Sovay is a traditional

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

folk song Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

() about a young woman named Sovay who dresses and arms herself as a

highwayman A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to foo ...

in order to test her suitor. In disguise she robs her suitor of nearly all his possessions, but even under threat of death he refuses to give up the gold ring given by Sovay, thus proving his devotion. Sovay subsequently confesses the ruse to her lover and returns his various possessions, admonishing him only that had he indeed given up the ring, she would have killed him. The name 'Sovay' is probably a corruption of 'Sophie' or 'Sylvie' – both of which appear instead in some versions of the song.

History

The

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1602 by Sir Thomas Bodley, it is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second-largest library in ...

has a printed version called "Sylvia's Request and William's Denial" dated to 1877. Sabine Baring-Gould collected a song called "Lady Turned Highwayman" ("Saucy Sally on one day") in Devon in 1890. In 1903 Cecil Sharp collected a version which he published in "Folk Songs From Somerset" (1905). In it he tells the semi-fictional tale of

Katherine Ferrers Katherine Ferrers (4 May 1634 – c. 13 June 1660) was an English gentlewoman and heiress. According to popular legend, she was also the "Wicked Lady", a highwaywoman who terrorised the English Counties of England, county of Hertfordshire befo ...

, a possible Lady turned highwayman. This presents a speculative source for a song to be written at about that time.

Recordings

Cyril Tawney Cyril Tawney (12 October 1930 – 21 April 2005) was an English singer-songwriter and a proponent of the traditional songs of the Southwest of England (The West Country), as well as traditional and modern maritime songs. Biography and notable ...

recorded Timothy Walsh singing "Sylvia" in 1960. It appeared on the album "Fair Game and Foul: The Folk Songs of Britain vol 7" in 1970. *

A. L. Lloyd Albert Lancaster Lloyd (29 February 1908 – 29 September 1982),Eder, Bruce. (29 September 1982A. L. Lloyd – Music Biography, Credits and Discography AllMusic. Retrieved on 2013-02-24. usually known as A. L. Lloyd or Bert Lloyd, was an English ...

recorded it as "Sovay the Female Highwayman" on "Bold sportsmen All" in 1962. Versions of the song have been recorded by: *

Bert Jansch Herbert Jansch (3 November 1943 – 5 October 2011) was a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle (band), Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s as an acoustic guitarist and ...

Anne Briggs Anne Patricia Briggs (born 29 September 1944) is an English folk singer. Although she travelled widely in the 1960s and early 1970s, appearing at folk clubs and venues in Britain and Ireland, she never aspired to commercial success or to achie ...

Martin Carthy Martin Dominic Forbes Carthy MBE (born 21 May 1941) is an English singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in English folk music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, as well as later ar ...

Pentangle Pentangle may refer to: *Pentagon, a five-sided polygon *Pentagram, a five-pointed star drawn with five straight strokes *Pentangle (band), a British folk rock band ** ''The Pentangle'' (album), a 1968 album by Pentangle *Miss Pentangle, a character ...

* Ruth Barrett and Cyntia Smith *

Jah Wobble John Joseph Wardle (born 11 August 1958), known by the stage name Jah Wobble, is an English bass guitarist and singer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd (PiL) in the late 1970s and early 1980s; ...

* Keeper's Gate Band * Cristina Crawley and Kerstein Blodig *

James Yorkston James Yorkston (born James Patrick Yorkston Wright; 21 December 1971) is a Scottish folk musician, singer-songwriter and author from the village of Kingsbarns, Fife. He has been releasing music since 2001. As well as recording as a solo artist ...

Bella Hardy Bella Hardy (born 24 May 1984) is an English contemporary folk musician, singer and songwriter from Edale, Derbyshire, England, who performs a combination of traditional and self-penned material. She was named Folk Singer of the Year at the 2014 ...

* Rasputina * The Kipper Family *

Méav Ní Mhaolchatha Méav Ní Mhaolchatha ( , ), mononymously known as Méav, is an Irish singer, songwriter and recording artist specialising in the traditional music of her homeland. She was one of the original soloists in the musical ensemble Celtic Woman, whic ...

Bird in the Belly Bird in the Belly are an English folk music collective based in Brighton, consisting of alt-folk musician Jinnwoo (Ben Webb), folk duo Hickory Signals (Laura Ward and Adam Ronchetti), and producer and multi-instrumentalist Tom Pryor. Histor ...

Andrew Bird Andrew Wegman Bird (born July 11, 1973) is an American indie rock multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. Since 1996, he has released 16 studio albums, as well as several live albums and EPs, spanning various genres including swing musi ...

's original song Sovay takes its title from the folk song and quotes its opening lines in its chorus.

Adaptations in other media

In the mid-80s, the song was used as the theme to

Isla St Clair Isla St Clair (born 2 May 1952 as Isabella Margaret Dyce) is a Scottish singer. Life Isla St Clair was born in Grangemouth, Central Scotland, on 2 May 1952. Her family came from North East Scotland and it was here that she spent her early year ...

's factual children's TV programme ''The Song and the Story'', which examined the tales behind popular folk songs. In 1993,

Charles Vess Charles Vess (born June 10, 1951) is an American fantasy artist and comics artist who has specialized in the illustration of myths and fairy tales. His influences include British "Golden Age" book illustrator Arthur Rackham, Czech Art Nouveau p ...

and

Charles de Lint Charles de Lint (born December 22, 1951) is a Canadian writer. Primarily a writer of fantasy fiction, he has composed works of urban fantasy, contemporary magical realism, and mythic fiction. Along with authors like Terri Windling, Emma Bull ...

created a short comic book adaptation of the song, originally published in ''

Dark Horse Presents ''Dark Horse Presents'' was a comic book published by Dark Horse Comics from 1986 in comics, 1986. Their first published series, it was their flagship title until its September 2000 in comics, 2000 cancellation. The second incarnation was publishe ...

'' #75. It was reprinted in ''The Book of Ballads and Sagas'' #2 in 1995, which in turn was collected in ''Ballads'' in 1997. In 2008, Celia Rees published ''Sovay'', a young adult novel which follows a young lady during the time of the French Revolution. She initially becomes a highwayman to test the depth of her fiance's love for her, then to save her father and finally because she enjoys the power and freedom provided by her male attire. The first vocal track—after a brief instrumental intro track—on

's 2005 album, '' Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs'', is entitled ' Sovay'. The song uses an adapted form of the original's main melody, but Bird's lyric has little-to-no relation, appearing to be a rhapsody on the spiritual fight against socio-political backsliding. The character of Sovay is also referenced in the title song of

Talis Kimberley Talis Kimberley is an English Folk music, folk singer-songwriter, activist, and political figure based in Wiltshire, England. Her songs are narrative in nature and feature a mixture of mythology, Environmentalism, green issues and everyday life ...

's album ''Archetype Cafe''. The

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer. Bush began writing songs at age 11. She was signed to EMI Records after David Gilmour of Pink Floyd helped produce a demo tape. In 1978, at the ...

song " Babooshka" in which a wife disguises herself to test her husband's loyalty was inspired by the story of Sovay.Melody Maker, "Paranoia and Passion of the Kate Inside", Colin Irwin, Oct 4, 1980.

References

{{reflist

External links

Sovay – lyrics and music (Joe-offer.com)
English folk songs