Ballads & Songs of Southern Michigan-songbook

A Collection of 200+ traditional songs & variations with commentaries including Lyrics & Sheet music

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Unhappy Love                         69
THE LOST JOHNNY DOYLE
For references to British and American texts of this broadside song once popular in England and Ireland, and for a text from Nova Scotia, see Mackenzie, pp. 106-107. See also Eddy, No. 186; Henry, JAFL, XLIV, 93-94; Hudson, ]AFL, XXXIX, 121-122; Scarborough, pp. 248-250; Sharp, II, 27-28; and Six Hundred and Seventeen Irish Songs and Ballads, p. 27 Most of the American texts in­clude a stanza concerning the broken-up wedding, except for the omission of this episode, the Michigan text is unusually complete.
The present version was sung in 1935 by Mrs. Maggie Loughhn, Cannons-burg, who as a girl about eighteen years old learned the song from Miss Julia Keena, Cannonsburg.
It's o£ a lovely fair maid bewailing in love, A-making her laments to the great God above, A-making her laments while I think it is high time. I roam the wide world over with my young Johnny Doyle.
It was Saturday evening we made up our plan; It was early Monday morning to take a trip along. My waiting maid was standing by, as you can plainly see; She slipped in to my mama and told upon me.
My mama she conducted me into a bedroom high Where no one could hear me or pity my sad cry. She bundled up my clothing, and she bid me begone, For she knew in her very heart that I loved this neat young man.