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The Brisk Young Ploughboy / The Brave Ploughboy

[ Roud 1205 ; Master title: The Brisk Young Ploughboy ; Ballad Index PECS004 ; DT PLOWBOY ; Mudcat 129655 ; trad.]

Brisk Young Ploughboy is a harvest supper song from the repertoire of the Copper Family. Bob and Jim Copper sang it in a BBC recording made by Brian George on 1 March 1951 (BBC archive 16063); this was included on the Topic CD Come Write Me Down: Early Recordings of the Copper Family of Rottingdean. Bob and John Copper sang it in 1971 on the Trailer 4 LP box A Song for Every Season and, in a recording from May 1974 at the Lewes Arms, Mount Place, Lewes, Sussex, on the Transatlantic album The Brave Ploughboy. The Copper Family sang it live at Will Noble’s barn in Denby Dale, Yorkshire on 27 September 1986; this was published on the EFDSS cassette Wills’ Barn. Finally, they sang it on their 1988 EFDSS LP Coppersongs: A Living Tradition.

Tony Wales sang The Ploughboy in 1957 on his Folkways album Sussex Folk Songs and Ballads. Kenneth S. Goldstein noted:

Here is another song with typical country sentiment, this time in praise of the ploughboy. There are several such songs, each of which borrows stanzas from the others. The picture it paints is a glowing one, though, to be sure, the ploughboy’s lot was not an easy one. There was satisfaction in a job well done, however, and a ploughboy who smiled at his good fortune and made light of his ills was certainly capable of viewing his life through roseate glasses.

This version appears in John and Lucy Broadwood’s Sussex Songs, published in 1890.

The Watersons sang The Brave Ploughboy with Mike Waterson in lead on their 1981 album, Green Fields. A.L. Lloyd commented in the liner notes:

This piece, common enough, is sung here in the version printed by the Rev. John Broadwood, squire of Lyne, near Dorking, as far back as 1843. His collection of Old English Songs was the first to be published for the sake of the tunes, and apparently most if not all of them were heard by him at Christmas time, sung by singers “who go about to the neighbouring houses singing, or ‘wassailing’, as it is called, at that season.” Brave Ploughboy isn’t a typical wassail piece, rather more like the sort of things sung at the ceremonial boozing parties after harvest time, but wassailers were seldom fussy about their repertory.

Lyrics

The Copper Family sing Brisk Young Ploughboy

’Twas of a brisk young ploughboy, come listen to this refrain
And join with me in chorus and sing the ploughboy’s praise.
My song is of the ploughboy’s praise and unto you I’ll relate the same,
He whistles and sings and drives his plough, the brave ploughboy.

So early in the morning the ploughboy he is seen
All hastening to the stable his horses for to clean.
Their manes and tails he does comb straight, with chaff and corn he will them bate
And he’ll endeavour to plough straight, the brave ploughboy.

When he goes out in the morning to harrow plough or sow
And with a gentle cast, my boys, he’ll give his corn a throw.
All this I’ll have you understand is just to fill the reaper’s hand,
Likewise I’ll have you understand, it comes from the ploughboy.

Now seedtime being over the fields look fresh and gay
There’s merry lads to mow the grass while damsels make the hay.
The small birds sing on every tree, the cuckoo joins sweet harmony,
All welcome here as you may see, the brave ploughboy.

Then haying being over and harvest does draw near,
Our Master he does welcome us with plenty of beef and beer.
We all sit round to drink our beer while Peace and Plenty fill the year
And we’ll be happy while we are here and drink to the ploughboy.

Now harvest being over we start the plough once more,
Our Master has invited us unlocks his cellar door.
With cake and ale we have our fill because we’ve done our work so well
And there’s no one can despise the skill of the brave ploughboy.

Tony Wales sings The Ploughboy

Come all you jolly ploughboys, come listen to my lays.
And join with me in chorus, I’ll sing the ploughboy’s praise;
My song is of the ploughboy’s fame, and unto you I’ll relate the same:
He whistles, sings and drives his team, the brave ploughing boy.

So early in the morning, this ploughboy he is seen,
He hastens to the stable, his horses for to clean;
Their manes and tails he will comb straight, with chaff and corn he does them bait.
Then he’ll endeavor to plough straight, the brave ploughing boy.

Now all things being ready, the harness put on, too,
All with smiling countenance, his work he will pursue;
The small birds sing on every tree, the cuckoo joins in harmony,
To welcome him they all agree, the brave ploughing boy.

So early in the morning to harrow, plough and sow,
And with a gentle cast, my boys, we’ll give the corn a throw;
This makes the valleys thick to stand, with corn to fill the reaper’s hand.
All this you well may understand, does the brave ploughing boy.

Now the corn it is a-growing, and seed time it is o’er.
Our master he does welcome us, and ope’s the cellar door;
With cake and ale we have our fill, because we’ve done our work so well,
There’s none here can excel the skill of the brave ploughing boy.

Now the corn it is a-growing, the fields look fresh and gay,
The cheerful lads come in to mow, whilst damsels make the hay;
The ears of corn they now appear, and peace and plenty crown the year,
So we’ll be merry and drink whilst here, to the brave ploughing hoy.

The Watersons sing The Brave Ploughboy

Come all ye jolly ploughboys come listen to my lays
And join with me in chorus, and I’ll sing the ploughboy’s praise
My song is of the ploughboy’s fame
And unto you I’ll relate the same
He whistles, sings, and drives his team, the brave ploughing boy

So early in the morning, the ploughboy he is seen
He hastens to the stable, his horses for to clean
Their manes and tails he will comb straight
With chaff and corn he does them bait
And he’ll endeavour to plough straight, the brave ploughing boy.

Now all things being ready and the harness that’s put to
All with a shining countenance his work he will pursue
The small birds sing on every tree
The cuckoo joins in harmony
To welcome us, as you may say, the brave ploughing boy.

So early in the morning to harrow, plough, and sow
And with a gentle cast, my boys, we’ll give the corn a throw
Which makes the valleys thick to stand
With corn to fill the reaper’s hand
All this, you well may understand, comes from the ploughing boy.

Now the corn it is a-growing, and seed-time that’s all o’er
Our master he does welcome us and unlocks the cellar door
With cake and ale we’ll have our fill
Because we’ve done our work so well
There’s none here can excel the skill of the brave ploughing boy.

Now the corn it is a-growing, and the fields look fresh and gay
The cheerful lads come in to mow, while damsels make the hay
The ears of corn they now appear
And peace and plenty crowns the year
So we’ll be merry whilst we are here, and drink to the brave ploughing boy.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Greer Gilman for the transcription.