"Captain Kidd" is a well-known ballad about the reputed pirate William Kidd (1645?-1701). The reputation for cruelty and viciousness generally assigned to Captain Kidd, probably the most famous of all pirates, is largely the result of the ballad maker's art. Actually, it would appear that William Kidd (1645?-1701) was the victim of a frame-up. Although the lyrics relate that he went "To execution dock, lay my head upon the block" he was actually hanged and not beheaded near London on May 23, 1701. After his death his body was "hung in chains" at Tilbury Point for three years. The tune, and particularly the verse pattern, of this song has been used for other songs, such as: "Samuel Hall", "The Praties They Grow Small", and the American hymn, "Wondrous Love". This version comes from Pete Seeger, who learned it in London from Steve Benbow. The tune appears in The Southern Harmony, pg. 50 and is listed in the hymns section under the same name. Most versions have "My name is Robert Kidd". Nobody seems to know where the "Robert" came from. It was recorded by the Golden Ring singers on The Golden Ring (1964). I learned it from the Burl Ives Song Book (1953). It was also printed in Lomax's Folk Songs of North America (1960).