This is a rare song and has been collected a mere handful of times. One can speculate that being mistreated by a pub landlady was not a new experience for many. Apart from the Gloucestershire versions collected from Wiggy Smith and Charles Messenger, it was also sung by the Gloucestershire gypsy Maurice Smith.

For Wiggy Smith’s tune to this song, see http://glostrad.com/when-i-was-a-young-man/.

Notes by Gwilym Davies 1 July 2015