4. Edward- Dennis (KY) 1922 (Child 13)
[Traditional Ballads & Folk Songs Mainly from West Virginia- John Harrington Cox- 1939 Edited by George Herzog and Herbert Halpert 1939 and George Boswell, 1964.
Cf. The version Learned by Jean Ritchie from her sisters, Una and May, who learned it in the early 1900s at Hindman School, KY published with music in 1965. Since Una Ritchie was a 1920 Hindman School graduate, the date would be pre-1920.
R. Matteson 2014]
4- EDWARD
Taken from the manuscript song book compiled by Miss Camelia Dennis from the singing of school children at Hindman, Knott County, KY, 1922-23.
1. "How came this blood on your shirt sleeve?
O, dear love, tell to me."
"It is the blood of the old, gray horse
That ploughed that field for me. "
"It does look too pale for the old gray horse
That ploughed that field for thee, thee, thee,
That ploughed that field for thee."
2. "How came this blood on your shirt sleeve?
O, dear love, tell to me."
"It is the blood of the old greyhound
That traced that fox for me."
"It does look too pale for the old greyhound
That traced that fox for thee, thee, thee,
That traced that fox for thee."
3. "How came this blood on your shirt sleeve?
O, dear love, tell to me."
"It is the blood of my brother-in-law,
That wont away with me, me, me,
That went away with me."
4. "And it's what did you fall out about?
O, dear love, tell to me."
"About a little bit of bush
That soon would have made a tree, tree, tree,
That soon would have made a tree."
5. "And it's what will you do now, my love?
O, dear love, tell to me."
"I'll set my foot in yonder ship
And I'll sail across the sea, sea, sea,
And I'll sail across the sea."
6. "And it's when will you come back, my love?
O, dear love, tell to me."
"When the sun slinks into yonder sycamore tree,
And that will never be, be, be,
And that will never be."
See NC II 41-42.
The local title given for the ballad coincides with the title used in Child's compilation (Halpert). [Obviously this local title was assigned by someone who knew the Child ballads- since Edward is not mentioned in the song. R-]