24C. One Morning in May- Cooke (WV) 1926
24C - ONE MORNING IN MAY
(The Nightingale)
Communicated by Miss Margaret Nestor, Oceana, Wyoming County, 1926. Obtained from Miss Dixie Cooke, Cyolone, who had it from her mother.
1. One morning, one morning
One morning in May,
I spied a fair couple
A-wandering away;
One was a Lady,
As fair as could be,
The other was a soldier,
A brave volunteer.
2. Said the lady to the soldier,
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to the river,
Right down by the spring,
To see the watch gliding,
Hear the nightingale sing."
3. Said the lady to the soldier,
"Will you marry me?"
"Oh no," said the soldier,
"That never could be,
I've a wife in Columbus
And children thrice three,
And one wife is a plenty
Too many for me."
4. "I'll go to Columbus
I'll stay there one year,
In tho place of cold water,
I'll drink the strong beers,
If ever I return,
It'll be in the spring,
To see the water gliding,
Hear the nightingale sing."
Laws P14. See NC II, 24.