10. "She is neither in her bedchamber, But yonder she lies in her own coffin, 11. "Fold down those lily-white sheets; 12. Lydia Margaret [died] as if it was to-day, 13. Lydia Margaret was laid in the high churchyard, And out of Lydia Margaret's bosom sprang a rose, 14. They grew and they grew to the church steeple top, THE LASS OF ROCH ROYAL (No. 76). Professor J. H. Cox prints a complete copy from West Virginia which closely resembles that in Jamieson's "Popular Ballads" (1806, 1: 37–44),1 and undoubtedly goes back to print, though learned by Cox's informant from an oral source ("West Virginia School Journal and Educator," 45: 347-349, cf. 159). Stray stanzas from the ballad (cf. Child's J, 2: 225) turn up now and then in this country, sometimes alone, and sometimes in unexpected contexts: see Child, 3512 (two stanzas from "the Carolina mountains"); "Focus," 4: 49 (the same two, from Virginia); Babcock, "Folk-Lore Journal," 7:31, reprinted by Child (3:511-512; the same two stanzas in song of parting lovers, from Virginia); "Focus," 3: 275 (in a song of parting lovers, from Virginia); Belden, No. 91 (in a parting song, from Missouri); Bascom, JAFL 22: 240 (in "Kitty Kline," from North Carolina); Shearin, "Modern Language Review," 6: 514-515 (in "Cold Winter's Night," Kentucky); Lomax, "North Carolina Book 1 Jamieson's text was reprinted by Child in 1857 in his earlier collection, English and Scottish Ballads, 2: 99–105. Cox's text is nearer to Jamieson than to Scott (Minstrelsy, 1802, 3 51-59). Both Jamieson and Scott go back to Mrs. Brown (see Child, 2: 213). This little song consists of the same stanzas, with a chorus and one concluding This last appears, oddly but effectively, as stanza 4 in an interesting version of "The Hangman's Song" ("The Maid Freed from the Gallows," Child, No. 95) recently obtained by Miss Loraine Wyman in Kentucky and published in Lonesome Tunes, I: 48. stanza. 3 Compare Coombs and Shearin, Syllabus, p. 8; Shearin, Sewanee Review, July, 1911. let," 11:29-30 (in a comic song); Perrow, JAFL 28: 147-148 (in "Careless Love," from Mississippi); Cox, JAFL 26: 181, and "West Virginia School Journal," 44: 216–217 (in “John Hardy"). Compare F. C. Brown, p. 9; C. Alphonso Smith, Bulletin, No. 2, p 5; No. 3, p. 4; No. 4, p. 6; No. 5, p. 7; Reed Smith, JAFL 28: 201, 202. 1 For "The Lass of Ocram" (or "Aughrim"), of which Child prints an Irish version from Michigan (2:213) and also (3: 510-511) a Roxburghe copy (Roxburghe, 3:488; Ebsworth, 6:609–615), see the Pitts broadside (Harvard College, 25242.28), and a garland printed by E. Sergent, Preston (25276.43.58, No. 53). THE WIFE OF USHER'S WELL (Child, No. 79). Since Miss Backus's North Carolina version of the ballad ("There was a lady fair and gay") was printed in Child, 5: 294,2 many variants have been collected in this country, belonging to that same general version. Belden publishes a text (from Missouri) in JAFL 23: 429; Emma Bell Miles, one in "Harper's Magazine" for June, 1904 (109: 121-122); Cox (44: 388 and 45: 11-12) publishes a fragment and a complete copy, both from West Virginia, and reports other variants (cf. 45 160; JAFL 29: 400); Miss McGill gives words and tune in her "Folk-Songs from the Kentucky Mountains," pp. 4-8. See also Shearin and Coombs, p. 9 ("Lady Gay," closely resembles Miss Backus's text); F. C. Brown, p. 9; Virginia Folk-Lore Society, Bulletin, No. 4, p. 7; No. 5, p. 7; JAFL 27: 59-62; 28: 199-202, A peculiar version in Mrs. Leather's "Folk-Lore of Herefordshire " (1912, pp. 198-199) contains a stanza adapted from "The Carnal and the Crane" (Child, No. 55):*— Then Christ did call for the roasted cock, In the place where he did stand. I. Children's Song. From Professor Walter Morris Hart of the University of California; communicated by Mrs. Agnes McDougall Henry, M.L., formerly of that university. Professor Hart writes, concerning this and other 1 As to "John Hardy," see JAFL 22: 247; 29: 400; Shearin and Coombs, p. 19; Berea Quarterly, 14: 26; F. C. Brown, p. 12; Cox, 45: 12, 160. 2 Reprinted in JAFL 13: 119-120. * Cox (44:388) also prints two stanzas of a version corresponding to Child's A, which appears to have been brought to West Virginia from Ireland. • Compare Broadwood, English Traditional Songs and Carols, pp. 74-75, 122; Sharp, English Folk-Carols, No. 1, pp. 2-4; Journal of Folk-Song Society, 1: 183; 4:22-25; a broadside of about 1780, Worcester [England], J. Grundy (Harvard College Library, 25242.5.5 [149, No. 13]); Notes and Queries, 3d series, 3 : 94. ballads (Dec. 10, 1915): "They were sung to her by the mother of a family in the mountains of western North Carolina, whose name, Ellen Crowder, will recall to ballad-lovers, perhaps not impertinently, the 'blind crouder' of Sidney's immortal comment on Chevy Chace. 'One day,' writes Mrs. Henry, 'while Ellen was absorbed in splitting a broom, I mentioned "Barbara Allen." In that unguarded moment she began to sing the first verse. I found that she and her husband and sisters sang a good many ballads years ago, but they had forgotten all except the four versions I am sending you. When I inquired why they had ceased singing them, the reply was, "No one seemed to take delight in them any more, so we laid them by." It appears that the ancestors of these people were in the mountains of North Carolina before the Revolution, and that they have been illiterate up to the present generation. Even now it is a matter of pride that one or two members of the family are good "scribes.""" 1. The starry light and the lady bright, Her children she had three. She sent them away to the North country To learn those gramerie. 2. They hadn't been gone but a very short time, Till death came rushing along o'ver the land 3. Their mother came as far to know, She wrung her hands full sore. "The less, the less, the less!" she cried, 4. "There were a king in heaven," she said, Send all my three little babes to-night 5. Or Christmas times were drawing nigh, Her three little babes came rushing along 6. She fixed them a table in the dining room, Saying, "Eat, O, eat my sweet little babes; 7. "Mama, we cannot eat your bread, 8. She fixed them a bed in the backmost room, And a golden wine upon the top of them, 9. "Take it off, take it off," says the oldest one, For yonder stands our Saviour dear, 10. "Cold clods lays on our feet, mama; The tears that run all down our cheeks Did wet the winding sheets." II. Three Little Babes. From Professor Louise Pound. Reported from Burt County, Nebraska, by L. A. Quivey of Salt Lake City, Utah. See Miss Pound's Syllabus, p. 10. 1. Christmas time was drawing near, And the nights were growing cold, When three little babes came running down Into their mother's fold. 2. She spread a table long and wide, And on it put bread and wine: Come eat, come drink, my sweet little babes; 3. "We want none of your bread, mother; For yonder stands our blessed Lord, 4. She made a bed in the very best room, And over the top a golden spread, 5. "Take it off, take it off," cried the eldest one, "For I would not stay in this wicked world, 6. "A sad farewell, kind mother dear; 7. "A tombstone at our head, mother; The tears we have shed for you, mother, Have wet these winding sheets." III. The Lady Gay. Communicated by Miss Loraine Wyman, as sung by Jasper Day at Pine Mountain, Ky., May 4, 1916. I. There was a lady, there was a lady gay, Had handsome children three, And sent them away to some northern countree To learn those grammaree. 2. They hadn't been gone so mighty long, Scarcely three months to a day, Death came hastling along And stole those babes away. 3. It was near Old Christmas time When she prayed for her little babes; It was near Old Christmas time When her three little babes were sent home. 4. The table was ready set, And on it she placed bread and wine: Says, "You three little babes, Come and eat, come and drink of mine." 5. "I don't want your bread, I don't want your wine. To him we must resign." IV. The Three Little Babes. Communicated by Professor Belden. He received it in 1905 from Professor A. R. Hohlfeld, who had it from Miss Mary Pierce, Nashville, Tenn. Miss Pierce heard the song in the Cumberland Mountains (Stonington Springs, Tenn.) in 1901. 1. A lady and a lady gay, Children she had three, She sent them away to a northern college For to learn some grammaree. 2. They hadn't been gone but a very short time, Till death came over the broad, broad land, 3. And what will the dear mother say When she does hear of this? She'll wring her hands, she'll scream, and say, "O, when shall I see my three babies?" |