Traditional English Folk Songs?

[MichaelW]

Have a look at https://www.bamptonfolkclub.org.uk/bfc-tunebook/
As far as I remember this is for mandolin(?) but a chord is a chord so it should work for uke if you can find a strumming pattern.

Linden Lea is one of my favourites but only got it as two line melody or pages of hugely complicated guitar score.

 

[Dave Holiday]

Grim King Of The Ghosts is a favorite of mine. It goes back to at least the 16th century:

 

[Dave Holiday]

Cold Blows The Wind (aka The Unquiet Grave) is a good one, IMO. It was first collected in a songbook in 1868 but probably dates to quite a bit earlier in the folk tradition. Some claim it goes back to the 1400s. There are many, many variations of the song:

 

[Dave Holiday]

This is a lovely one, though it's Irish in origin, I reckon:

 

[Canada Jim]

"The Gypsy Davey" / "The Gypsy Rover" / "The Raggle-Taggle Gypsy" / etc. is a project in and of itself. The story told by each ballad is similar, but the melodies and words are very different. You could have a perfectly good concert consisting of nothing but versions of this song.

My favourite verse is:

Last night I slept in a warm feather bed
With my servants all around me,
Tonight I'll sleep on the cold, cold ground
In the arms of the Gypsy Davey.

 

[Kenn2018]

"Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme" is an old English song.

The Richard Dyer-Bennet "Folk Song Book" has a lot of English traditional songs. Of course a number of American Traditional songs are adaptations of originals from the UK, (before it was a UK).
Joan Baez, Judy Collins, The Weavers all sang variations of traditional English, Irish, Scots and Wales folk songs.
Irish Songs and performances here: https://www.irishmusicdaily.com/
Sea Shanties and Pub Songs: http://kristinhall.org/songbook/SeaAndPub.html

Hesperus - “Celtic Roots—Scottish & Irish music from the earliest traditional sources” CD
Ed McCurdy - “Best of Dalliance, The”
Maddy Prior and June Tabor both sing a lot of old traditional songs.

One of my favorites is the somewhat modernized Misty, Moisty Morning by Steeleye Span:

Misty Moisty Morning
artist:Steeleye Span , writer:Traditional


[G] One misty moisty morning when cloudy [D] was the weather
I [G] met with an old man [D] cloth-ed all in [F] leather
He was [G] clothed all in leather with a [D] cap beneath his chin
Singing… [Em] How d'ya do and [G] how d'ya do and [D] how d'ya do a-[G]gain

Etc.

 

[MichaelW]

Going to see Steeleye Span at Sidmouth Folk Festival in August.
It is a mid afternoon concert because we/they are all old and after the excesses of the night before when
Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain are doing their thing.

​

 

[baconsalad]

I recently heard "Early One Morning" which not only is a pretty song, is very easy to play (in this form at least)

Can anyone suggest some other titles I should check out? Ken Middleton has some fantastic tabs, but I'm more interested in simpler, strum/sing songs.

If there are any collections out there, that would be great as well.
If the chords are common ones, even a collection written for another instrument would be cool.

This song gets referred to as "Early Folk" and sometimes as "Renaissance"

For those unfamiliar with the song, here it is played on the guitar:

Every Canadian around my age knows this song as it was theme song to the great CBC children's show The Friendly Giant!!! He was our Mr Rogers

 

[Jan D]

I remember it well. I wonder how Rusty is doing ….

 

[Kenn2018]

Going to see Steeleye Span at Sidmouth Folk Festival in August.
It is a mid afternoon concert because we/they are all old and after the excesses of the night before when
Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain are doing their thing.

Consider me very jealous!