Bobby Shafto

[watervole]

 Bobby Shafto is one of those songs that most of my generation know, without even knowing where they learnt it.

"Kidzone - Bobby Shafto" (Watch on YouTube)

It normally has three verses, although the nursery rhyme videos for kids all seem to leave out the one about her having  a baby.

However, the Wikipedia entry says that it was supposedly written about a girl who died for love when he came back and married someone else, and none of the versions of the song I can find include that part.  So, I've written an extra verse.

Bobby Shafto's gone to sea,

Silver buckles at his knee;

He'll come back and marry me,

Bonny Bobby Shafto!

Bobby Shafto's bright and fair,

Combing out his yellow hair;

He's my ain for evermore,

Bonny Bobby Shafto!

Bobby Shafto's getting a bairn,

For to dangle on his arm;

In his arm and on his knee,
Bonny Bobby Shafto!

 

Bobby Shafto's home from sea,

Wed a maid, forgotten me,
Will he love me if I die?
Bonny Bobby Shafto!

Comments

[gominokouhai]

Huh. I only knew the first two verses.

I like your addendum. It even still rhymes in the Scots.

[watervole]

One has to have the Scots. My grandmother would turn in her grave if I didn't get that rhyme right.

('arm' should have been spelt 'airm' - I didn't check before pasting from another site)

[vjezkova.livejournal.com]

Of course I can´t know this song but Hey! I love it! A perfect song for kids, the catching melody and rhythm!
Its history is interesting and you did a nice job to write this verse!:-)
We have lots of lovely songs for children, Anicka knows some and she sings along or she tries alone (mostly when she thinks no one it listening).:-)

[watervole.livejournal.com]

Oswin sings to herself in the back seat of the car - though the words are a bit random...