A wealthy young man thinks he's found some easy pickings, but he doesn't reckon with Joan who is not just lovely, but feisty and athletic. She's more than a match for him, and the winner takes all. He's not happy about this but takes it well... just kidding, he rages and cries in the middle of a field.
Joan is one example of women in folk song who do the unexpected. They turn the tables on the predatory man and give him his just desserts.
This is another song that owes a lot to the medieval Pastourelle, but as you'll hear the style of argument is still live and kicking.
Music performed by Jenny Shaw:
- Tune of Lovely Joan as collected from William "Dubber" Hurr from Southwold, Suffolk in 1910 by Ralph Vaughan Williams and George Butterworth.
- Verse from the version collected by Vaughan Williams from Christopher Jay of Acle, Norfolk, in 1908.
- Verse from Sweet Lovely Joan, a bowdlerised version published by Cecil Sharp.
- L'autrier Jost' Una Sebissa (Marcabru, 1129-1150)
- Handsome Joan the Dairymaid, sung to a spontaneous tune
References and links
Lovely Joan collected from Christopher Jay for Acle, Norfolk by Ralph Vaughan Williams https://www.eatmt.org.uk/lovely-joan-roud-592-acle-april-1908/
Handsome Joan the Dairy Maid in Newcastle University’s archives: https://cdm21051.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p21051coll54/id/111/rec/290
Lovely Joan on Mainly Norfolk: https://mainlynorfolk.info/lloyd/songs/lovelyjoan.html
Lovely Joan on the Traditional Ballad Index: https://balladindex.org/Ballads/ShH57.html
The Merchant’s Son of York and the Begger Wench of Hull: https://yorkshirefolksong.net/song.cfm?songID=65
