The Jolly Waggoner

The Jolly Waggoner (Roud # 1088) is an English folk-song.

ynopsis

A waggoner looks back on his life. His parents had disapproved of his choice of profession, but has no regrets. He can be cold and wet, but he simply stops at the next inn and sits with the landlord, drinking. In the summer he heards the birds sing. In the autumn he has lots of work and the money rolls in. What a jolly life!

Commentary

Several websites say "This country song could date back to the time when waggons replaced packhorses". Most versions refer to the arrival of steam:"The world's turned topsy-turvy lads and things, is run by steam"A date in the early nineteenth century therefore seems much more sensible than the eighteenth century. In the early nineteenth century only the rich could afford to travel long distances. Most people would rarely travel more than a few miles from their house. This goes some way to explaining why the waggoner takes so much pleasure in travelling the countryside. The roadbuilding that took place in the late 18th century made travelling in a wheeled vehicle much more pleasurable. Those who were first to transport goods by road would make a quick profit. The waggoner can laugh at his parents for failing to spot this business opportunity.

Historical Background

Ralph Vaughan Williams collected it from Mr Rose, landlord, at Acle Norfolk in 1908. Alfred Williams collected it from David Sawyer of Ogborne, Upper Thames. Sabine Baring-Gould and Cecil Sharp also collected it. The distribution of the song appears to be confined to England, though an early broadsheet version comes from Dublin. Some sources say it is particularly popular in the west of England, though Kidson found it in Yorkshire, and Robert Bell found in in Tyne and Wear.

Cultural Relationships

As with most occupational folk songs, it is full of praise for his chosen way of life, and totally upbeat. This would be an ideal song for a traveller using a horse-drawn caravan, but there is no history of any traveller including it in his repertoire.

tandard References

* Roud 1088

Broadsides

J.F. Nugent and Co (Dublin) (1860 - 1899)

Other printed versions

*"Ancient Poems, Ballads and Songs of the Peasantry of England" ed by Robert Bell (1857)
* Frank Kidson found it in Yorkshire
* "A Garland of Country Songs" by S Baring Gould and H Fleetwood Shepherd (probably collected between 1888 and 1917):(Sabing Baring-Gould noted it from James Oliver of Launceton)
*Alfred Williams "Folk songs of the Upper Thames" song dated c 1914-16
*"Twice 44 Sociable Songs" by Geoffrey Shaw (1928)
*"The Oxford Song Book" vol 2 (1963)
*"Everyman's Book of English Country Songs" ed by Roy Palmer. (1979)

Textual Variants

There is almost no variation in the text. However, the most well-known recording, by the Watersons, uses the title "The Jolly Waggoners", even though the song is quite patently about an individual waggoner. All the printed sources have the title "The Jolly Waggoner".

Non-English variants

None

ongs that refer to PAGENAME

None. Another song, with similar sentiments is "Jim The Carter Lad", as sung by the Cooper Family, and "Country Carrier".

Motifs

In the line which mentions gold:We'll make the gold to fly, my boys, like chaff before the windthere is a suggestion that he has turned chaff (wheat stalks cut into small fragments) into gold (ie profit). This is a motif which occurs in the fairy tale Rumpelstiltskin. This is probably just a co-incidence.

Literature

No references.

Art

None.

Television and Movie References

None.

Music

The same tune is used in all cases.

Recordings

There are many pubs called "Jolly Waggoner", for example
*- Ardley, Hertfordshire
*- Hounslow, Middlesex

External references

* [http://www.folkinfo.org/songs/displaysong.php?songid=98 Folkinfo]
* [http://www.theotherpages.org/poems/ballad15.html The Other Pages]
* [http://www.csufresno.edu/folklore/ballads/K230.html Columbia state University]
*Note: CSU, normally a very good source of information on folk-song, is rather disappointing in this case.
* [http://www.graingerworld.co.uk/music/englishst.html mp3]