To carry out a simple search, type the term that you want to find in the Search box next to the Advanced Search tab, and press enter.
For a more refined search of songs or tunes use the Advanced search function. To carry out a search on two or more terms at once, e.g. Collector+Roud Number, select each term as above and then click search.
Be sure to clear previous searches before starting a new one by clicking on the x next to each search term at the top.
It is always dangerous to ascribe folk songs to particular events in history but the body of evidence is that it refers to the Opium Wars with China of 1840. Printed versions seem to date from that period and as a song it has been collected fairly regularly in England. It has been picked up by others as “The Yankee Man o’ War” or “The Fenian Man o’ War”. Grainger collected a version from Mrs Wixey of Buckland, Gloucestershire but the recording is too poor to transcribe.
Williams collected no tunes but for a possible tune to this song, go to ‘Browse’ and search for 372 in the Roud number field.
Notes by Gwilym Davies 13 May 2015