Georgie

Transpontine has just done a post on a local folk club, which led to another post from a year ago which mentioned Georgie, a Martin Carthy version of an old song, sometimes called called Geordie. The song itself is about a poacher operating on Shooters Hill.

Martin Carthy sings Georgie (performing in Deptford on May Day 2010)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC60IeNoXaw]

Once I had such a good little boy
A pretty boy quick as any
He would run five miles in one half an hour
A letter to pardon my Georgie

For what has Georgie done on Shooter’s Hill
Was it stealing or murder of any
Oh he stole sixteen of the lord judge’s deer
And we sold them down under the valley

Oh saddle em up cries my lily-white breast
Oh saddle me up cries my pony
With bright guns in his hand and a sword at his side
Would you spare me the life of my Georgie

And Georgie’s fathered six babes loved
There’s a seventh one into my body
But it’s with it part with all I have got
If you’ll spare me the life of my Georgie

And George shall be hanged in the frames of gold
For the frames of gold you won’t find many
But it’s with it part with all I have got
If you’ll spare me the life of my Georgie

For what has Georgie done on Shooter’s Hill
Was it stealing or murder of any
Oh he stole sixteen of the lord judge’s deer
And we sold them down under the valley

Wish you was stalled all in the grove
All in the grove standing ready
With bright guns in your hand and a sword at your side
I’d fight you for the life of my Georgie

Once I had such a good little boy
A pretty boy quick as any
He would run five miles in one half an hour
A letter to pardon my Georgie

The timing of this find is something of a neat coincidence as the header image was recently changed to one of a picture from the times when Shooters Hill had its own gibbet, which has been removed from the picture, allowing the viewer to instead concentrate on ye olde mobile mast, a telegraph relay.