The song "All Around my Hat" (Roud 567 and 22518, Laws P31) is of nineteenth-century English origin. In an early version, dating from the 1820s, a Cockney costermonger vowed to be true to his fiancée, who had been sentenced to seven years' transportation to Australia for theft and to mourn his loss of her by wearing green willow sprigs in his hatband for "a twelve-month and a day," the willow being a traditional symbol of mourning.
The song was made famous by Steeleye Span in 1975 (incorporating another early 18th Century traditional "Farewell He")
Bodleian Ballad library, has a version of " All around my Hat", apparently the Cockney parody as "All around my hat, I vears a green villow" (published between 1813 and 1838).
The tune was given as "The (poor) fisherman's boy"
Another Cockney version in Bodleiean is dated between 1819 and 1844
And here's a Cockney version in Bodleien which is not dated.
There is also a political parody called "The Disappointed One", starting with the 'All around my Hat' verse, unfortunately not dated.
The song "All around my hat" appears on several other Bodleian Ballad library images under the title "The Green Willow" (sometimes referring to a cap, not hat), but no tune is given in any of them
Here's another sheet from the Library Of Congress.
In 1895 an influential version of "All Around My Hat" was printed in "A Garland of Country Song". collected by Sabine Baring-Gould and Henry Fleetwood Sheppard.
In the notes Fleetwood Sheppard says he mofified two or three of the original verses, because "there was no real humour in them, and the London dialect of that day is a thing of the past".
(c) Mrs. R.W. Duncan (1943) (as "All Round My Hat")
Recorded August 23, 1943 in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
Recordist: Helen Creighton.
All Round My Hat (from DUNCAN, Mrs. R.W. of Dartmouth, Halifax County, Nova Scotia
First line of song: All round my hat I will wear the green willow...) — 23 August 1943
Rec no. 398
Loc. no. AR 5068
AC 2234
MF no. 289.82
Listen here: Nova Scotia Archives - Helen Creighton: Folklife
And here's another (probaby earlier) version from 1943: N S A - Helen Creighton: Folklife
5 days later Helen Creighton recorded another version of this song with another singer:
(c) Dennis Smith (1943) (as "All Round My Hat")
Recorded August 28, 1943 in Chezzetcook, Nova Scotia, Canada
Recordist: Helen Creighton.
The same melody was also used for a song called "The Death Of Brugh", about the death in 1922 of Cathal Brugha. who was an Irish revolutionary and politician, active in the Easter Rising (1916).
In 1951 Alan Lomax collected a version in Ireland by Johnny McDonagh.
Listen here:
In 1953 Helen Creighton was responsible for yet another recording of "All 'Round My Hat"
In July of that year she recorded Mr. Neil O'Brien in Pictou, Nova Scotia
Here are the liner-notes (SEE PAGE 9)
(c) Neil O'Brien (1953) (as "All 'Round My Hat")
Listen here:
Or here:
(c) Stanley Holloway (1954) (as "All Around My Hat")
In 1954 Stanley Holloway recorded the Cockney version of "All Around My Hat".
Listen here:
Or to a sample here:
(c) John Langstaff (1956) (as "All 'Round My Hat")
Listen here:
Or herer:
(c) Glenn Yarbrough (1957) (as "All Around My Hat")
Listen here:
Or here:
(c) Diane Oxner (1957) (as "All 'Round My Hat")
Released on the album:
Diane Oxner Sings the Helen Creighton Collection of Traditional Folk Songs of Nova Scotia
Rereleased on the next Boxed Collection
Listen here:
In Ireland, Peadar Kearney adapted the song to make it relate to a Republican lass whose lover has died in the Easter Rising (1916), and who swears to wear the Irish tricolor in her hat in remembrance in "The Three-coloured Ribbon". It was published in 1921.
In Seamus De Burca's book "The Soldier's Song" about Peader Kearney , the first two verses and chorus of "The Three-coloured Ribbon" are printed as Declan had it (except that it has "to set Ireland free"), with a dedication of the song "To Eva" (Kearney's wife); and it's subtitled as "Easter Week Ballad". He probably wrote it, while he was interned in Ballykinlar, after the Rising.
So "The Tri-coloured Ribbon" has a strong connection with "The Death Of Brugh" (SEE ABOVE)
(c) Peg Clancy Power (1963) (as "The Tri-Coloured Ribbon")
Listen here:
Or here:
(c) Wolfe Tones (1966) (as "Three Coloured Ribbon")
(c) Peter Bellamy (1969) (as "All Around My Hat")
Listen here:
In 1975 British folk-band Steeleye Span had a Top 5 Hit in the UK charts with "All Around My Hat"
Steeleye Span's version also incorporated another traditional song ("Farewell He") which was also published in "A Garland Of Country Song" (SEE NEXT LINK)
But at the Bodleian Library there are still older versions:
"Farewell He" at the Bodleian Library collection:
Farewell he ("Its fare you well cold winter and fare you well cold frost ...")
Imprint: J. Ctanach [sic], Printer, 2, Monmouth-court (Date: between 1813 and 1838) Farewell he
SEE: Ballads Online
("Farewell, cold winter, and farewell cold frost ...")
Imprint: Printed for W. Armstrong, Banastre-street (Liverpool) (Date: between 1820 and 1824)
SEE: Ballads Online
Farewell he ("Farewell cold winter and farewell cold frost ...")
Imprint: C. Croshaw, Printer, Coppergate, York (Date: between 1814 and 1850)
SEE: Ballads Online
[Fare] thee well cold winter ("Oh, fare thee well cold winter ...")
Printer: [s.n.] ([s.l.]) Date: [s.a.]
SEE: Ballads Online
Here's a version from 1968 recorded by Archie Fisher.
(c) Archie Fisher (1968) (as "Farewell She")
Listen here:
In the version of Steeleye Span the original tune of "Farewell He" was replaced by the original tune of "All Around My Hat".
(c) Steeleye Span (1975) (as "All Around My Hat")
(incorporating "Farewell He")
Listen here:
(c) Status Quo and Maddy Prior (1996) (as "All Around My Hat")
Quo and Maddy Prior of Steeleye Span had a Top 50 hit in the UK.
Listen here:
