Annotation:Lad with the Trousers On (1) (The)
X:1 T:Lad with the Trousers on [1], The B:William Vickers 1770 Northumbrian music manuscript collection, p. 88 M:9/8 L:1/8 S:http://www.farnearchive.com/show_images.asp?id=R0303301&image=1 Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:D dAc BGB AFA|c2c cdc B2A|dAc BGB AFA|d2d ded c2A:| |:F2A E2A D2B|c2c cdc B2A|F2A E2A D2c|d2d ded c2A:| |:d2e fdf ecA|c2c cdc B2A|1 d2e fdf ecA|d2d ded c2A:| |2 dAc BGB AFA|d2d ded c2A||
LAD WITH THE TROUSERS ON [1], THE. AKA - "Bonny Lad with his Trousers on." AKA and see "Country Sheep-Shearing (The)," "Esqr. Lesstar/Lessar," "Old Spand Hornpipe," "Sailors are all at the bar (The)," "Sheep Shearing," "Young Spauds Hornpipe." English, Air (9/8 time). England, Northumberland. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The earliest appearance of this tune dates to the very early 18th century, and probably is still earlier. Thomas Marsden included it as "Old Spand Hornpipe" in his Original Lancashire Hornpipe, Old and New, published c. 1705 by Henry Playford, and London music publisher Daniel Wright printed versions as "Young Spauds Hornpipe" and "Esqr. Lesstar" in An Extraordinary Collection of Pleasant & Merry Humours (c. 1715). It was included as "The Lad with the Trousers On" in the large music manuscript collection of Northumbrian musician William Vickers, compiled around 1770. A few versions of the tune were collected by Northumbrian poet and musician John Bell (1783–1864) and entered into his c. 1812 music manuscript collection [1], along with a few verses (below). Matt Seattle finds cognates in Thomas Marsden's "Old Spand Hornpipe," as well as "Country Sheep-shearing"/"Sheep Shearing" and "Esqr. Lesstar." The title appears in Henry Robson's list of popular Northumbrian song and dance tunes ("The Northern Minstrel's Budget"), which he published c. 1800. The air is the vehicle for the song "Sailors are all at the bar (The)."
The lad wi' the trousers on, He says he winnot hae me;
The lad wi' the trousers on, He says he winnot hae me.
If he winnot hae me, He can let me be;
Aw can get another, Twice as good as he. ... (Bruce & Stokoe)
See also notes for the cognate melody "Annotation:Old Spand Hornpipe."
