Dives and Lazarus- English Ballad Versions

Dives and Lazarus
English Ballad Versions

Dives and Lazarus/Lazarus/Divers Never Gave Nothing To The Poor

Traditional Spiritual

ARTIST:  Cyberhymnal; Child 56 (Version A and B)

SHEET MUSIC:

CATEGORY: Traditional and Public Domain Gospel;

DATE: 1557 (reference); 1800s Child versions;

RECORDING INFO: Dives and Lazarus [Ch 56]

Rm - When a Man's in Love (He Feels No Cold) ; Star of the County Down
Lomax, J. A. & A. Lomax / American Ballads and Folk Songs, MacMillan, Bk (1934), p583
Higgins, Lottie. Niles, John Jacob / Ballad Book of John Jacob Niles, Bramhall House, Bk (1961), p129/N 24 [1934/06]

Library of Congress AFS L57: Child Ballads Traditional in the United States: Aunt Molly Jackson, Clay County, Kentucky, 1939. Dives and Lazarus.

Kennedy, Robert Emmet.  More Mellows 1931 "Divers Never Gave Nothing To The Poor"

OTHER NAMES: "Lazarus" "Lazarus and Dives"

RELATED TO: "Divers Never Gave Nothing To The Poor" "Lazarus"
 
SOURCES: Robert Emmet Kennedy's 1931 book More Mellows; Jesus's story of the rich man and Lazarus is found in Luke 16:19-31;  Francis James Child ''The English and Scottish Popular Ballads'';

NOTES: "Dives and Lazarus" is an English ballad (Child ballad 56) and a carol. Francis James Child collected two variants, in ''The English and Scottish Popular Ballads'' (see below). It is based on a parable of Jesus reported only in the Gospel of Luke (16:19-31). As in other popular renderings of the Lazarus and Dives parable, 'Dives'' (Latin for ''rich'' or ''splendid'') was considered as a proper name, and the name even was changed to ''Diverus'' in variant B.

The tune is also used for "The Star of the County Down." Earlier, it had been used as the setting for a much loved nineteenth-century carol, "Come All You Worthy Christian Men," which included a retelling of the story of the beggar Lazarus from Luke 16. So the tune got its usual name, though it is clearly much older. It is the tune of John Barleycorn, a song of great antiquity. (Pollard, Folksong 31)

In the US the song has been collected from both black and white sources. Two African- American versions are in this collection:  

Robert Emmet Kennedy version in More Mellows (1931) "Divers Never Gave Nothing To The Poor"

John and Alan Lomax version in American Ballads and Folk Songs (1934 "Dives and Laz'us"

Other versions from the US include "Lazarus" Sharp MSS., 3366/2464. Also in Sharp and Karpeles, I932, II, p. 29(A). Sung by Mr. and Mrs. Gabriel Coates, at Flag Pond, Tenn., September 1, 1916. a D/M (nearly pi squared) tune; The ballad book of John Jacob Niles By John Jacob Niles; and Library of Congress AFS L57: Child Ballads Traditional in the United States: Aunt Molly Jackson, Clay County, Kentucky, 1939. Dives and Lazarus.

DIVES AND LAZARUS- Cyberhymnal Words: Tra­di­tion­al Eng­lish car­ol, poss­i­bly from Her­e­ford­shire. Music: Dil­wyn, Tra­di­tion­al Eng­lish mel­o­dy, ar­ranged by Ralph Vaugh­an Will­iams, cir­ca 1920.

As it fell out upon one day,
Rich Divès made a feast,
And he invited all his friends,
And gentry of the best.

Then Lazarus laid him down and down
And down at Divès’ door:
“Some meat and drink, brother, Diverus,
Bestow upon the poor.”

“Thou’rt none of my brothers, Lazarus,
That liest begging at my door;
No meat, nor drink will I give thee,
Nor bestow upon the poor.”

Then Lazarus laid him down and down,
All under Divès’ wall:
“Some meat, some drink, brother Diverus,
For hunger starve I shall.”

“Thou’rt none of my brothers, Lazarus,
That liest begging at my gate;
No meat, no drink will I give thee,
For Jesus Christ His sake.”

Then Divès sent out his hungry dogs,
To bite him as he lay;
They hadn’t the power to bite one bite,
But licked his sores away.

Then Divès sent to his merry men,
To worry poor Lazarus away;
They’d not the power to strike one stroke,
But flung their whips away.

As it fell out upon one day,
Poor Lazarus sickened and died;
There came two angels out of heaven,
His soul therein to guide.

“Rise up! rise up! brother Lazarus,
And go along with me;
For you’ve a place prepared in heaven,
To sit on an angel’s knee.”

As it fell out upon one day,
Rich Divès sickened and died;
There came two serpents out of hell,
His soul therein to guide.

“Rise up! rise up! brother Diverus,
And come along with me;
There is a place provided in hell
For wicked men like thee.”

Then Divès looked up with his eyes
And saw poor Lazarus blest;
“Give me one drop of water, brother Lazarus,
To quench my flaming thirst.”

“O, was I now but alive again
The space of one half hour!
O, that I had my peace again
Then the devil should have no power.”

Dives and Lazarus- CHILD 56A a. Sylvester, A Garland of Christmas Carols, p. 50, from an old Birmingham broadside. b. Husk, Songs of the Nativity, p. 94, from a Worcestershire broadside of the last century.

AS it fell out upon a day,
Rich Dives he made a feast,
And he invited all his friends,
And gentry of the best.
Then Lazarus laid him down and down,
And down at Dives' door:
'Some meat, some drink, brother Dives,
Bestow upon the poor.'
'Thou art none of my brother, Lazarus,
That lies begging at my door;
No meat nor drink will I give thee,
Nor bestow upon the poor.'
Then Lazarus laid him down and down,
And down at Dive's wall:
'Some meat, some drink, brother Dives,
Or with hunger starve I shall.'
'Thou art none of my brother, Lazarus,
That lies begging at my wall;
No meat nor drink will I give thee,
But with hunger starve you shall.'
Then Lazarus laid him down and down,
And down at Dive's gate:
'Some meat, some drink, brother Dives,
For Jesus Christ sake.'
'Thou art none of my brother, Lazarus,
That lies begging at my gate;
No meat nor drink will I give thee,
For Jesus Christ his sake.'
Then Dives sent out his merry men,
To whip poor Lazarus away;
They had no power to strike a stroke,
But flung their whips away.
Then Dives sent out his hungry dogs,
To bite him as he lay;
They had no power to bite at all,
But licked his sores away.
As it fell out upon a day,
Poor Lazarus sickened and died;
Then came two angels out of heaven
His soul therein to guide.
'Rise up, rise up, brother Lazarus,
And go along with me;
For you've a place prepared in heaven,
To sit on an angel's knee.'
As it fell out upon a day,
Rich Dives sickened and died;
Then came two serpents out of hell,
His soul therein to guide.
'Rise up, rise up, brother Dives,
And go with us to see
A dismal place, prepared in hell,
From which thou canst not flee.'
Then Dives looked up with his eyes,
And saw poor Lazarus blest:
'Give me one drop of water, brother Lazarus,
To quench my flaming thirst.
'Oh had I as many years to abide
As there are blades of grass,
Then there would be an end, but now
Hell's pains will ne'er be past.
'Oh was I now but alive again,
The space of one half hour!
Oh that I had my peace secure!
Then the devil should have no power.'

Dives and Lazarus- Child 56 B- From memory, as sung by carol-singers at Christmas, in Worcestershire, at Hagley and Hartlebury, F. S. L., in Notes and Queries, Fourth Series, III, 76.

AS it fell out upon one day,
Rich Diverus he made a feast,
And he invited all his friends,
And gentry of the best.
And it fell out upon one day,
Poor Lazarus he was so poor,
He came and laid him down and down.
Evn down at Diverus' door.
So Lazarus laid him down and down
Even down at Diverus' door:
'Some meat, some drink, brother Diverus,
Do bestow upon the poor.'
'Thou art none of mine, brother Lazarus,
Lying begging at my door:
No meat, no drink will I give thee,
Nor bestow upon the poor.'
Then Lazarus laid him down and down,
Even down at Diverus' wall:
'Some meat, some drink, brother Diverus,
Or surely starve I shall.
'Thou art none of mine, brother Lazarus,
Lying begging at my wall;
No meat, no drink will I give thee,
And therefore starve thou shall.'
Then Lazarus laid him down and down,
Even down at Diverus' gate:
'Some meat, some drink, brother Diverus,
For Jesus Christ his sake.'
'Thou art none of mine, brother Lazarus,
Lying begging at my gate;
No meat, no drink will I give thee,
For Jesus Christ his sake.
Then Diverus sent out his merry men all,
To whip poor Lazarus away;
They had not power to whip one whip,
But threw their whips away.
Then Diverus sent out his hungry dogs,
To bite poor Lazarus away;
They had not power to bite one bite,
But licked his sores away.
And it fell out upon one day,
Poor Lazarus he sickened and died;
There came two angels out of heaven,
His soul thereto to guide.
'Rise up, rise up, brother Lazarus,
And come along with me;
There is a place prepared in heaven,
For to sit upon an angel's knee.'
And it fell out upon one day
Rich Diverus he sickened and died;
There came two serpents out of hell,
His soul thereto to guide.
'Rise up, rise up, brother Diverus,
And come along with me;
There is a place prepared in hell,
For to sit upon a serpent's knee.'