There were numerous popular "joke" songs both in England and America. The titles were references to the hair color of the songs' subjects, and the lyrics were invariably bawdy and vulgar. "The Black Joke," also known as "Black Jock" or "Black Jack," is probably the most famous of these tunes, having been adapted as a Morris Dance tune, in spite of (or perhaps because of) its irregular measures.
"The Young Widow" is a colonial dance tune that was shared with us by the Martin Family Band, with whom we have played several times at Mount Vernon. It seems to be an American original, its first appearances being in American imprints and copybooks from the 1780s.
