This very sad song can be found by numerous titles, most commonly "When I Was a Young Girl", "One Morning In May" (also a title for another well-known folk song), and "Bad Girl's Lament".
A "young girl" is looking back on her bad choices "I used to seek pleasure" and drink ale..."out of the ale house and into the jail house". She has syphilis and the "salvating" or salivating she is experience is a side effect of the administering of mercury as a cure for the syphilis
taken from the website "FolkLyrics"
http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/folk-song-lyrics/One_Morning_in_May.htm
…In the
Virginia variant sung here, and the Virgin Islands one which follows, a
venereal disease is hinted at by use of the terms 'salivated'and
'salwation'. Ointments of metalic
mercury have been used in past times as a cure for syphilis, and one of the
results of such curative attempts is an excessive flow of saliva on the part of
the patient. Funkand Wagnalls New
Standard Dictionary gives as a definition for 'salivation': "An abnormally
increased secretion and flow of saliva, especially
when due to the effects of drugs, as mercury."I can't remember where I first heard this song. I think I stumbled upon it on YouTube. Probably a version by the Canadian folk/pop singer Feist. She has a very interesting treatment of this, apparently, old song. All percussion...drums and bass.
When I Was a Young Girl, by Feist
I then found earlier versions of the song on YouTube. Barbara Dane, does a very low, sultry version
When I Was a Young Girl, by Barbara Dane
Still another version, song by Nina Simone
When I Was a Young Girl, by Nina Simone
MY VIDEO
Here is a link to my version of the song, played on mountain dulcimer with the lyrics overlaid.
When I Was a Young Girl, by Janene Millen
SONG SHEET
My Song Sheet for the song, downloadable as a PDF. This is NOT tablature, but rather the sheet I use of the lyrics, and chords to accompany the singing.
When I Was a Young Girl PDF Song Sheet
TUTORIAL VIDEOS
Here is a video of me demonstrating the basic chords and a progression of a strum that can use to play the song. This Tutorial is in FOUR PARTS
Part 1: basic calypso strum VIDEO TUTORIAL Part 1
Part 2: calypso strum with slaps added VIDEO TUTORIAL Part 2
Part 3: calypso strum with hammer-ons added VIDEO TUTORIAL Part 3
Part 4: calypso strum with melody notes added VIDEO TUTORIAL Part 4
SONG SHEET for VIDEO
Chord Melody Exercise for TUTORIAL VIDEO Part 4
CHORD MELODY Song Sheet
