Barbra Allen- Lowry (MO-IN) 1905 Belden E
[Old-Country Ballads in Missouri II by H. M. Belden; The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 19, No. 75 (Oct. - Dec., 1906), pp. 281-299. Version C in JAF.
Version E in Ballads and Songs, 1940.
R. Matteson 2012]
CHILD 84. - Barbara Allen
(c) BARBRA ALLEN- A fragment contributed by Miss Ethel Lowry, whose aunt used to sing it. The aunt lived in Indiana.
"O mother, mother, make my bed,
For I shall die to-morrow.
Young James he died for love, true love,
And I shall die for sorrow."
Young James was buried in the old churchyard
But Barbara in the mire,
And from his breast there sprang a rose,
From hers there sprang a briar.
They ran up to the old church steeple top,
And they could not run any higher,
And there they tied in a true-lover's knot,
But the rose outran the briar.