Track 4

Blackwaterside

This song, like most of the others on the album, I learnt from an Anne Briggs’ recording. In case I have not explained before, Anne Briggs is an amazing folk singer from Toton in Nottinghamshire, just up the road from where I grew up. She lost both parents as a young child and her aunt and uncle raised her as their own. She says herself that she “had a very hard life”. She ran away with the circus at age 17, spent time in Ireland travelling about singing, sleeping alone on beaches and was a well-known figure in the 60’s during the folk revival.

I have heard many stories about her from people at local folk clubs as well as from some of my old clog dancing team who used to know her too. She always seems to have a very mysterious air about her.

She lives up in Scotland now and turned 80 last year. She doesn’t sing anymore (though please do correct me if I am wrong). I have heard from a few folks that she seems to enjoy the life of a recluse. I honestly don’t blame her.

In a rare interview from January 2024, the “elusive folk singer” said “I find talking for any length of time really difficult,”¹ I also know that feeling well! (that interview is well worth a read, by the way).

This is one of the most recent videos of Anne Briggs (though not all that recent - it’s from 1992).²

Blackwaterside has such a wide range that you must get that starting note just right. Otherwise the song will end up going so high later that you shall never get those top notes!! (I wouldn’t anyway).

One morning fair for to take the air
Down by Blackwaterside.
’Twas in gazing all, all around me
’Twas the Irish lad I spied.

Typical folk song - poor young girl gets slighted by a man who took her off to bed. They did indeed have a great time but then he bogs off and leaves her in the morning.

All through the fair part of the night
Well we lay in sport and play,
Till this young man he arose and he gathered his clothes,
He said "fare thee well to the day".

That's not the promise that you gave to me
When first you lay on my bed,
You could make me believe with your lying tongue
That the sun rose in the west.

It’s said to be “A widespread song particularly favoured by travelling people. In England, it’s usually called The False Young Man”. You can definitely hear the ‘Irishness’ of this song, in the melody but also it being named after a river in Ireland. There were also many versions collected by Irish folk and of course it talks about “the Irish lad I spied”.

So go home, go home, to your father’s garden,
Go home and weep your fill.
And you think of your own misfortune
That you brought with your wanton ways.

She does berate herself for being so stupid at the end…

There's not a girl in this whole wide world
As easily led as I,
Sure fishes they’ll fly and the seas run dry,
’Tis then he'll marry I.

I filmed this on the edge of the country park in my old village just on the way down to the holy well. I shall say no more about the whereabouts of that though. Best kept as a secret.

It’s funny as when writing out the words I realised just how much the lyrics that I sing deviate from the version I learnt off. But then that is the nature of folk music.

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1. “I don’t know who I am, I don’t know what I am... but I am” Anne Briggs interviewed - UNCUT

2. ***please note*** even though I talk about Anne Briggs a lot and these are all songs that she has done, this CD in not connected to nor endorsed by her in any way. She has just been a great inspiration to me and what is EVEN better that she’s a local Nottingham lady too