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The Gypsy Laddie / Black Jack Davy

Written by
Publication date
1740
Language
English
Comments
[Roud 1; Child 200; G/D 2:278; Henry H124; Ballad Index C200; Bodleian Roud 1; Mudcat 1654; trad.] The date is for the first known publication of this Scottish ballad as "Johnny Faa, the Gypsy Laddie" in Ramsay's "Tea Table Miscellany". The song is known under many names (The Seven (Yellow) Gipsies, Raggle Taggle Gipsies, etc) and is probably best known (particularly in the United States) as "Black Jack Davy/David".

In this ballad, a fine lady is abducted or abandons her husband (and often children) to go with the gypsy laddie. She is pursued by her husband, but refuses to return to her fine home, preferring the gypsy (abducted or not). In some versions, the lady is retaken by force and the gypsy (or sometimes, gypsies, including accomplices) are hanged.

Child considered this ballad to be historically based in the expulsion of the gypsies from Scotland in 1609, and the hanging of a prominent gypsy, Johnny Faa, for returning or failing to leave Scotland. There is no account, however, of any expelled gypsy taking a great lady. At some point, a localized and/or corrupted version of the ballad was published that used the name of Lord Cassilis as the wronged husband, resulting in a story springing up that Lady Cassilis had merely acquiesced in her marriage to Lord Cassilis, while being in love with Johnny Faa. The story goes that Faa and a band of gypsies eventually came to take her. The group (including Lady Cassilis) was apprehended, the gypsies were hung, and the lady locked up by Lord Cassilis for the remainder of her life. Child, himself, debunks this story as ahistorical.

Scholarship after Child's time strongly supports the idea that "The Gypsy Laddie" is not a historical ballad but, rather, belongs to the ballads based on medieval romance. More specifically, there is strong support for the conclusion that this ballad actually originated as a humorous rewriting of the far more obscure ballad "King Orfeo" (Child 19), which it quickly surpassed in popularity.
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Versions

written by English

Title Performer Release date Info
1938
1939
October 1940
1942
1946
1952
1954
1954
1955
September 24, 1956
December 1956
1956
1957
1957
1957
1957
1957
1960
1960
1960
1961
1961
1961
1961
1961
1961
January 1962
March 1962
June 1962
1962
1962
1962
1962
August 1963
June 1964
1964
1964
1964
January 1965
May 1965 Live
1965
1966
1966
March 1967
June 1967
1967
1968
1969
April 1970
Seven Gypsies Gallery [GB] 1972 Unverified
1973
1973 Medley
1975
1975
1975
1975
1976
1977
1977
The Gipsy Laddies Dick Gaughan 1977 Unverified
1978
1978
1978
1979
1979
1980
1981
1982
1987
June 19, 1989
1990
1991
November 3, 1992
1993
1994
1994
March 21, 1995
Gypsy Davy Abunai! September 15, 1997 Unverified
June 16, 1998 Editor's cover song pick
1998
1998
1998
Raggle Taggle Gypsy The Electrics 1998 Unverified
Raggle Taggle Gypsy Rapalje 1998 Unverified
April 20, 1999
September 21, 1999
September 28, 1999
Raggle Taggle Gypsy The Old Firm 2000 Unverified
2001
2001
2001
February 2002
May 13, 2003
2003
2003
April 26, 2004
August 24, 2004
September 6, 2004
September 21, 2004
2004
2004
2004
2004
February 2005 Live
August 2005
2006
2007
2007
March 25, 2008
September 16, 2008
2008
2008
March 25, 2009
September 10, 2010
April 18, 2011
May 1, 2011
2011
June 1, 2012
August 14, 2012
The Raggle Taggle Gypsy Parcel O'Rogues 2012 Unverified
April 18, 2013
July 1, 2013
October 25, 2013
2013
February 7, 2014
April 8, 2014
Seven Gypsies Stick in the Wheel September 25, 2015 Unverified
January 16, 2016 Medley
March 4, 2016
January 20, 2018
Seven Gypsies Oysterband May 31, 2019 Unverified
October 2, 2019
Gypsy Davey Kikagaku Moyo February 24, 2020 Unverified
March 12, 2021
March 10, 2023

written by instrumental

Title Performer Release date Info
i 2000 Released more than 10 years after its recording
Acoustic
i June 1, 2017
i Gipsy Davey Pascal Maupeu November 8, 2018 Unverified
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