"The Ballad of Captain Kidd" (or simply, "Captain Kidd") is an English song about Captain

William Kidd William Kidd (c. 1645 – 23 May 1701), also known as Captain William Kidd or simply Captain Kidd, was a Scottish-American privateer. Conflicting accounts exist regarding his early life, but he was likely born in Dundee and later settled in N ...

, who was executed for piracy in London on May 23, 1701. It is listed as number 1900 in the

Roud Folk Song Index The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of around 250,000 references to nearly 25,000 songs collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world. It is compiled by Steve Roud. Roud's Index is a combination of the Broadsid ...

. The song was printed in Britain in 1701, and it traveled to the colonies "almost immediately".

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He wrote the short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy ...

's 1824 work '' Tales of a Traveller'' makes mention of the song: :"There 's a fine old song about him, all to the tune of — ::My name is Captain Kidd, ::As I sailed, as I sailed— :And then it tells all about how he gained the Devil's good graces by burying the Bible : :: I had the Bible in my hand, :: As I sailed, as I sailed, :: And I buried it in the sand :: As I sailed. — The song survived in the oral tradition long enough for it to be recorded from traditional singers.

Bob Roberts ''Bob Roberts'' is a 1992 satirical mockumentary film written, directed by, and starring Tim Robbins. It depicts the rise of Robert "Bob" Roberts Jr., a right-wing politician who is a candidate for an upcoming United States Senate election. Rober ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

, England was recorded singing the song by Peter Kennedy in 1960, whilst Helen Creighton,

Edith Fowke Edith Fowke, ''(née'' Margaret Fulton; 30 April 1913 in Lumsden, Saskatchewan – 28 Mar 1996 in Toronto) was a Canadian folklorist.Nygaard King, Betty and Ruth Pincoe. Fowke was educated at the University of Saskatchewan. She hosted the CB ...

and

Helen Hartness Flanders Helen Hartness Flanders (May 19, 1890 – May 23, 1972), a native of the U.S. state of Vermont, was an internationally recognized ballad collector and an authority on the folk music found in New England and the British Isles. At the initiati ...

recorded several versions in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

. The song shares a melody with the American folk hymn "

What Wondrous Love Is This "What Wondrous Love Is This" (often just referred to as "Wondrous Love") is a Christian Folk music, folk hymn from the American South. Its text was first published in 1811, during the Second Great Awakening, and its melody derived from a popular ...

" and the

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

song " Sam Hall".

Selected recordings

* "Captain Kidd" by Alex Campbell on ''Alex Campbell Sings Folk'', 1964. * "Captain Kidd" by Eddie Trinkett and Howie Mitchell on ''Golden Ring: A Gathering of Friends for Making Music'', Folk-Legacy Records, 1964. * "Ye Jacobites by Name" by Owen Hand on ''I Loved a Lass'',

Transatlantic Transatlantic, Trans-Atlantic or TransAtlantic may refer to: Film * Transatlantic Pictures, a film production company from 1948 to 1950 * Transatlantic Enterprises, an American production company in the late 1970s * ''Transatlantic'' (1931 film) ...

, 1966 (re-released with ''Something New'' on Pier Records, 1999). * "Captain Kidd" by Waterson:Carthy on ''Fishes and Fine Yellow Sand'',

Topic Records Topic Records is a British folk music label, which played a major role in the second British folk revival. It began as an offshoot of the Workers' Music Association in 1939, making it the oldest independent record label in the world.M. Brocken ...

, 2004. * "Captain Kidd" by Tempest on '' The Double-Cross'', Magna Carta Records, 2006. * "Sam Hall" by May Kennedy McCord, 1960, and by Roy "Wrinkle" Winkler, 1969, Max Hunter song collection. * "Captain Kidd" by Hughie Jones on ''Maritime Miscellany'', Fellside Recordings. * "Captain Kidd" by

Great Big Sea Great Big Sea was a Canadian folk rock band from Newfoundland and Labrador, best known for performing energetic rock interpretations of traditional Newfoundland folk songs including sea shanties, which draw from the island's 500-year Irish, Scott ...

on '' The Hard and the Easy'',

Warner Music Canada Warner Music Canada is the Canadian division of Warner Music Group. The label previously operated as WEA Music of Canada, Ltd. (French: ''WEA Musique du Canada, Ltée''), often shortened to WEA Canada, the Canadian subsidiary of WEA Internationa ...

, 2005.

In Mormonism

The song was reportedly a childhood favorite of

Mormonism Mormonism is the theology and religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement of Restorationism, Restorationist Christianity started by Joseph Smith in Western New York in the 1820s and 1830s. As a label, Mormonism has been applied to va ...

founder

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious and political leader and the founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. Publishing the Book of Mormon at the age of 24, Smith attracted tens of thou ...

In Methodism

In 1830, the song was included in a book of Methodist camp meeting hymns, "New and Improved Camp Meeting Hymn Book," retitled as "How Precious is the Name" and featuring new lyrics.

In popular culture

The song was adapted for the TV science fiction series ''

The Expanse Expanse or The Expanse may refer to: Media and entertainment ''The Expanse'' franchise * ''The Expanse'' (novel series), a series of science fiction novels by James S. A. Corey * ''The Expanse'' (TV series), a television adaptation of the ...

'' as "The Ballad of Captain Ashford", a song the character Klaes Ashford (played by

David Strathairn David Russell Strathairn (; born January 26, 1949) is an American actor. Known for his leading roles on stage and screen, he has often portrayed historical figures such as Edward R. Murrow, J. Robert Oppenheimer, William H. Seward, and John D ...

) sings bits of throughout the fourth season. The melody is part of the soundtrack for the TV show Black Sails.

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* * * * {{authority control 1701 songs Folk ballads Cultural depictions of William Kidd Songs about pirates Great Big Sea songs