William Taylor
Sean Dagher Lyrics


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William Taylor was a brisk young sailor
Full of heart and full of play
Till his mind he did uncover
To a youthful lady gay

Four and twenty British sailors
Met him on the king's highway
As he went for to be married
Pressed he was and sent away

Folleri-de-dom, de- daerai diddero
Folleri-de-dom, domme daerai dae
Folleri-de-dom, de- daerai diddero
Folleri-de-dom, domme daerai dae

Sailor's clothing she put on
And she went on board as a man-o-war
Her pretty little fingers long and slender
They were smeared with pitch and tar

On the ship there was a battle
She amongst the rest did fight
The wind blew off her silver buttons
Breasts were bared all snowy white

Folleri-de-dom, de- daerai diddero
Folleri-de-dom, domme daerai dae
Folleri-de-dom, de- daerai diddero
Folleri-de-dom, domme daerai dae

When the captain did discover
He said Fair maid, what brought you here
Sir, I'm seeking William Taylor
Pressed he was by you last year

If you rise up in the morning
Early at the break of day
There you'll find young William Taylor
Walking with his lady gay

Folleri-de-dom, de- daerai diddero
Folleri-de-dom, domme daerai dae
Folleri-de-dom, de- daerai diddero
Folleri-de-dom, domme daerai dae

She rose early in the morning
Early at the break of day
There she spied young William Taylor
Walking with his lady gay

She procured a pair of pistols
On the ground where she did stand
There she shot bold William Taylor
And the lady at his right hand

Folleri-de-dom, de- daerai diddero
Folleri-de-dom, domme daerai dae




Folleri-de-dom, de- daerai diddero
Folleri-de-dom, domme daerai dae

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Sean Dagher's song "William Taylor" tell the story of a young sailor named William Taylor who falls in love with a woman. Unfortunately, he is press-ganged into the navy and forced to leave his love behind. The woman decides to dress as a man and join the navy in order to be with him. She fights in a battle with the rest of the crew, but when the captain finds out she is a woman, she reveals that she is searching for William Taylor. The captain tells her that she can find William Taylor walking with his new love at sunrise. The woman finds the couple and becomes so overcome with jealousy that she shoots and kills them both.


Line by Line Meaning

William Taylor was a brisk young sailor
William Taylor was a young sailor who was full of energy and vigor.


Full of heart and full of play
He had a lot of spirit and enjoyed life.


Till his mind he did uncover
Until he revealed his feelings to a young woman.


To a youthful lady gay
To a happy, youthful woman.


Four and twenty British sailors
Twenty-four British sailors.


Met him on the king's highway
They met him on the main road.


As he went for to be married
As he was heading to his wedding.


Pressed he was and sent away
He was conscripted into military service and taken away.


Folleri-de-dom, de- daerai diddero
A nonsensical phrase that has no meaning.


Sailor's clothing she put on
She dressed as a sailor.


And she went on board as a man-o-war
She boarded a warship disguised as a man.


Her pretty little fingers long and slender
Her fingers were delicate and slim.


They were smeared with pitch and tar
They were covered in the sticky substance used to waterproof ships.


On the ship there was a battle
There was a fight on the ship.


She amongst the rest did fight
She joined in the battle with the other sailors.


The wind blew off her silver buttons
The wind blew off the buttons on her clothes that were made of silver.


Breasts were bared all snowy white
Her breasts were exposed and white in color.


When the captain did discover
When the captain found out.


He said Fair maid, what brought you here
He asked her why she was there.


Sir, I'm seeking William Taylor
She told him she was looking for William Taylor.


Pressed he was by you last year
William Taylor was taken away by the captain last year.


If you rise up in the morning
If you wake up in the morning.


Early at the break of day
At dawn.


There you'll find young William Taylor
You will find William Taylor there.


Walking with his lady gay
He will be walking with his happy and youthful partner.


She rose early in the morning
She woke up early in the morning.


There she spied young William Taylor
She saw William Taylor.


Walking with his lady gay
He was walking with his happy and youthful partner.


She procured a pair of pistols
She obtained two pistols.


On the ground where she did stand
On the spot where she was standing.


There she shot bold William Taylor
She shot brave William Taylor.


And the lady at his right hand
And the woman who was with him on his right side.


Folleri-de-dom, de- daerai diddero
A nonsensical phrase that has no meaning.


Folleri-de-dom, domme daerai dae
A nonsensical phrase that has no meaning.




Contributed by Emma V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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