Henry's Downfall from the album Low Culture
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©℗2008 NIAG
A few words from Mr. Moray:
"Henry's Downfall came courtesy of Coope Boyes and Simpson who recorded it on their CD 'Hindsight' in 1998. The song is more usually known as 'Van Diemens Land' and can be found on recordings by Shirley Collins, A.L. Lloyd and Walter Pardon and others under that name.
"There is some info here - [www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de] - with slightly different lyrics but you should be able to piece it together.
"I particularly liked the CB&S version because of the words
"I was brought up in Warwickshire
In Southam town did dwell
My name it is young Henry,
in Harbourne known full well"
"Harbourne being an area of Birmingham where some of my friends lived when I was a student. Imagine those lines in a proper Brummie accent and its hard not to be taken with it.
"The hurdy-gurdy tune that goes with it comes from another song that I wrote then discarded called "We Poor Souls". "
~Lyrics~
Come all you wild and wicked youths wherever you may be,
I pray you pay attention and listen unto me.
To the fate of our poor transports as you shall understand
And the hardships that they undergo upon Van Diemen's Land.
Now my parents reared me tenderly, good learning gave to me
Until with bad company I was beguiled which proved my destiny
And I was brought up in Warwickshire, in Southam town did dwell
And my name it is young Henry In Harbourne known full well
Young men, all now beware
Lest you are drawn into a snare
I and five more went out one night to Squire Dunhill's park
To see if we could get some game the night it proved too dark
But to our great misfortune we were [?] with speed
And sent away to Warwick jail which made our hearts to bleed
And at the March assizes to the bar we did repair
Like Job we stood with patience to hear our sentence there
Being caught with old offenders my case it did go hard
And my sentence was for fourteen years I was quickly sent on board
Young men, all now beware
Lest you are drawn into a snare
The ship that bore us from the land the Speedwell was her name,
For four five months and better boys we ploughed the raging main.
No land nor harbour did we see, believe me it's no lie,
Around us one black water, above us one blue sky.
And the very day we landed upon that fateful shore,
The planters they stood around us boys for forty score or more,
They ranked us up like horses and sold us out of hand,
and they roped us to the plough me boys to plough Van Diemen's Land.
Now young men, all now beware
Lest you are drawn into a snare
It's oft times when I sleep at night I have a pleasent dream
With my pretty girl I've roved abroad by field and sparkling stream
Yes in england I've been rambling with her at my right hand
but I wake up broken hearted upon Van Diemen's Land
Although the poor of England do labour and do toil
They're robbed of every blessing and produce of the soil
Your proud imperious landlords if you break their command
Well they'll send you off on British hulks to plough Van Diemen's Land
Young men, all now beware
Lest you are drawn into a snare
Young men, all now beware
Lest you are drawn into a snare
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35 videos
I love this tune with its violin sound. And I love its folk sound. You can follow the lyrics because it is almost narrated and I thought brilliant that the lyrics are shown in the commentary section. I thought this would be excellent when walking up a hill aswell as you really feel part of England.
sparebone 3 years ago 3
This Is a truely wonderful folk song. It reminds you of Old English countryside.
PurpleStain6 2 years ago 2