From: dmr@andromeda.rutgers.edu (Daniel Rosenblum)
Newsgroups: alt.guitar.tab,rec.music.folk
Subject: Re: REQ Black Velvet Band-Irish Trad
Date: 12 Nov 92 23:03:01 GMT
Followup-To: alt.guitar.tab
Organization: Rutgers University, Graduate School of Management, Newark, N.J.

In <1992Nov11.043935.3205@actrix.gen.nz> Peter.Weekes@bbs.actrix.gen.nz writes:

>I would be very grateful if someone could send me the words and chords to this
>lovely old Irish song. The chorus goes "Her eyes they shone like diamonds" etc

I sent the following reply to the original poster by mail, but in case
anyone else is interested, here it is.

It's in Peggy Seeger & Ewan MacColl's _The_Singing_Island:_A_
_collection_of_English_and_Scots_Folksongs_ (London: Mills Music,
Ltd.), 1960.  They collected it from the singing of Harry Cox, of
Catfield, Norfolk, in 1953, and also refer to Herbert Hughes's
_Irish_Country_Songs_ (London: Boosey and Co.), 1915.  Seeger &
MacColl write:

      The origins of this song are rather obscure.  A. L. Lloyd
   is of the opinion that it began as a stage song during the
   1890's.  It is now fairly widespread and versions have been
   collected in England, Ireland, Australia and the United
   States, in which latter country it was a favourite with hoboes
   both as a recited piece and a song.  The place-names vary
   considerably.  It was common on broadsides and is sometimes
   known as ``The Black Ribbon-Band''.

Here are the words and chords according to Seeger & MacColl:

         D
 1. In a neat little town they call Belfast,
                               A7
    Apprenticed to trade I was bound,
        D       A7           D
    And many an hour's sweet happiness
           A7                        D
    Have I spent in that neat little town.

 2. A bad misfortune came over me,
    And caused me to stray from the land,
    Away from my friends and relations,
    Betrayed by the black velvet band.

    Optional Chorus: Her eyes they shone like diamonds,
                     I thought her the queen of the land,
                     And her hair it hung over her shoulders,
                     Tied up with a black velvet band.

 3. I took a stroll down Broadway,
    Meaning not long for to stay,
    When who should I see but a pretty fair maid,
    Come tripping along the pathway.

 4. She was both fair and handsome,
    Her neck it was just like the swan,
    And her hair it hung over her shoulders,
    Tied up with a black velvet band.

 5. I took a stroll with this pretty fair maid,
    And a gentleman passing us by,
    I knew she meant a doing for him
    By the look in her roguish black eye.

 6. His watch she took from his pocket,
    And placed it right into my hand,
    And the very next thing that I said was:
    ``Bad luck to the black velvet band.''

 7. Before the judge and jury,
    Next morning I had to appear;
    The judge he said to me: ``Young man,
    Your case it is proved clear.

 8. ``We'll give you seven years penal servitude,
    To be spent right away from your land,
    Far away from your friends and relations,
    Betrayed by the black velvet band.''

 9. So come all you jolly young fellows,
    I'll have you take warning by me,
    When you are out on the liquor, my boys,
    Beware of your pretty coleen.

10. They'll treat you to strong drink, my boys,
    Till you are not able to stand,
    And before you have time to leave them,
    They'll land you in Van Dieman's Land.

The optional chorus (I've always heard the song sung with the chorus)
is sung after every other stanza; in fact, the way the stanzas are
divided here is based on the fact that each is sung to the same tune,
but one could argue that the division into stanzas should be
different, with each pair of stanzas given here really constituting
one eight-line stanza.  Obviously this doesn't make any difference
when you sing it.
-- 
Daniel M. Rosenblum, Assistant Professor, Quantitative Studies Area,
   Graduate School of Management, Rutgers University (Newark Campus)
ROSENBLUM@DRACO.RUTGERS.EDU                      ROSENBLUM@ZODIAC.BITnet
dmr@andromeda.rutgers.edu          ...!rutgers!andromeda.rutgers.edu!dmr