Jack Monroe (song)

"Jack Monroe", also known as "Jack Munro," "Jackie Monroe," "Jack-A-Roe," "Jackaroe," "Jackaro," "Jackie Frazier," "Jack the Sailor," "Jack Went A-Sailing," "The Love of Polly and Jack Monroe," among other titles, is a traditional ballad of uncertain (though presumably British) origin.

The version "Jack The Sailor" collected in Cecil Sharp's "English Folk Songs From the Southern Appalachians" is frequently cited.

Dianne Dugaw's "Warrior Women and Popular Balladry, 1650-1850" gives a 1934 version of "Jack Monroe" collected in Missouri, and also notes the existence of a version "on an 1830s Boston broadside in American Antiquarian Society, Uncatalogued Ballads."

The song is a staple of the folk rock repertoire and has been performed by Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, and more commonly, The Grateful Dead (as Jack-A-Roe). In 1931, Florence Reece used this tune for her song "Which Side Are You On?".

External links

* [http://www.csufresno.edu/folklore/ballads/LN07.html "Jack Monroe"] in [http://www.csufresno.edu/folklore/BalladIndexTOC.html The Ballad Index]
* [http://ingeb.org/songs/therewas.html "Jack the Sailor"]
* [http://www.deaddisc.com/songs/Jack-A-Roe.htm "Jack-A-Roe"]
* [http://sniff.numachi.com/pages/tiJCKSAIL2;ttJCKSAIL2.html "Jackie Frazier"] lyrics and score
* [http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/english-folk-songs/ "English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians"]