Revenge of the Ghost of the Roont Virgin

When small groups of men are allowed out at night unsupervised and are free to drink alcoholic beverages for hours, they sing certain kinds of songs. I always imagined this song dated from the 1700s, but according to this source, "Songs of the Sea," "The Unfortunate Miss Bailey / Miss Bailey's Ghost" has been sung by English male drunks since the 1500s. (Halifax may suggest a Song of the Sea, but "Regimental small clothes" suggests Captain Smith was a soldier, not a sailor. An Army captain is a much younger and more irresponsible rascal than a Navy captain.)

Naturally Miss Bailey's ghost is angry with Captain Smith at the way he "used her ungenteely" while she lived, but she also has a bone to pick with the self-described "handsome man and gay deceiver" now that she is dead. Having hanged herself after the seduction, and a "Coroner's quest" having declared her a suicide, the Parson has denied her burial in holy, consecrated church ground, and so her soul can never rest in peace.

If she cannot know peace, neither, she has vowed, will her vile seducer.

Anybody of either gender need to know what garters are? Or were? Madonna still likes to wear them.

If you demand that someone "Avaunt!" today, not much will happen, but Captain Smith is telling the spook of his former sweetie-pie to Go Away.

"... according to The Traditional Ballad Index, the tune has been credited to George Colman the Elder (1732-1794) and George Colman the Younger (1762-1836). The tune appears in the Younger's play 'Love Laughs at Locksmiths.' After the War of 1812 [USA won, but just barely. And we won our big Victory, New Orleans, five weeks after the Peace Treaty had been signed], the tune was used for The Hunters of Kentucky."

The usual Vleeptron deal: Open this in another window and (with luck) you can hear the MIDI tune, a very nice faux squeezebox arrangement by Lesley Nelson-Burns. Then sing along to the lyrics here.

The Unfortunate Miss Bailey
or
Miss Bailey's Ghost

A captain bold in Halifax
Engaged in gentlemen's quarters
Seduced a maid who hanged herself
One morning in her garters

His wicked conscience smited him
He lost his stomach daily
He took to drinking turpentine
And thought upon Miss Bailey

O Miss Bailey, unfortunate Miss Bailey!
O Miss Bailey, unfortunate Miss Bailey!

One night betimes he went to bed
For he had caught a fever
Said he: "I am a handsome man
And I'm a gay deceiver!"

His candle just at twelve o'clock
Began to burn quite palely
A ghost stepped up to his bedside
And said, "Behold Miss Bailey!"

O Miss Bailey, unfortunate Miss Bailey!
O Miss Bailey, unfortunate Miss Bailey!

"Avaunt, Miss Bailey!" then he cried,
"You cannot fright me really!"
"Dear Captain Smith," the ghost replied,
"You've used me ungenteely.

The Coroner's quest was hard with me
Because I've acted frailly
And Parson Biggs won't bury me
Though I'm a dead Miss Bailey."

O Miss Bailey, unfortunate Miss Bailey!
O Miss Bailey, unfortunate Miss Bailey!

"Dear Ma'am," said he, "since you and I
Accounts must once for all close
I have a one pound note in my
Regimental small clothes

'Twill bribe the Sexton for your grave."
The ghost then vanished gaily
Crying: "Bless you, wicked Captain Smith
Remember poor Miss Bailey!"

O Miss Bailey, unfortunate Miss Bailey!
O Miss Bailey, unfortunate Miss Bailey!