THE STREAMS OF LOVELY NANCY — Cornish song.
Nancy is probably a corruption of Nantsian, from the Cornish word Nant (meaning “valley”).
Video - sung by the Martin Best Consort
The streams of lovely Nancy divide in two parts,
Where young men in dancing do meet their sweethearts.
There drinking strong liquor I carol and sing,
And the sound of the viol doth make my heart ring.
On yonder tall mountain a castle doth stand;
It is built of white ivory above the black strand.
With ivory builded and diamonds bright,
It’s a pilot for sailors on a dark wintry night.
On yonder high moorland the wild fowl do fly;
There’s one fair among them flies than others more high.
If I had my true love near the diamond’s black strand,
How soon I would tame her by the slight of my hand.
We march-ed from Chester to Liverpool Town,
And there we spied lasses, some fair and some brown,
But of all the fine lasses I ever did see,
The voice of my angel is the darling for me.