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The Foggy Foggy Dew (England)

from The Southern Cross and the Northern Star by Ceolskog

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about

This is my rendition of "The Foggy, Foggy Dew", an English folk song (not to be confused with the Irish folk song of the same name). The song is a lamentful ballad of a young lover, and describes the outcome of his affair with a girl he courted for some time. She initially comes to his bed because she is afraid of the "foggy, foggy dew", but it seems she often returned. Early versions of the song refer to her fear of the "bugaboo" rather than the foggy dew. It has been sung by artists such as Benjamin Britten, Burl Ives, Roger Whittaker, and of course my fellow YouTuber, Threelegsoman. It was also sung by Marty Robbins, who (small piece of trivia) died the same week I was born.

I changed the lyrics slightly to make the story sadder and less naughty, and also added in a chorus (my own lyrics). It has never really been established what became of the fair young maid; the narrator starts out and finishes up a bachelor and is left with a son, so perhaps she simply ran off! In my version they marry and then have a son, but rather than running off and leaving him with the kid, she passes away, and he laments her passing.

lyrics

When I was a bachelor, I lived all alone,
I worked at the weaver's trade.
And the only, only for which I did long,
Was the love a fair young maid.
I wooed her in the wintertime,
And in the summer, too.
I married her that year and I held her in my arms,
Just to keep her from the foggy, foggy dew.

Sweeter than a rose in bloom,
Warmer than the evening hue,
My heart so hurt,
And filled with love for you.
Your heart, so pure,
Gone, now, so fair and true.
Alone, I am, with the foggy dew.

One night she came to my bedside,
While I was fast asleep.
She laid her head upon my chest,
And she began to weep.
She sighed, she cried, she damn near died,
She said what shall I do?
So I took her into bed, and I held her in my arms,
Just to keep her from the foggy foggy dew.

Sweeter than a rose in bloom,
Warmer than the evening hue,
My heart so hurt,
And filled with love for you.
Your heart, so pure,
Gone, now, so fair and true.
Alone, I am, with the foggy dew.

Now, I am a widower, I live with my son
We work at the weaver's trade.
And every single time that I look into his eyes
He reminds me of my young maid.
He reminds me of the wintertime,
And of the summer, too.
And of the many, many times that I held her in my arms,
To keep her from the foggy, foggy, dew.

Sweeter than a rose in bloom,
Warmer than the evening hue,
My heart so hurt,
And filled with love for you.
Your heart, so pure,
Gone, now, so fair and true.
Alone, I am, with the foggy dew.

credits

from The Southern Cross and the Northern Star, released March 19, 2017

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Ceolskog Hamilton, New Zealand

Ceolskog is the folk metal project of Adam Helliwell, a singer and guitarist from New Zealand. Ceolskog's style is a cross between traditional folk music, particularly Celtic and Nordic, and heavy metal.

Ceol means music in Irish, and skog means forest in Norwegian. Although a solo project for now, it will hopefully become an entire band in the future. ... more

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