Also known in differing versions as "The Yellow Handkerchief", "Myrtle Tree" and "First I Loved Thomas". Performed over the years by Phoebe Smith, Bellowhead, Lucy Farrell and others, my lyrics are closest to those sung by Waterson:Carthy.
lyrics
LYRICS:
First I loved William and then I loved John,
But now I love Thomas he's a clever young man.
With his white cotton stockings and his high ankled shoes,
He wears a velvet jacket, like a flash lad he goes.
Fiddling and dancing was all his delight,
But keeping flash company has ruined him quite.
Has ruined him quite and a great many more,
If it hadn't have been flash company he'd never have been so poor.
Take this yellow handkerchief in remembrance of me
And wear it around your neck when in flash company.
Dry up your briny tears and don't look so sad,
There's plenty more flash girls all around to be had.
Rocks shall run to water and the sea shall run dry,
If I should prove false to the one that loves I.
The sweetest strawberries shall grow in the sea,
If I should prove false to the one that loves me.
First I loved William and then I loved John,
But now I love Thomas he's a clever young man.
With his white cotton stockings and his high ankled shoes,
He wears a velvet jacket, like a flash lad he goes.
Take this yellow handkerchief in remembrance of me
And wear it around your neck when in flash company.
Dry up your briny tears and don't look so sad,
There's plenty more flash girls all around to be had
Roary Skaista is a queer folk musician based in Oxford, performing traditional folk songs as well as their own material on
the themes of love, nature and diversity.
This is a great adaptation of Arthuriana and a brilliant narrative album. I love how the queerness of the characters is handled as an integral part of the narrative and plot development without it being the end all be all of the characters themselves. my boy Gawain deserved better though maritarvaniti
This album speaks to the continuum of African diasporic culture that is central to the vibrant canon of Americana folk music. Bandcamp Album of the Day May 29, 2020
Sweet harmonies & strummed melodies; the duo delve into decades-old folk, jazz, and country to find a timeless kind of love and connection. Bandcamp New & Notable May 23, 2018