SOURCE: "The Demon Lover" (The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, 1882-1898) by Francis James Child

DESCRIPTION: "He strack the tap-mast wi his hand/The fore-mast wi his knee/And he brake that gallant ship in twain/And sank her in the sea." ("The Demon Lover" by Francis James Child)

NOTES: A woman gives up her husband, riches and baby to go to sea with her lover. At sea she sees a beautiful land which is Heaven. She also sees a terrible land which is Hell. Her lover who lured her away sinks the ship, taking her to Hell.

HISTORY: Francis James Child did not write this ballad, only recorded it in his book, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads. An alternate title is "James Harris". There are many versions of this song. As with all ballads, these songs were sung and their stories told for centuries before they were written down. Steeleye Span recorded this song in 1974. This song inspired Delia Sherman and Charles Vess to do a comic book version for Book of Ballads (2004).