From the recording Far Hills
We learned this ballad from Andy Irvine and Paul Brady’s 1976 album. A number of ballads similar in theme to Martinmastime exist, wherein a soldier looks to coerce a maid into lying with him. This story subverts the trope prevalent across folk music, as the cunning heroine of this story defrauds a particularly crass band of soldiers by concealing her identity. Martinmas is a feast day celebrated on November 11th; keeping things chronological, we follow this tune with the spectacular reel Christmas Eve, learned from the playing of Frankie Gavin, during which we envision the protagonist repeatedly giving the slip to the pursuing soldiers throughout early winter.
Nathan Bishop: viola, trombone
Connor Brogan: octave mandolin, timpani, trombone
Rob Helsel: vocals, 5-string banjo
John Forrestal: string bass
Lyrics
It fell out upon one Martinmastime, when snow lay on the border
There came a troop of soldiers here, to take up their winter quarters
Oh they rode north and they rode south, and they rode o'er the border
And there they met with a nice little girl, and she was a farmer's daughter
Oh they made her swear a solemn oath, with a salt tear in her eye-oh
That she would come to the quarter gates, when no one did her spy-oh
So she's gone to the barbershop, to the barbershop went soon-oh
She's made them cut her long yellow hair, as short as any dragoon-oh
And then she went to the tailorshop to dress in soldiers' clothes-oh
With two long pistols down by her side, a nice little boy was she-oh
Then she went to the quarter gates, and loudly she does call-oh
"There comes a troop of soldiers here, and we must have lodgings all-oh"
And the quartermaster he comes down and gives her half a crown-oh
"Go find your lodgings in the town, for here there is no room-oh"
So she's gone nearer to the gates, and louder she does call-oh
"Room, ROOM!! You gentleman, we must have lodgings all-oh"
And the quartermaster, he comes down and gives her eighteen pence-oh
"Go find your lodgings in the town, for tonight there comes a wench-oh"
So she grabbed the whistle from her side and she blows it loud and shrill-oh
"You're all very free with your eighteen pence, but you're not for a girl at all-oh"
Then she grabbed the garters from her knees and the ribbons from her hair-oh
She's tied them 'round the quarter gates, as a token she's been there-oh
And when they found that it was her, they tried to have her taken
So she's clapped her spurs to her horse's side, and galloped home a maiden.