A True Lover of Mine- Evilsizer (MI) 1935 Gardner
[From: Ballads and Songs of Southern Michigan by Emelyn Elizabeth Gardner and Geraldine Jencks Chickering, Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press London: Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press: 1939. Their notes follow.
R. Matteson 2014]
47 A TRUE LOVER OF MINE
(The Elfin Knight, Child, No. 2)
Two other forms of this ballad were collected in Michigan by Dr. B. L. Jones; see Jones, p. 301. For additional versions and references see Barry, Eckstorm, and Smyth, pp. 3-11; Eddy, No. ia; Gray, pp. 78-79, JIFSS, VIII, 17-18; and Kittredge, JAFL, XXX, 283--285. The present version was sung by Mr Otis Evilsizer, Alger, 1935
1. As I went out walking one morning in May,
May ev'ry rose bloom merry in time,
Oh, I met a fair damsel and to her did say,
"I want you to be a true lover of mine.
May ev'ry rose bloom merry in time,
Oh, I want you to be a true lover of mine.
2 "I want you to bring me a new cambric shirt,
May ev'ry rose bloom merry in time,
That's made without seam or needle work,
And then you shall be a true lover of mine.
May ev'ry rose bloom merry in time,
And then you shall be a true lover of mine.
(The second, fourth, fifth, and sixth lines of stanza 2 are repeated in each of the following stanzas.)
"I want you to wash it in yonder well,
Where water ne'er flew nor dew never fell.
"I want you to hang it on yonder thorn,
Where leaves never grew since Adam was born."
" 'Tis three requests you've asked of me,
May now I ask the same of thee?
"I want you to buy me ten acres of land,
Between the salt waters and the sea sand.
"I want you to plow it with an old sheep's horn,
Then plant it all over with one grain of corn.
"I want you to reap it with a sickle of leather,
Then tie it all up with a peacock feather.
"Now when you think you've finished your work,
Just come unto me and you shall have your shirt."
---------------
X:38
T:A True Lover of Mine
T:The Elfin Knight
B:Bronson
C:Trad
O:Gardner and Chickering, I939, pp. I37-38. Sung by Otis
O:Evilsizer, Alger, Mich., I935.
N:Child 2
M:6/8
L:1/8
K:C
C | CEG GGG | FED C2 c | c2 c e2 c |
w:As I went out walk-ing one morn-ing in May, May ev'-ry rose bloom
cEE G3 | Hc3 F3 | GGG GCC |
w:mer-ry in time, Oh, I met a fair dam-sel and
FFF FA A | AGG GGG | GB,B, C2 c |
w:to her did say,* I want you to be a true lov-er of mine. May
c2 c e2 c | cEE G3 | Hc3 F3 |
w:ev'-ry rose bloom mer-ry in time, Oh, I
GGG GGG | GB,B, C2 |]
w:want you to be a true lov-er of mine.
W:
W:As I went out walking one morning in May,
W:May ev'ry rose bloom merry in time,
W:Oh, I met a fair damsel and to her did say,
W:"I want you to be a true lover of mine.
W:May ev'ry rose bloom merry in time,
W:Oh, I want you to be a true lover of mine.
W:
W:"I want you to bring me a new cambric shirt,
W:May ev'ry rose bloom merry in time,
W:That's made without seam or needle work,
W:And then you shall be a true lover of mine.
W:May ev'ry rose bloom merry in time,
W:And then you shall be a true lover of mine.
W:
W:(The second, fourth, {fith, and sixth lines of stanza
W:2 are repeated in each of the following stanzas.)
W:
W:"I want you to wash it in yonder well,
W:Where water ne'er flew nor dew never fell.
W:
W:"I want you to hang it on yonder thorn,
W:Where leaves never grew since Adam was born."
W:
W:" 'Tis three requests you've asked of me,
W:May now I ask the same of thee?
W:
W:"I want you to buy me ten acres of land,
W:Between the salt waters and the sea sand.
W:
W:"I want you to plow it with an old sheep's horn,
W:Then plant it all over with one grain of corn.
W:
W:"I want you to reap it with a sickle of leather,
W:Then tie it all up with a peacock feather.
W:
W:"Now when you think you've finished your work,
W:Just come unto me and you shall have your shirt."