining," suggests she find someone else. She does, and invites him to her wedding. He tries to talk her out of the marriage, but it is too late
Notes
This is another of the pieces that Laws assigns to Britain on little evidence (there is a mention of a promise of "five hundred pounds"). The only versions known to Laws or the editors of the Brown collection are the two North Carolina texts in Brown.
It may be, however, that this was an error in the printed edition of Laws, because there *is* a British equivalent in "The Tardy Wooer." I initially split these following Laws -- but in fact they even share lyrics, and so are now lumped. - RBW
References
- Laws P3, "No Sign of a Marriage"
- Ord, pp. 83-84, "The Tardy Wooer" (1 text)
- Randolph 111, "Polly and Willie" (2 fragments, 1 tune)
- Warner 149, "Indeed Pretty Polly" (1 text, 1 tune)
- BrownII 203, "No Sign of a Marriage" (2 texts)
- Peacock, pp. 542-544, "A Lad and a Lass" (1 text, 1 tune)
- DT 725, NOSIGN
- Roud #582
- BI, LP03