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Article: Worcester City.
- Article from:
- Sing Out!
- Article date:
- March 22, 2003
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Sing Out Corporation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Eliza Carthy learned this English murder ballad from the singing of Joseph Taylor. Percy Grainger recorded the peasant singer on wax cylinder in 1908. More commonly known as "Oxford City," "The Cup of Poison" or "Jealousy," the song was also printed in many broadsides as "In--Town," using a local name to localize it. "Worcester City" opens Eliza Carthy's newest solo album, Anglicana (Topic #539; 50 Stroud Green Road, London N4 3ES, U.K., Ph: +44-0207-263-1240; Web: www.topicrecords.co.uk).
A couple notes on the lyrics: The city of Worcester is pronounced "wuss-ter" (short "u" sound) ... and Eliza altered the second verse more than a little from the source. We ate ...