"William Taylor" (Roud 158, Laws N11) is a British folk song, often collected from traditional singers in England, less so in Scotland, Ireland, Canada and the USA.

It tells the story of a young woman who adopts male dress and becomes a sailor (or sometimes a soldier) in order to search for her lover.

[4] When her true sex is revealed (usually in an incident involving accidental exposure of her breasts), the captain points her in the direction of her beloved, but mentions that he now has a new suitor.

She's called for a brace of pistols, That were brought at her command;, Fired and shot her false Willie, And the bride at his right hand.

[8] The Roud Folk song Index lists about 103 versions from traditional singers, 56 - more than half - from England, 11 from Scotland, 3 from Ireland, 9 from Canada and 24 from the USA.

[1] Hedy West, John Faulkner and Sandra Kerr, Tony Rose, Dave Burland, Robin and Barry Dransfield, Martin Carthy, Frankie Armstrong, June Tabor and Martin Simpson, Swan Arcade, Jo Freya, Bram Taylor, Hen Party, Magpie Lane, Malinky, Patterson Jordan Dipper, The Cecil Sharp Centenary Collective, Jim Moray, Jon Boden, Hannah James and Sam Sweeney, Iona Fyfe, Alex Cumming and Nicola Beazley, The Voice Squad, Bardic, The Longest Johns, Bill Jones and Rosie Hood have all recorded versions of the song.