150. Two Little Children


150

Two Little Children

Similar in temper to 'The Orphan Girl' but not so widely known;
recorded for Virginia (ETWVMB 32, FSV 1 14-15), and Ten-
nessee (SSSA 126-7) and known also in Michigan (BSSM 483,
listed but no text given). Of the four texts in our collection it
will be sufficient to print one, the fullest of the four.

 

'The Orphans.' From the manuscripts of Obadiah Johnson of Cross-
nore, Avery county, secured in July 1940. "He did not sing it; but we
have the air as it was sung by Estalena Graybeal."

1 Two little children, a boy and a girl,
Sat by an old church door ;

The little girl's feet were as brown as the curl
That fell on the dress that she wore.

2 The boy's coat was faded and hatless his head,
A tear shone in each little eye.

 

OLDER BALLADS MOSTLY BRITISH 395

'Why don't you run home to your mama,' I said ;
And this was the maiden's reply :

3 'Mama's in heaven ; they took her away,
Left me and Jim alone.

We come here to sleep at the close of the day,
For we have no mama at home.

4 'We can't earn our bread, we're too little,' she said ;
'Jim is five and I'm only seven.

We have no one to love us since papa is dead
And our darling mama's in heaven.

5 'Papa was lost out to sea long ago.
We waited all night on the shore.

For he was a life-saving captain, you know ;
But he never came back any more,

6 'Then mama got sick ; angels took her away,
She said, to a home warm and bright.

She said they'd come for her darlings some day ;
Perhaps they are coming tonight.

7 'Perhaps they have no room in heaven,' she said,
'For two little darlings to keep.'

She then placed her hand on Jim's little head ;
She kissed him ; and both fell asleep.

8 The sexton came early to ring the church bell.
He found them beneath the snow white.

The angels made room for two darlings to dwell
In heaven with mama that night.

 

'The Orphans.' Secured by L. W. Anderson of Nag's Head from Alva
Wise, one of his pupils there. Same as A except that the last line of
stanza 6 has somehow dropped out.

 

'Two Little Children.' Secured by W. Amos Abrams from Margaret
Barlowe, student at Appalachian Training School, Boone, who had it
from a friend. Differs from A in that the third stanza of A is here
marked "chorus" to be repeated after successive pairs of stanzas and
that stanzas 4, 5, 6 of A become stanzas 6, 4, 5 in C.

 

Two Little Orphans.' Contributed in 1923 by Zilpah Frisbie of Mc-
Dowell county, with the notation that "there are other verses but I do
not remember all of them." The same as C except that it has lost the
penultimate stanza.

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150
Two Little Children

A
'The Orphans.' Sung by Miss Estalena Graybeal. Recorded; no date or place
given. 328


For melodic relationship cf. *TexasFS 288.

 

221

 

Scale: Heptachordal, plagal. Tonal Center: c. Structure: aa^a^a^ (2,2,2,2) =
aai (4,4).

 

'Two Little Orphans.' Sung by Zilpah Frisbie. Recorded in McDowell county
in 1923. The chorus uses the same tune as the stanza.


Scale: Hexachordal, plagal. Tonal Center: e-flat. Structure: aa^a^a^ (2,2,2,2)
= aa^ (4,4)- The variations of a are considerable.