Barb'ra Ellen- Howard (KY) 1917 Sharp K
[My title. From English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, 1932 Sharp/Karpeles. Notes from the 1932 edition follow. An excerpt from Sharp's diary is given.
R. Matteson 2015]
No. 24. Barbara Allen.
Texts without tunes -.—Child's English and Scottish Popular Ballads, No. 84. Gavin Greig's Folk-Song of the North-East, ii, arts. 165 and 166. Ashton's Century of Ballads, p. 173. Miss Burne's Shropshire Folk-Lore, p. 543. Garret's Merrie Book of Garlands, vol. ii. A. Williams's Folk Songs of the Upper Thames, pp. 204 and 206. D. Scarborough's On the Trail of Negro Folk Songs, p. 59. Journal of American Folk-Lore, xix. 285 ; xx. 250; xxii. 63 ; xxviii. 144; xxix. 161.
Texts with tunes:—Christie's Traditional Ballad Airs, I. 87 and 89. Journal of the Folk-Song Society, 111 and 265; ii. 15 and 80. Kidson's Traditional Tunes, P- 37- Journal of the Irish Folk-Song Society, i. 45. Chappel's Popular Music of the Olden Times, ii. 538. Kidston's Garland of English Folk Songs, p. 74. Joyce's Ancient Irish Music, p. 79. Rimbault's Musical Illustrations of Bishop Percy's Reliques, No. 53. Gavin Greig's Last Leaves, No. 32. Folk Songs from Somerset, No. 22 (also published in English Folk Songs, Selected Edition, i. 20, and One Hundred English Folk-Songs, p. 20). Thomson's Scottish Songs, iii. 29. Cox's Folk Songs of the South, pp. 96 and 523. Reed Smith's South Carolina Ballads, p. 129. W. R. Mackenzie's Ballads and Sea Songs of Nova Scotia, No. 9. Wyman and Brockway's Lonesome Tunes} p. 1. Journal of American Folk-Lore, vi. 132 ; xxii. 74 (tune only); xxxv. 343 ; xxxix. 97 and 211. Musical Quarterly, January 1916, p. 20 (tune only). British Ballads from Maine, p. 195. Davis's
Traditional Ballads of Virginia, pp. 302 and 577. McGill's Folk Songs of the Kentucky Mountains, p. 40. Sandburg's American Songbag, p. 57.
Sharp diary 1917 page 162. Sunday 3 June 1917 - Pineville
Wrote letters all the morning to Campbell, Rabold, Packhard, Krehbeil, Shaw, Peabody, etc while Maud went out to follow up two clues of singers at Wallsend. She found one woman died last week and the other had gone away for a holiday! In the afternoon after tea we called on Mrs Field and her grandaughter sang to us, also an Aunt — quite a pleasant little party. Then I went to call on Mrs Sharp and give her the photograph I took of her children. A poor dinner and then early to bed, feeling very seedy again. My teeth are beginning to bother me and the heat is intense. Two heavy thunderstorms today, so much cooler — though very damp in the evening.
K. [Barb'ra Ellen] Sung by Miss CARRIE HOWARD at Pineville, Bell Co., Ky., June 3, 1917
* The last phrase repeated in stanzas 9 and 10 only.
1. Down in Lon don where I was raised,
Down where I got my (0 leam-ing,
I fell in love with a pretty little girl;
Her name was Barb'ra Ellen.
2 He courted her for seven long years,
She said she would not have him.
Pretty William went home and took down sick
And sent for Barbara Ellen.
3 He wrote her a letter on his death-bed;
He wrote it slow and moving.
Go take this to my pretty little love,
And tell her I am dying.
4 They took it to his pretty little love;
She read it slow and mourning.
Go take this to my pretty little love,
And tell him I am coming.
5 As she walked on to his bed-side,
Says: Young man, young man, you're dying.
He turned his pale face toward the wall
And bursted out a-crying.
6 He reached his lily-white hand to her.
O come and tell me howdey7
0 no, O no, O no, says she,
And she would not go about him.
7 Do you remember last Saturday night
Down at my father's dwelling ?
You passed the drink to the ladies all around
And slighted Barbara Ellen.
8 Yes, I remember last Saturday night
Down at your father's dwelling,
1 passed the drink to the ladies all around,
My heart to Barbara Ellen.
9 As she walked down those long stair-steps,
She heard some death-bells ringing,
And every bell it seemed to say:
Hard-hearted Barbara Ellen,
Hard-hearted Barbara Ellen.
10 As she walked down that shady grove,
She heard some birds a-singing,
And every bird it seemed to say:
Hard-hearted Barbara Ellen,
Hard-hearted Barbara Ellen.
11 As she walked out the very next day,
She saw his corpse a-coming.
0 lay him down, O lay him down,
And let me look upon him.
12 The more she looked the worse she felt,
Till she bursted out a-crying:
1 once could have saved pretty William's life?
But I would not go about him.
13 O mother, O mother, go make my bed,
Go make it soft and narrow;
Pretty William has died for pure, pure love,
And I shall die for sorrow.
14 O father, O father, go dig my grave,
Go dig it deep and narrow;
Pretty William has died for me to-day,
And I shall die to-morrow.
15 A rose grew up from William's grave,
From Barbara Ellen's a brier.
They grew and they grew to the top of the church-house
Till they could not grow any higher.
16 They grew and they grew to the top of the church-house
Till they could not grow any higher,
And there they tied in a true love's knot,
And the rose wrapped round the brier.