Barb'ra Allen- MacKinney (GA) 1910 Sharp B
[From: English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians I, 1917 and 1932. This was collected by Rawn in Georgia and given to Campbell.
R. Matteson 2012, 2015]
Barb'ra Allen- MacKinney (GA) 1910 Sharp B
1 'Twas in the merry month of May,
When all gay flowers were blooming,
Sweet William on his death bed lay,
For the love of Barb'ra Allen.
2 He sent his servant to the town,
He sent him to her dwelling,
Saying: Master's sick and very sick,
And for your sake he's dying.
3 Slowly, slowly, she gets up,
And to his bedside going,
She drew the curtains to one side
And says: Young man, you're dying.
4 He reached out his pale, white hands
Intending for to touch her.
She jumped, she skipped all over the room,
And says: Young man, I won't have you.
5 He turned his pale face to the wall
And bursted out a-crying,
Saying: Adieu to thee, adieu to all,
Adieu to Barbara Allen.
6 She had not more than reached the town,
She heard the death bells tolling.
She looked to the east, she looked to the west,
And saw his pale face coming.
7 Hand down, hand down that corpse of clay
And let me gaze upon him.
The more she gazed, the more she grieved,
And she bursted out a-crying.
8 Cursed, cursed, be my name,
And cursed be my nature,
For this man's life I might have saved
If I had done my duty.
9 O mother, O mother, go make my bed,
And make it long and narrow.
Sweet William died for me to-day,
And I'll die for him tomorrow.
10 Sweet William died on Saturday night,
Miss Barbara died on Sunday,
The old lady died for the love of both,
She died on Easter Monday.
11 Sweet William was carried to one churchyard,
Miss Barbara to another.
A briar grew out of one of their graves,
A rose tree out of the other.
12 They grew as high as the old church top,
They could not grow any higher.
They bound and tied in a true love's knot,
For all true lovers to admire.