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
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
With a 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, blast your eyes
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 eyesÂ