Barbara Allen- (NC) c.1915 Greer/ Brown 4O
[My date. This Brown 4 version O, a partial text (first part meas. 1-8) given with music by Brown and also Bronson. From the Brown Collection; Volume 4, 1957. The Brown editors' notes follow.
The title makes no sense, since it had Barb'ry with the music. This is "Lyric Variant 05" in Greer Collection and additional text is given from there (after stanza 8).
R. Matteson 2015]
27. Bonny Barbara Allan (Child 84)
Of all the ballads in the Child collection this is easily the most widely known and sung, both in the old country and in America. Scarcely a single regional gathering of ballads but has it, and it has been published in unnumbered popular songbooks. See BSM 60-1. Mrs. Eckstorm in a letter written in 1940 informed me that she and Barry had satisfied themselves, before Barry's death, that as sung by Mrs. Knipp to the delight of Samuel Pepys in 1666 it was not a stage song at all but a libel on Barbara Villiers and her relations with Charles II; but so far as I know the details of their argument have never been published. The numerous texts in the North Carolina collection may conveniently be grouped according to the setting in three divisions: (1) those that begin in the first person of Barbara's lover (or at least of the narrator), (2) those that begin with a springtime setting, and (3) those that begin with an autumnal setting. Of course those in group 1 may also have either the springtime or the autumnal setting. The rose-and-brier ending is likely to be attached to any of the texts. The lover's bequests to Barbara, a feature not infrequent in modern British versions but unusual in America, appears once in the North Carolina texts, in F. The first person of the lover commonly is dropped after the opening stanza, but in F it holds through four stanzas. Not all of the texts are given in full.
From App State: Isaac Garfield (I. G. or “Ike”) Greer (1881-1967) was born in the Zionville community of Watauga County, North Carolina. He served as a history and government professor at Appalachian State Teacher’s College (the precursor to Appalachian State University) from 1910 to 1932. Dr. Greer was one of the earliest collectors of northwestern North Carolina folk songs, with texts primarily acquired from the counties of Ashe, Wilkes, and his native Watauga.
O. 'Barbara Allen.' Sung by Dr. I. G. Greer. Recorded as ms score from I. G. Greer of Boone, Watauga county. No date given. The text was given to the present editor by Dr. Greer in 1953. Basic melodic points in common with other versions are ingeniously employed to create a new version.
For melodic relationship cf. **SharpK i 183, No. 24A; TBV 579, No. 24DD, first three measures ; *MSHF 6 ; SFSEA 150, No. 131. Scale: Mode III, plagal. Tonal Center: g. Structure: abed (2,2,2,2).
1. It was in the the merry month of May,
When the fiery[1] buds were swelling,
Young Willie Grey on his death-bed lay,
For the love of Barb'ry Allen
2 He sent his servant to the town
To tell her to come and see him.
And slowly, slowly she arose,
And slowly went to see him.
3 And when she got there, all she said,
'Young man, I think you're dying.
And die, oh die, oh die you may !
You can't get Barbara[2] Allen.'
4 'I'm low, I'm low, I'm low indeed,
And death is in me dwelling.
But never better will I be
If I can't get Barbara Allen.'
5 'Don't you remember the other day
When we were at the tavern drinkin',
You drank a toast to the ladies all
And slighted Barbara Allen?'
6 'Yes, I remember the other day
When we were at the tavern drinkin';
I drank a toast to the ladies all
And three to Barbara Allen.'
7 'Do you remember the other night
When we were at the ballroom dancing,
You gave your hand to the ladies all
And slighted Barbara Allen?'
8 'Yes, I remember the other night
When we were at the ballroom dancing,
I gave my hand to the ladies all
And my heart to Barbara Allen.' [3]
9. He turned his pale face to the wall,
He turned his back upon her,
And said, "Adieu, adieu to all,
Adieu to Barbara Allen".
10. She turned around and started away,
She heard the death belle ringing;
And all the tune that she could hear
"Was cruel Barbara Allen."
11. She looked to the east, she looked to the west,
Till she saw the corpse a-coming,
And heard her friends all crying loud,
"Hard-hearted Barbara Allen."
12. "Oh, lay him low, oh, lay him low!
That I may look upon him;
Oh, that I'd been more kind to him!
When he was alive and near me."
13. Oh, mother, mother! make my bead,
Oh, make it long and narrow!
Sweet Willie died for love to-day,
And I must die from sorrow.
14. Young Willie was buried in an old church-yard,
And Barbara buried by him.
There sprang a rose from Willie's grave,
And a briar grew forth from Barbara's.
15. They grew, they grew, till they grew no higher,
Till they reached the old church tower;
They grew till they twined in a true loves knot
For all true lovers to admire.
1. flowery
2. Barb'ry ?
3. the rest of the text is from the Greer Collection