81. The Butcher Boy


The Butcher Boy

The British antecedents and the currency in modern tradition of this ballad are given in some detail in BSM 201-3. To the references there given should be added Lincolnshire (ETSC 92-5), Essex (FSE 11 g-n), Massachusetts (FSONE 179-81), New York (NYFLQ III 29-30), Virginia (FSV 72-5; a trace of it in SharpK II 381), Kentucky (FSKM 30-1), Florida (FSF 334-6), Arkansas (OFS I 230), Missouri (OFS i 226-30), Ohio (BSO 129-31), Indiana (BSI 198-201), and Michigan (BSSM 117-19). Mrs. Steely found it in the Ebenezer community in Wake county. Not versions of 'The Butcher Boy' strictly speaking, but related to it are 'She's Like the Swallow,' reported from Newfoundland (FSN 112), 'The Auxville Love,' reported from Kentucky (FSMEU 205), 'Love Has Brought Me to Despair,' reported from West Virginia (FSS 428-9), and 'I Am a Rambling Rowdy Boy,' reported from North Carolina (SSSA 173-4). 'The Butcher Boy' was printed as a stall ballad by Partridge of Boston and by De Marsan and Wehman of New York, and Kittredge has noted (JAFL XXXV 361) that it is to be found in five American song-books published between 1869 and 1914. Its appearance in print is as likely to be the effect as the cause of its wide popularity. The scene is most often Jersey City, but it may be any one of a considerable number of cities or may be unspecified. A peculiarity of nearly all the texts reported is the illogical shift of grammatical person — it begins as a narrative by the girl and passes, at different places in different texts but generally about the middle of the story, to third-person narration about the girl. The texts in our collection, one is surprised to find, never locate the action in Jersey City; the scene is Boston town or Johnson City or New York City or Jefferson City or London City; and in only three of them is the faithless lover a butcher boy.

Elements of 'The Butcher Boy' enter into combination with elements of other ballads and songs. Some composites of this sort are given after the more normal 'Butcher Boy' texts. For some others, see 'The Sailor Boy' C, D, I, and J (no. 104, below), and 'Little Sparrow' F, in Vol. III.

A. 'In Jefferson City.' From Mrs. Sutton's manuscript book of ballads, where this item was entered probably about 1920. Mrs. Sutton comments: "The rather lugubrious lady that gave it to me had just lost her lover. ... He was a dope fiend and a college-trained doctor who was never to be licensed in North Carolina because he cheated on State Board exams. She said she'd heard he was a 'doper' and she turned him down for that reason."

1 In Jeflferson City I used to dwell,
There lived a boy I loved so well.
He courted me my life away,
And then with me he would not stay.

2 There lived another girl in that same town.
She took my love and set it down.
He took the stranger on his knee
And told her what he once told me.

3 And I can tell you the reason why:
She has more gold and silver than I;
Her gold will rise and her silver will fly,
And then she'll be as poor as I.

4 I went upstairs to make my bed,
Just one word to my mother I said.
'Go bring me a chair and I'll set down,
With pen and ink I'll write it down.

5 'On every line I'll drop a tear,'
Was saying, 'Sweet Willie, oh my dear!
On every line I'll drop a tear,'
Was saying, 'Sweet Willie, oh my dear!'

6 Her father came home, the door he broke;
He found her hanging by a rope.
He found a knife and he cut her down,
And on her breast these words he found :

7 'Oh, mother, oh, mother, you do not know
What sorrow this has brought to me ;
Since first I gained some young man's life
And on this rope to end my life.

8 'Go dig my grave both wide and deep;
Place a marble stand at my head and feet
And at the foot plant a cedar tree
To show I died for love of thee.

9 'And on my grave plant a wilier tree
That it may mourn and weep for me,
And in that tree set a turtle dove,
To show this world I died for love.'

B. 'The Butcher's Boy.' Collected from James York of Olin, Iredell county, in 1939. The same successions of events but with interesting differences in the telling. The shift of person comes earlier than in A.

1 In Johnson City where I did dwell
There lived a boy I loved so well.
He courted me my life away
And with me he would not stay.

2 There lived a girl in that same town
Where he would go and sit around.
He'd take that girl upon his knee
And tell her things that he wouldn't tell me.

3 I think I know the reason why.
Because she has more gold than I.
But gold will melt and silver will fly;
Some time she'll be as poor as I.

4 She went upstairs to make her bed
And nothing to her mother said.
Her mother said, 'You're acting queer.
What is the matter, my daughter dear?'

5 'Oh, mother dear, you need not know
The pain and sorrow, grief and woe.
Give me a chair and set me down,
With pen and ink to write words down.'

6 It was late that night her father came home.
'Where is my daughter, where has she gone?'
Upstairs he run, the door he broke;
He found her swinging to a rope.

7 He took his knife and cut her down
And in her bosom this letter was found :
'A very foolish girl I am
To hang myself for the butcher's boy.

8 'Must I go bound while he goes free.
Must I love a boy that don't love me?
Alas ! alas ! that never can be
Till oranges grow on an apple tree.[1]

9 'So bury me both wide and deep,
Place a marble stone at my head and feet.
And on my breast place a snow-white dove
To show to the world that I died for love.'

1. This stanza of the floating love lyric of the folk is likely to appear in various songs. It does not properly belong to 'The Butcher Boy.'

C. 'Boston Town.' From Virginia Hartsell of Stanly county. Similar to B, but it makes the directions for her burial part of her speech to her mother, before she hangs herself. When her father cuts her down he finds in her pocket "these words" :

'A silly girl I am, you know,
To hang myself for the butcher's boy.
'Should I go bound, while he goes free?
Should I love a boy that don't love me?'

And therewith this text closes.

D. 'Boston Town.' Another text from Stanly county, contributed by Virginia Bowers. Somewhat reduced ; it leaves out altogether the scene between the girl and her mother, and ends:

He drew his knife and cut her down
And in her pocket a letter he found,
Said, 'Take this to the one I love
And tell him that I died for love.

'Go dig my grave both wide and deep,
Place a marble stone at my head and feet
And on my breast a snow-white dove
To show this world that I died for love.'

E. 'In Boston Town.' Still another text from Stanly county, contributed this time by Merle Smith. It does not differ from D except that it has "a milk-white stone" in place of "a milk-white dove" in the penultimate line.

F. 'The Butcher Boy.' Yet another from Stanly county, obtained from Autie Bell Lambert. This introduces no new matter, but the arrangement differs from that in the preceding texts.

1 In New York City where I did dwell
A butcher boy I loved so well.
He courted me my heart away,
And now with me he will not stay,

2 He took a girl upon his knees
And told her just what he told me.
Shall 1 be young? Shall I be free?
Shall 1 love a boy that don't love me?

3 Oh. no, no, no, that shall not be.
For I am young and I can be free.
Oh, no, no, no, that shall never be,
For apples grows on a lily tree.

4 I went upstairs to make my bed
And nothing to my mother did I say.
My mother came upstairs to me
And said, 'What is matter, daring three ?[1]

5 Oh, Willie, Willie, I tell you why;
Because she has more gold than I.
The gold will melt, silver will fly,
And she will be just as poor as I.

6 Father came and the door he broke
And found her hanging upon a rope.
He took his knife and cut her down
And in her bosom these words he found:

7 'Please dig my grave both wide and deep.
Place a marble stone on my head and feet.
Upon my heart a turtle dove,
To show this world I died for love.'

1.  How this stanza should read may be seen in preceding versions. But what the contributor meant to write is not apparent.

G. 'In Boston Town.' A fifth Stanly county text, reported by Eva Furr. The same as D except that the last stanza is incomplete:

Go dig my grave both wide and deep,
And let me down with a golden ....

This is an imperfect memory of a stanza about burial found in 'Old Blue,' no. 220 in Vol. III.

H. 'Boston Town.' Reported by Miss Emeth Tuttle of the State Board of Charities, Raleigh, in 1926, as sung to her by a two-and-a-half-year-old child in Stanly county and afterwards written down by the child's ten-year-old sister. Like D and E it omits the scene with the girl's mother, but differs from them in inserting the two following lines before the final stanza of directions for her burial:

'And when he reads these few long lines,
It'll be the last he'll read of mine.'

I. 'In Johnson City.' Obtained from Mrs. Minnie Church of Heaton, Avery county, in 1930. Here again the scene with the mother is omitted; and it ends without the funeral directions:

He took his knife and he cut her down.
And in her bosom these words he found:
'Just think what a foolish girl I am
To kill myself for a gambling man.'

J. 'In Johnson City.' From Ella Smith of Yadkin county. The first three stanzas only, ending: "Some of these days she'll be poor as I."

K. 'The Farmer's Boy.' From Miss Lura Wagoner's manuscript book of songs lent to Dr. Brown in 1936, in which this song is dated March 15, 1913. Although for the most part a normal text, it introduces the lover, repentant, at the close and so puts the directions for burial in his mouth, not hers. Its relation to our other texts can best be shown by giving it entire.

1 In London City where I did dwell
Lived a farmer's boy I loved so well.
He courted me my life away,
And then with me he would not stay.

2 There is a strange house in this town.
He goes up there, sits himself down,
And takes a strange girl on his knee,
And tells her things that he won't tell me.

3 I hate to grieve, and I'll tell you why:
Because she has more gold than I.
But her gold will melt and her silver fly,
In time to come be poor as I,

4 Must I be bound and the boys go free?
Must I love a boy when he don't love me?
Alas! Oh no, that never will be,
Till oranges grow on apple trees,

5 I went upstairs to make my bed
And nothing to my mama said.
She came up, saying unto me,
'Oh, what is the matter, daughter dear ?'

6 'Oh, mama dear, you need not know
The grief and sorrow, pain and woe.
Go bring me a chair [to] sit myself down,
A pen and ink to write it down.'

7 On each line she dropped a tear,
Calling back her Willie dear,
And on each line she dropped a tear,
Calling back her Willie dear.

8 I went out one evening fair
To view the plains and take the air.
I thought I heard some young man say
He loved a girl that was going away.

9 When her father first came home
Saying, 'Where is my daughter? Where has she gone?'
He went upstairs and the lock he broke ;
He found her hanging by a rope.

10 He drew his knife and he cut her down,
And on her breast these lines were found :
'What a foolish girl I am, you know,
To kill myself for a farmer's boy.'

11 When he first went to her grave,
It called him back to his love again.
He says, 'O God ! how can I live
To think of the girl I have deceived?

12 'Come all young men and warning take,
Never do a girl's heart break.
For if you do you're sure to be
In sin and sorrow just like me.

13 'Go dig my grave both wide and deep,
Place a marble stone at my head and feet.
And on my breast place a snow-white dove
To show the world I died for love.'

L. "Black Birds.' Another text from Miss Wagoner's manuscript book, still further removed from the ordinary form. This is essentially the same as 'The Wrecked and Rambling Boy' reported by Hudson from Mississippi, JAFL xxxix 124-5.

1 I wish I was a blackbird among the rush;
I'd change my home from bush to bush
That the world might see
That I love sweet Willie, but he don't love me.

2 She wrote him a letter with her own right hand,
She sent it to him by her own command,
Saying, 'Oh, Willie, go, go read these lines;
They may be the last you will ever read of mine."

3 Her father came home a-purpose to know
If she was loving that young man.
So he ripped, he tore among them all.
He swore he'd fire his pistol ball.

4 Her father came home that very next night
Inquiring for his heart's delight.
He ran upstairs and the door he broke;
He saw her hand beyond a rope.

5 He drew his knife and he cut her down
And in her bosom these lines he found :
'Go, dig my grave both deep and wide
And bury sweet Willie so near my side.'

6 Well, now she's dead and under ground
While all her friends go mourning around.
And o'er her grave flew a little white dove
To show to the world that she died for love.

M. 'Sweet William.' From Thomas Smith, with the notation that it was "written down about July 1, 1915. By Miss Mae Smith of Sugar Grove, Watauga county, from the singing of her stepmother, Mrs. Mary Smith, who learned it over forty years ago." This is still further removed from the ordinary story; it begins in the first person of the man, who appears — the matter is not entirely clear — to be a faithful lover. At any rate, it is he that breaks down the door and finds the girl hanged. It is related to 'The Rambling Boy.'

I When I was a rake and a rambling boy,
My dying love both here and there.
A rake, a rake, and so I'll be,
Just like the night she courted me.

2 I wish I was some black thrush bird;
I'd change my note from bush to bush.
It's hard to love a pretty girl
That don't love me.

3 When sweet William came home at night
Inquiring for his heart's delight,
He ran upstairs, the door he broke,
Found her hung with her own bed rope.

4 He drew his knife, he cut her down,
And in her right hand this note he found :
'Go dig my grave both deep and wide
And bury sweet William by my side.'

5 The grave was dug, the corpse let down,
And all her friends stood weeping round.
Across the grave there flew a dove
To testify she died for love.

N. 'The Forsaken Lovers.' From the Reverend L. D. Hayman, then of Durham, about 191 5. The final stanza only.
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Vol. 4: The Butcher Boy

'In Jefferson City.' Sung by anonymous singer. Recorded as ms score, probably about 1920; no place was given. The initial measures remind one of 'The Campbells Are Coming' ; they are also related to those of the 'Villiken and His Dinah' (204A) and 'Little Mohee' (no), and somewhat less to 'Orphan Girl,' (148) in our collection.

Scale : Hexachordal. Tonal Center : c. Structure : abed (2,2,2,2) ; the d is slightly related to a.

 

K. 'London City.' Sung by Edith Walker. Recorded, but no date or place given. Other titles given are 'Farmer's Boy' and 'Butcher Boy.' The initial measures are only slightly related to those of 81 N, which follows.


Scale: Mode III, plagal. Tonal Center: f. Structure: abab1 (2,2,2,2) = aa1 (4,4).

N. 'The Forsaken Lovers.' Sung by the Reverend L. D. Hayman. Recorded as MS score at Durham about 1915. Practically the same text as that in the fifth stanza of 'A Wish,' No. 254F, in III 293.

Scale: Mode III, plagal. Tonal Center: g. Structure :ababi (2,2,2,2) = aa1 (44).