trad
Originally “Jack Hall”, a broadside ballad printed circa 1833-1851. Hall was apparently a real person, executed on 17 December 1707. Peter Kennedy wrote in 1954: “Like many a child of that day, Hall was sold for a few shillings to a chimney sweep. The task of apprentice sweeps was to crawl through the twisting, dark tunnels of the chimneys, cleaning as they went. Often these poor lads were caught by falling soot or some obstruction in a dark chimney and suffocated or burned to death. It was not until 19th century writers exposed this scandal and a law was passed against this cruel exploitation of child labour.” Roberts & Barrand wrote in 1992: “Sam Hall is one of the classics of the early Music Hall, though it came to the stage from the folk tradition. W.G. Ross sang it to great acclaim in the 1850’s.”
Roberts & Barrand: https://johnroberts1.bandcamp.com/track/sam-hall
https://johnroberts1.bandcamp.com/track/sam-hall
Oh, my name it is Sam Hall chimney sweep (x2) Oh my name it is Sam Hall and I’ve robbed both great and small And now I pay for all, blast your eyes I killed a man, they said. So they said I killed a man, they said, I smashed in his head Withaÿ great big lump of lead, blast his eyes Then the sheriff he came too, he came too With his little boys in blue He said Sam, we’ll see you through, blast his eyes Then they took me took to the quad, to the quad Then they took me took to the quad, and they tied me to a log And they left me there by god, blast their eyes Now I goes up overhill in a cart I goes up overhill, at St. Gyles I takes my gill And at Tyburn makes me will Then the hangman he came too, he came too Then the hangman he came too, he said Sam, we’ll see you through But there’s bloody work to do, blast his eyes I see Molly in the crowd, in the crowd I see Molly in the crowd, and I shouted right out loud Molly, ain’t you proud, blast your eyes So it’s up the rope I go, up I go it’s up the rope I go, while you bastards down below Say Sam, we told you so. Blast your eyes! This is my funeral knell, funeral knell This is my funeral knell, but I’ll see you all in Hell And I hope you grizzled well, blast your eyes