Billy Married A Wife- Prevost (VT) 1931 Flanders
[My title replacing the generic- Wife Wrapt. The possibility exists that the "dew" was originally the British "doo" or "dove." The opening verse is commonly found in the related "Slattern Wife" songs- see Appendix to child 277. Flander's extensive notes are below. She refers to the "Dandee" refrain which is almost always "Dandoo" in the South, not 'Dandee." This version dates back to the when the informant was a boy (he was born c. 1857) -I've dated it 1870.
R. Matteson Jr. 2013]
The Wife Wrapped in Wether's Skin (Child 277)
This ballad derives from an old tale which Child, v, 104, cites under the title "The Wife Lapped in Morrel's Skin" and is related to a whole host of stories on similar themes. See Aarne-Thompson, Mt. 1370*.
The ballad is still popular in America, where the basic outline of the story remains constant, but where the minor details vary greatly. william H. Jansen has made a careful study (HFQ IV, #3,41) of the ballad and its developments in America [see article attached to Recordings & Info page], and from his remarks two groupings of the American texts emerge: songs with the "dandee, clish maclinge" refrains, popular in the South and Midwest; and songs with the "juniper, gentian, and rosemary" refrains, popular in the South and Northeast. The plant refrains of the latter group have caused some comment. Phillips Barry, British Ballads from Maine, 324-5, suggests, on the authority of Lucy Broadwood (JFSS, II, 12-15), that the wife originally was beaten to exorcise the evil spirits that infested her and that "juniper, gentian, and rosemary" were regarded as charms against the demons. Later the names of the plants were forgotten and confused with the names of girls, June, Jenny, and Rose Mary.
The Flanders texts are highly representative of the American forms of the ballad. A-I, with the plant refrain, relate to Child F (from Massachusetts) and are normal Northeastern versions. J-L illustrate the "dandee" refrain and the common "old man who lived in the West" opening.
M-N (see also Child C) are from the Scottish tradition. Text L, which concerns "Riddleson's daughter Dinah," is the only unusual version in the group. See Coffin, 146-8 (American); Belden, 92-94 (English); and Greig and Keith, 218-20 (Scottish) for bibliographical material and discussion.
All of the tunes for child 277 except the Richards tune are members of the same tune family. Within this group, the Prevost and Baldwin tunes are especially close, as are the Hayward and Hall tunes. The Monson tune is slightly outside the group.
D. [Billy Married A Wife] The Wife Wrapped in Wether's Skin- Recorded from the singing of Louis Prevost, in Springfield, Vermont, as learned from his mother, Alma Foster Prevost (born 1848). Published in Vermont Folk-Songs & Ballads, 224, and in A Garland of Green Mountain Song, 84.
George Brown, Collector December, 1931;
Structure: A B C D (4,4,4,4); Rhythm D; Contour: generally ascending; Scale: pentatonic with half-tone t.c. C.
For mel. rel. see FCB4, 114 D.
Billy married a wife and he carried her home.
Jenny go gently, Rose Marie,
Think he'd better had let her alone,
As the dew flies over the mulberry tree.
(Follow pattern for next verses.)
She would not into the kitchen go,
Afraid of soiling her kid white shoes. [1]
She would not card, she would not spin,
Afraid of soiling her lily-white skin.
One day when Billy came home from the plough,
Saying, "My dear wife, is dinner ready now?"
"Go off, go off, you ugly elf;
If you want any dinner you'll ger it yourself."
Down to the sheepfold Billy did go,
Out with a wether without control;
Out with his knife went rip, rip, rip,
And off went the pelt, strip, strip, strip.
He threw the hide upon her back
And with two sticks went whickety whack.
"I have brothers, one, two, three.
If they knew this, you wouldn't lick me."
"'What care I for kith or kin;
I've a right to tan my own sheepskin."
She up to the table, on with the board;
'Twas "Yes, sir," "No, sir," every word.
She proved to Billy a kind good wife.
He loved her as he loved his life.
Footnotes:
1. Cloth white shoes?