“Seventeen Come Sunday”

Description

The singer meets a pretty young girl. He gets acquainted by asking questions: "What are you doing?" "Where do you live?" "How old are you?" "May I visit you tonight?" She agrees to the meeting; they have their fun despite her mother's opposition

Notes

There are versions of this song which have mixed with "Trooper and Maid" [Child 299]; these generally file under that ballad and are sometimes known as "As I Roved Out." The Sam Henry text "My Darling Blue-Eyed Mary" has lost the key question about the girl's age, but the rest is clearly this song. - RBW

Also collected and sung by David Hammond, "As I Roved Out" (on David Hammond, "I Am the Wee Falorie Man: Folk Songs of Ireland," Tradition TCD1052 CD (1997) reissue of Tradition LP TLP 1028 (1959)) - BS

Cross references

• cf. "Rolling in the Dew (The Milkmaid)"
• cf. "The Overgate" (tune, theme)
• cf. "Courting the Widow's Daughter (Hard Times)" [Laws H25] (plot)
• cf. "Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss" (floating lyrics, some tunes)
• cf. "I Love My Love (I) (As I Cam' Owre Yon High High Hill)" (lyrics)

Broadsides

• Bodleian, Firth b.34(67), "Seventeen Come Sunday," J. Paul and Co. (London), 1838-1845; also Johnson Ballads 547, Firth b.34(264), Firth c.14(204), Harding B 11(690), "Seventeen Come Sunday"; Harding B 11(1732), "I'm Seventeen Come Sunday"

Recordings

• Harry Cox, "Seventeen Come Sunday" (on HCox01)
• Mary Delaney, "New Ross Town" (on IRTravellers01)
• Seamus Ennis, "As I Roved Out" (on FSB1)
• Bob Hart, "Seventeen Come Sunday" (on Voice10)
• Joe Heaney, "Who Are You, My Pretty Fair Maid" (on Voice01)
• Ken Peacock, "I'll be Seventeen Come Sunday" (on NFKPeacock)
• Jean Ritchie & Doc Watson, "Where Are You Going?" (on RitchieWatson1, RitchiteWatsonCD1)
• Tony Wales, "Seventeen Come Sunday" (on TWales1)

References

1. Laws O17, "Seventeen Come Sunday"
2. Eddy 74, "My Pretty Maid" (2 texts)
3. Warner 52, "Hi Rinky Dum" (1 text, 1 tune, much worn down; there is no nightvisit, and the two mutually decide against marriage)
4. BrownIII 11, "Where Are You Going, My Pretty Maid" (2 texts, both very short)
5. Lomax-FSNA 106, "How Old Are You, My Pretty Little Miss?" (1 text, 1 tune -- a badly eroded version)
6. FSCatskills 128, "Where Are You Going, My Pretty Fair Maid?" (1 text, 1 tune)
7. Creighton/Senior, pp. 164-165, "I'm Scarce Sixteen Come Sunday" (1 text plus 2 fragments, 1 tune)
8. Creighton-Maritime, p. 32, "I'm Seventeen Come Sunday" (1 text, 1 tune)
9. Creighton-SNewBrunswick 16, "Seventeen Come Sunday" (1 text, 1 tune)
10. Peacock, pp. 284-286, "I'll Be Seventeen Come Sunday" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
11. SharpAp 127, "I'm Seventeen Come Sunday" (4 texts, 4 tunes)
12. Sharp-100E 61, "I'm Seventeen Come Sunday" (1 text, 1 tune)
13. JHCox 126, "My Pretty Maid" (1 text)
14. JHCoxIIA, #25, pp. 99-100, "The Modesty Answer" (1 text, 1 tune, in which the girl asks her mother if she may marry, is refused, and decides to run away to North Carolina and eat cream and honey!)
15. SHenry H152, pp. 266-267, "I'm Seventeen 'gin Sunday"; H793, pp. 267-268, "As I Gaed ower a Whinny Knowe";(2 texts, 2 tunes)
16. MacSeegTrav 44, "Seventeen Come Sunday" (1 text, 1 tune)
17. Ford-Vagabond, pp. 99-102, "My Rolling Eye" (1 text, 1 tune)
18. Darling-NAS, pp. 128-129, "Seventeen Come Sunday"; "When Cockle Shells Make Silver Bells" (1 text plus a fragment)
19. DT 334, YONHIGH* ROCKYMT (TROOPRM2* -- apparently a cross between this piece and Child 299)
20. ADDITIONAL: Maud Karpeles, _Folk Songs of Europe_, Oak, 1956, 1964, p. 45, 'Seventeen Come Sunday" (1 text, 1 tune)
21. Roud #277
22. BI, LO17