Carol of the Cherry-Tree- Ritchie (KY) pre1932 REC
[From several sources: 1) Jean Ritchie: Ballads from her Appalachian Family Tradition; Jean Ritchie SFW40145. 2) Folk Songs of the Southern Appalachians as Sung by Jean Ritchie; edited by Jean Ritchie.
In her book Ritchie comments: "I like Uncle Jason Ritchie's version of this song best, although we knew about three or four different ways to sing it in our house." She also said in an interview, "Uncle Jason Ritchie was actually not our uncle but Dad's first cousin."
Born in Kentucky, Abigail and Balis Ritchie of Viper, Kentucky had 14 children, and Jean (December 8, 1922--) was the youngest. Jean's father, Balis, was born 1869 in Clear Creek, Perry Co. Kentucky, and died June 2, 1958 in Perry Co. Kentucky.
In a review of the above CD, Mike Yates wrote: Jean's main source for the ballads were her father, Balis W Ritchie (b.1869), her mother, Abigail Hall Ritchie (b.1877) and 'Uncle' Jason Ritchie, who was actually one of Balis Ritchie's first cousins. According to Jean, Jason was 'fairly well educated and practiced law for several years. Both he and Balis were deeply interested in education.' At one time Balis travelled to Ohio to attend school there, returning home to teach for ten years. 'He had the first printing press in those parts, which was ordered by mail and brought the last forty miles to his home with mules and wagon. In time he put together a little songbook, about twenty pages, and for its spine he laid the ten sheets of paper in a stack, flat, and sewed down the middle with a sewing machine, using the large-stitch setting. The content was mostly old family songs like Jackaro, I've Been a Foreign Lander, and Lord Thomas and Fair Ellender. But he was very proud to include some modern ones, learned from the occasional traveler through the hills who would stop and stay the night ... Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home and Kitty Wells are in his book alongside the old ones.'
Jason Ritchie was born December 17, 1860, and died September 1959 in Talcum, Knott County, Kentucky. He married Mary Fugate. Jean's quote makes him seem like a country bumkin, "Now, have you ever heard that' n about Mary and Joseph and the argument over that cherry tree? Well that's a kind of quare song, little story I guess never got printed in the Bible but it got told by a whole lot of folks and might be true, don't you know." He was nothing of the kind, he was a lawyer who in addition to organizing his families "ballits" had purchased published ballad books. Here more from dmjohnson.FTW:
"Jason was a lawyer, he studied Law the same as Abe Lincoln did and won many of his cases with the same wit and wisdom that Lincoln used. He owned a farm in Knott Co, at Talcum, Ky, which was worked by his wife Mary and daughters while he was practising law. For this reason most of the local farmers said he never worked, but that is not so.
His son said that Jason was an expert with the scythe and his son in law, Gabriel "Blue Gabe" Fugate said that Jason was the best hand to mow hay that he had seen Jason seemed to be well liked, twice he was elected to serve the people of Knott Co as their County Attorney, before he retired, he had sucessfully served the people of Kentucky as a civil attorney, a defense
attorney and as a prosecuting attorney.
Jason Ritchie simply died from old age, I do not know what the death certificate said because no autopsy was performed. He told his son James L Ritchie that he was born December 17, 1860 and could remember the Civil War, he died in September, 1959, he as buried beside his wife Mary in the Jason Ritchie cemetery at the mouth of Big Branch of Ball Creek, Talcum, Knott Co, KY."
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Jean Ritchie, 2002: A small observation, not provable- when we used to sing this ballad, around Chrismastime, the oldtimers would explain that, back when the calendar was changed, there was so much disagreement and arguments that someone actually added the verse, "On the sixth day of January my birthday shall be..." as an anonymous protest to the moving of Christmas to December 25. It makes sense, but is it true?
I remember my Granny Catty Ritchie being still quite touchy on the subject of the Christmas date, and she ALWAYS observed Old Christmas, telling us in no uncertain terms that December 25th was just "a newfangled notion..."
Another observation: "...while Joseph stood around," could refer to a command sometimes given to one's horse, to get him/her into position at the mounting block, or tree stump, for a lady or child, for instance: "Here! Stand-around now! Stand-around!" The inference here would be that the unborn infant Jesus was giving God's command to bring Joseph to obedience. At least, being farm dwellers, we always just assumed that was what it meant, in the song.
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At least one ballad that Jean attributed to her Uncle Jason was taken from a printed edition. We know Jean had access to library books and arranged and changed her native ballads and other ballads. She would (and Jason would) for example, have access to Sharp's English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, version B by Jane Hicks Gentry. We know this because several of Sharp's ballads were collected from Ritchie family members (May and Una Ritchie for example)- so naturally Uncle Jason and Balis knew who Sharp was and would have this book. The CD is even named after Sharp's book! This ballad was well known in Kentucky and she said knew several versions. However, in my opinion, at least two verses have been corrected, and aren't found in tradition. The verse where Joseph take Mary on his knee has been changed and improved which enhances the version (and especially that verse) but changes the original intent. It is Mary that should take baby Jesus in her lap.
R. Matteson 2014]
Carol of the Cherry Tree- from Folk Songs of the Southern Appalachians as sung by Jean Ritchie; edited by Jean Ritchie.
When Joseph were an old man,
And an old man were he,
He courted the Virgin Marry
And the Queen of Galilee
He courted the Virgin Marry
And the Queen of Galilee.
Joseph and Mary
Out a-walkin one day,
Here is apples and cherries,
So fair to behold,
Here is apples and cherries,
So fair to behold.
Mary spoke to Joseph,
And so softly spoke she:
O go and gather me some cherries
For I am with child;
O go and gather me some cherries
For I am with child.
Joseph flew in angry,
And in angry flew he,
Said Let the father of the baby
Gather cherries for you,
Said Let the father of the baby
Gather cherries for you.
Then up spoke Lord Jesus
From His Mother's womb:
Said, Bow low, low, cherry-tree;
Bow you low down to the ground
Said, Bow low, low, cherry-tree;
Bow you low down to the ground.
Then Joseph took Mary
All on his right knee,
Said, Lord a-mercy on me
For what have I done?
Said, Lord a-mercy on me
For what have I done?
Then answered Lord Jesus,
Dear Joseph, make no moan;
Although you are the first to slight me,
You will not be alone;
Although you are the first to slight me,
You will not be alone.
Then Joseph took Mary
All on his left knee,
Said, Tell me, pretty Baby,
When your birthday shall be;
Said, Tell me, pretty Baby,
When your birthday shall be;
On the sixth day of January
My birthday shall be,
When the stars and the elements
Shall tremble with glee;
When the stars and the elements
Shall tremble with glee.