Celtic Influences on "Black Jack Davy"- Plaster
AN ENDURING VOICE: CELTIC INFLUENCES ON THE APPALACHIAN BALLAD "BLACK JACK DAVY"
by J. SCOTT PLASTER
Journal of Appalachian Studies, Vol. 2, No. 1 (Spring 1996), pp. 87-102
[This is a student paper. It's missing some information I've added in footnotes (not in order) at the end. I've added the texts from my collection which were the same but had no errors from the article scan. Only the Proffitt version was different (Bronson did the transcription) I changed it to Plaster's transcription.
Resources not proofed.
R. Matteson 2015]
AN ENDURING VOICE: CELTIC INFLUENCES ON THE APPALACHIAN BALLAD " BLACK JACK DAVY "
BY J. SCOTT PLASTER
The folk ballad "The Gypsy Laddie," or "Black Jack Davy" (Child #200), originated in the British Isles at least 270 years ago. Early Scottish variants of the ballad adapted well to American sentiments, where generations of singers and listeners have been intrigued by the romantic tale of Black Jack Davy "charming the heart of a lady." Black Jack comes riding over the hills or through the woods, whistling or singing so merrily that he draws the attention of a young lady as he passes. He persuades her to leave her husband and baby and go away with him. That night, the woman's husband (often a "landlord") comes home and is told that she has gone away with Black Jack Davy. He rides away on a horse to overtake his wife, and finds her with her new love on the river bank. The husband then pleads for her to return. She refuses to go with him and spends the night on the cold ground in the arms of Black Jack Davy. Sometimes she regrets her decision and sometimes she does not.
This common plot of Child #200 has remained relatively constant over the years, but differences in early variants show a distinctly different treatment between the English variants and those that are possibly Celtic in origin. The Celtic treatment survived and was even strengthened in many American variants, particularly in the Appalachian region where many immigrants were Scots-Irish. This branch of the ballad has in common a strong rejection of material wealth, an embracing of the spiritual elements of love and nature, and magical elements that are probably Celtic in origin. In early Scottish variants, a band of gypsies sings "sae sweet and sae compleat" that they lure the lord's lady to join them. She leaves her home and husband to live with the gypsies, sacrificing her worldly comfort for the love of Johnny Faa and a life in the wild. The lord pursues his wife when he hears the news, and when he overtakes her he tries to persuade her to come back with him. His plea has no effect on the lady's heart and she remains with the gypsy. These early Scottish variants express an ambivalence between the anti-gypsy sentiment of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and a rejection of royalty and wealth. Although the gypsies invariably get hanged and the lady is imprisoned, overall we sense a resentment of the lord's ill-gotten power and sympathy for the lady and her lover, detailed in sixteen of the seventeen verses. The hanging of the gypsies does not give us a feeling that justice has been served, but instead leaves us feeling sympathy for the lady and those who attempted to free her.
The woman in the early Scottish variants of the ballad is Lady Cassilis, an actual person who lived from 1607-1642. Only a few facts about the lady and her husband can be documented. Johnny Faa, the gypsy leader in early variants, was a common gypsy name, and it is known that someone by that name was executed in Scotland in 1624. The details of the lady's abduction, if there even was one, have been disputed for at least a hundred years, but the very existence of the Lady, Lord Cassilis, and Johnny Faa in Scotland suggests that the ballad arose out of Scottish popular tradition. Francis Child argues that "the execution of the notorious Egyptian and chieftain Johnny Faa must have made a considerable impression, and it is presumable that this ballad may have arisen not long after" (64).
Child B is an early Scottish variant rooted in popular tradition and rich in the Celtic elements of that community. It was collected in 1817 from a peasant in Galloway, Scotland, by Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe (see Variant One, following this article). This variant exhibits several indications of the nation's political animosity toward gypsies, who were often hanged and were even banned from Scotland by an act of Parliament in the early 1600s. Could this be the source of the reference to sailing "the seas with my drearie"?
The gypsy is clearly on the run in the ballad, and the lady chooses to join him in his flight. The political order is victorious, though; "they lost all their lives" and were hanged by the lord. The majority of this Scottish variant, though, clearly sides for the lady and her true love. Though hanged, the "very bonny" gypsies seem almost like heroes, defending the lady even to the death. We are reminded of the dangers of material power and we resent the lord's use of his position for vengeance.
The lady's priorities are clear from the time she leaves her husband until the very end. Sacrificing her physical comforts for life on the run with the gypsies, she trades her "silk mantel," an exotic luxury, for a common "plaidie." She gives up her weel-made bed" for "an old tenant's barn," which vividly makes us aware of the class and power relationship between landowners and the people under their control. When she rejects her husband's nobility for the love of her "drearie," she commands our sympathy. Her sacrifice of material comfort is seen in stark contrast to the lord's when we see him enter the scene in stanza twelve. He comes "asking for his ladie" as he would any of his other servants. When he says that he "will neither eat nor drink" until he gets his wife back, his oath rings hollow and overly dramatic; how "noble" of him to make such a sacrifice! While the lord has several horses to choose from, his wife must "set in" her "white feet and wade" the "wan water" she used to ride through. She becomes weary and complains in stanza eight but never seems to regret her decision, which she reiterates at the end when she tells her husband, "I will not go home, my hinny and my heart/, I will not go home, my drearie;/If I have brewn good beer, I will drink of the same." She has worked hard and gone through positive steps in rejecting her husband and his money, and she does not wish to go back on her progress, or what she has "brewn."
The lady's rejection of her husband is an impassioned gesture, and throughout this variant we see other elements of romance. The band of gypsies is inspired by her "weel-far'd face," and Jockie Faa and the lady extend the usual prefatory romantic promises. He says "your lord shall nae mair come near thee," a promise that he defends with his life and ends in tragedy when the gypsies are hanged and the lady is likely imprisoned "in a close room" by her husband. The lady is equally committed to her decision. She exclaims that she "with pleasure could drown with my drearie," which expresses the resolution of her rejection of material wealth. This romantic attitude is poignantly s tirring when seen against her husband's power. This Scottish variant asks our sympathy for the "valiant" and "bonny" gypsies and the "fair ladie," and its outcome is touching and dramatic.
The political and economic themes in the ballad are reinforced by Celtic elements that link the lovers' new life with the magical powers of nature. In Folklore in the English and Scottish Ballads, Lowry Charles Wimberly examines the common folk beliefs that recur in these ballads. Wimberly explains that" balladry has in store some of the most rudimentaryf orms of religious belief," as evidenced by the occurrence of the object soul, or the "ascription of personality to inanimate objects" (92). Although his summary is somewhat denigrating, what he calls "rudimentary forms of religious belief" include the Celtic belief in the supernatural and spiritual forces of nature. This early form of natural magic celebrated the presence of spirit in nature and also ascribed magical properties to weapons and the cosmic sun, moon, and the stars.
The magical images in Child B are not just stock images, but reflect Celtic belief that has a close affinity with gypsy lore; they both contain strong connection with nature, spirituality, and the supernatural. The gypsy swears "by the staff of [his] spear" in stanza four, and later "by the moon and the stars." Likewise, the lady swears "by the moon and the stars,/ And the sun that shines so clearly." The efficacy of these oaths to natural elements is uncertain, but they clearly show the gypsy's [ballad writer's] commitment to and sense of connection with nature. His pledge is based on the supernatural and spiritual, on the spirit of his sword or the heavens and other natural elements. Other magical elements pervade this variant which strengthen the gypsy's association with nature. The gypsies lure the lady down with their singing, which is often associated with magic as well as romance. The "glamourie," or charm they cast over the lady when they see her, could be a type of enchanting spell that is carried out when they give her the gift of ginger. The gypsy spell is reminiscent of incantations found in other Child ballads, such as the "parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme" in Child Ballad #2, "the Elfin Knight." The magical allurement in Child B casts a strong spell over the noble lady, for she is willing to give up all that she is afforded by her husband's wealth for a life devoid of material comfort.
These Celtic elements in this and other early variants of "The Gypsy Laddie" have an enchanting allure that is more provocative than mere romance, which, by comparison, is far more fleeting. The lady chooses the natural world over the lord's wealth, and the fatal ending is seen as a dramatic blow from the physical force of royal power.
Almost all of the early Child variants are Scottish in origin. However, historical and textual evidence suggests that Child A, printed in the 1763 London edition of Allen Ramsey's Tea Table Miscellany, is very likely an English variant. In The Roxburghe Ballads, Woodfall Ebsworth argues that "all, or nearly all, of the songs in the final volume iv are of English origin, indisputably," but other factors support that idea as well. The earliest Scottish variants, such as Child B, contain nearly twice as many stanzas. But more significantly, Child A is not directly linked to the Scottish history and tradition that the ballad was presumably based on.
The earliest English variants also do not contain as many supernatural elements. Child G is a broadside printed in London with a questionable date of 1720, although Ebsworth says it was distributed in "the North Countrie" (156). This printing botched some of the Scottish pronunciation and left out several of the beginning stanzas found in the Scottish variants (see Variant Two). Other than the obvious mistakes in "loddy," "Earl of Castle," and "called their grandmother over," this variant also lacks other key Celtic elements contained in the early Scottish variants, such as Child B, D, E, and F. Gone is the swearing by spirits in objects or natural elements and the enchanting "glamourie" is now a "grandmother."
Differences between Celtic and English variants collected from oral tradition are even more pronounced. Two variants, one English and one Irish, which Child says both evolved from the same English broadside, Child G, show a dramatic difference in the singers' treatment of the lord, lady, and gypsy. Child K was collected in New York in about 1820, from a singer who said she had learned it from English soldiers stationed there during the Revolutionary War. Collected a hundred years after the English broadside, this variant sides strongly with the lord (see Variant Three). The lord is given a "best friend" who breaks the news to him and joins in his rescue attempt, which helps us side with him. This variant casts the lord as a more likable character, someone with friends willing to stay by his side during rough times; variants in which the only other characters are servants make us more aware of the husband's social status and encourage us to side against him and with the people under his "control." Most important, though, is the ending. The lord is the focus of five of the variant's seven stanzas, and is also given the final words. Here, instead of the lady refusing to return to the lord, as in early Scottish variants, the lord rejects his wife and says, "fare you well for ever." This variant is also localized, probably by supplementing it with a popular royal figure, Lord Garrick. This clearly English variant collected from oral tradition depicts the lady as an erring, unfaithful wife, and the lord as an honorable man to be pitied.
A variant collected in County Meath in 1860 (Child I) is drastically different, plainly sympathizing with the lady. It also retains
several Celtic elements that help align the ballad's stance more with the natural world and against material wealth (see Variant Four). Semi-magical elements heighten the effect of the lady's decision. The gypsies possess the magic of song, which lures the
lady down to their presence. Their ceremonial exchange of gifts in stanza two is probably more than mere token. They give to her the natural, and perhaps magical, nutmeg and ginger, and she gives each of the seven gypsies a gold ring, which could also probably be more than just a strong symbol of commitment and completion. Unlike the English variant quoted above, this variant strongly contrasts the lady's sacrifice of material wealth and comfort for something she feels is more important. She has traded a "good featherbed" for an "ash corner" and given up "high-heeled shoes . . . made of Spanish leather" for a pair of "coarse Lowland brogues." Her rejection is clear. Even more interesting is the last stanza. The speaker, evidently the leader of the gypsy band, shows no sign of remorse for the earl's sick state, which shows that this variant sides not only with the lady, but with the gypsy as well. This Irish variant with Celtic undertones is almost diametrically opposed to the English Child K.
North American variants known to be Irish take a similar stance and are also filled with supernatural elements, some probably
Celtic in origin. For instance, Phillips Barry includes one in his British Ballads from Maine, including the variant alongside its parent Irish broadside. In both variants, the lady rejects her husband, choosing to sacrifice wealth for a life with the gypsy. She even vows to "eat of the grass and drink of the dew."
The Appalachian region has been a rich source of variants for Child #200 and they range the full spectrum from sympathy for the husband to siding with the lady and her new love. Although difficult to say with certainty, variants that are probably English in origin have less sympathy for the lady and her love and reaffirm the social standing of her husband. Variant Five, Brown E, from Frank C. Brown's North Carolina Folklore, sung in 1915 by I. G. Greer[4] of Watauga County, North Carolina, is just one example. Like many American versions, this variant incorporates the English wooing song "Seventeen Come Sunday," or "How Old Are You, My Pretty Little Miss?" This romantic ditty replaces the Celtic magical encounter and ceremonial exchange found in the beginning of many Scottish and Irish variants. Although the flirting exchange is almost as romantic, it is less of a magical allurement and depicts the lady's decision as more whimsical and spontaneous. In this variant, the lady does reject her husband, but she soon regrets her decision when she runs "through her gay clothing, her velvet shoes and stockings." Life in the wild is not as exciting as she had thought it would be, and she is unwilling to give up her material comfort. Other parts of this variant prompt us to sympathize with the husband, such as when "tears came tricklin' down his cheeks." And when he asks his wife, '"How can you leave your house and land,/ How can you leave your baby,'" we find ourselves asking the same question.
American variants from Scottish and Irish settlers in the Appalachian region have retained more of the magical allure and sympathy for the lady's decision. I have collected one known Scottish-American variant, also in Watauga County, from the well-known Frank Proffitt Jr. The Proffitts descend from Sylvester Proffitt, who came from Scotland and settled in Gouchland County, Virginia, in 1738, bringing with him the tradition of dulcimer making and singing.[1]
Frank Jr. learned this song and many others from his father, who learned them from his aunt Nancy Prather[2]. Frank Proffitt and his father took great pains to preserve the songs as they learned them, even to the point of keeping their aunt's title, "The Gyps of David" (see Variant Six)[3]. Mr. Proffitt sang the ballad accompanied by his handmade banjo, repeating the last line of each stanza. The Proffitts' variant of the song contains elements not found in the other hundred and fifty variants I have studied. Like some early Scottish and Irish variants, it is highly romantic, depicting the gypsy in a favorable light and even calling him "that dark and roving lad." The Proffitt variant does not have the beginning of earlier Scottish variants, but neither does it have the "Seventeen Come Sunday" interpolation. This Scottish-American variant is much more dramatic. The Gyps of David asks the woman outright to give up "all the gold that's stored away" and "all the ones you love." She sacrifices not only material comfort, but her own child, evidently because she feels something even more powerful than her feelings of motherly and wifely duty. Her justification is unclear, but she rejects this world altogether. We sense that there must be a definite reason for her decision and we feel little sympathy for the "raving" husband who drowns either on purpose or trying to swim to his wife. Also, in this variant it seems as if the woman is much safer in the arms of her new love; they are in their new sanctuary near the water, possibly a supernatural site, according to Celtic lore. We also notice the occurrence of the sword, as in early Scottish variants, which is probably related to the Celtic belief that spirits resided in objects, nature, and in cosmic bodies. This image is not that common in America, but does occur in Virginia variants Sharp I, Davis B, CC, and EE, and J.J. Niles's variant from West Virginia. This key element rooted in Celtic lore is notably absent from Child G and K, which are both English.
Celtic elements prevalent in the earliest Scottish occurrences of the ballad, therefore, survived in later oral variants in Ireland and even in the Appalachian region among Scottish and Irish settlers. These variants sympathize much more with the lady and her new love and stand against the lord's material wealth and power. English variants more often side with the lord, and the supernatural allure common in the Celtic variants is sometimes supplanted with the English courting song "Seventeen Come Sunday" - romantic still, but lacking the powerful dramatic appeal of some of the variants rooted in Celtic lore. Child Ballad #200 / "The Gypsie Laddie" has changed in many ways in 270 years, but its Celtic strain has remarkably survived in the Appalachian region, still lending a magical allure to the dramatic tale of a woman's decision to leave her rich husband and commit herself to a life in nature with her true love.
Variant One: Child B, collected in 1817 by Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe in Galloway , Scotland
1 The gypsies they came to my lord Cassilis' yett,
And O but they sang bonnie!
They sang sae sweet and sae complete
That down came our fair ladie.
2 She came tripping down the stairs,
And all her maids before her;
As soon as they saw her weel-far'd face,
They coost their glamourie owre her.
3 She gave to them the good wheat bread,
And they gave her the ginger;
But she gave them a far better thing,
The gold ring off her finger.
4 'Will ye go with me, my hinny and my heart?
Will ye go with me, my dearie?
And I will swear, by the staff of my spear,
That your lord shall nae mair come near thee.'
5 'Sae take from me my silk mantel,
And bring to me a plaidie,
For I will travel the world owre
Along with the gypsie laddie.
6 'I could sail the seas with my Jockie Faa,
I could sail the seas with my dearie;
I could sail the seas with my Jockie Faa,
And with pleasure could drown with my dearie.
7 They wandred high, they wandred low,
They wandred late and early,
Untill they came to an old tenant's-barn,
And by this time she was weary.
8 'Last night I lay in a weel-made bed,
And my noble lord beside me,
And now I must ly in an old tenant's-barn,
And the black crew glowring owre me.'
9 'O hold your tongue, my hinny and my heart,
O hold your tongue, my dearie,
For I will swear, by the moon and the stars,
That thy lord shall nae mair come near thee.'
10 They wandred high, they wandred low,
They wandred late and early,
Untill they came to that wan water,
And by this time she was wearie.
11 'Aften have I rode that wan water,
And my lord Cassilis beside me,
And now I must set in my white feet and wade,
And carry the gypsie laddie.'
12 By and by came home this noble lord,
And asking for his ladie,
The one did cry, the other did reply,
'She is gone with the gypsie laddie.'
13 'Go saddle to me the black,' he says,
'The brown rides never so speedie,
And I will neither eat nor drink
Till I bring home my ladie.'
14 He wandred high, he wandred low,
He wandred late and early,
Untill he came to that wan water,
And there he spied his ladie.
15 'O wilt thou go home, my hinny and my heart,
O wilt thou go home, my dearie?
And I'l close thee in a close room,
Where no man shall come near thee.'
16 'I will not go home, my hinny and my heart,
I will not go home, my dearie;
If I have brewn good beer, I will drink of the same,
And my lord shall nae mair come near me.
17 'But I will swear, by the moon and the stars,
And the sun that shines so clearly,
That I am as free of the gypsie gang
As the hour my mother did bear me.'
18 They were fifteen valiant men,
Black, but very bonny,
And they lost all their lives for one,
The Earl of Cassillis' ladie.
Variant Two: Child G, broadside printed in London circa 1720
1 There was seven gypsies all in a gang,
They were brisk and bonny, O;
They rode till they came to the Earl of Casstle's house,
And there they sang most sweetly, O.
2 The Earl of Castle's lady came down,
With the waiting-maid beside her;
As soon as her fair face they saw,
They called their grandmother over.
3 They gave to her a nutmeg brown,
And a race of the best ginger;
She gave to them a far better thing,
'Twas the ring from off her finger.
4 She pulld off her high-heeld shoes,
They was made of Spanish leather;
She put on her highland brog[u]es,
To follow the gypsey loddy.
5 At night when my good lord came home,
Enquring for his lady,
The waiting-maid made this reply,
'She's following the gypsey loddy.'
6 'Come saddle me my milk-white steed,
Come saddle it so bonny,
As I may go seek my own wedded wife,
That's following the gypsey loddy.
7 'Have you been east? have you been west?
Or have you been brisk and bonny?
Or have you seen a gay lady,
A following the gypsey loddy?'
8 He rode all that summer's night,
And part of the next morning;
At length he spy'd his own wedded wife,
She was cold, wet, and weary.
9 'Why did you leave your houses and land?
Or why did you leave your money?
Or why did you leave your good wedded lord,
To follow the gypsey loddy?'
10 'O what care I for houses and land?
Or what care I for money?
So as I have brewd, so will I return;
So fare you well, my honey!'
11 There was seven gypsies in a gang,
And they was brisk and bonny,
And they're to be hanged all on a row,
For the Earl of Castle's lady.
Variant Three: Child K, collected in New York circa 1820 ; learned from English soldiers during the Revolutionary War.
1 'Go bring me down my high-heeled shoes,
Made of the Spanish leather,
And I'll take off my low-heeled shoes,
And away we'll go together.'
Lumpy dumpy linky dinky day
Lumpy dumpy linky dinky daddy
2 They brought her down her high-heeled shoes,
Made of the Spanish leather,
And she took off her low-heeled shoes,
And away they went together.
3 And when Lord Garrick he got there,
Inquiring for his lady,
Then up steps his best friend:
'She's gone with a gipsy laddie.'
4 'Go saddle me my bonny brown,
For the grey is not so speedy,
And away we'll go to the Misty Mount,
And overtake my lady.'
5 They saddled him his bonny brown,
For the grey was not so speedy,
And away they went to the Misty Mount,
And overtook his lady.
6 And when Lord Garrick he got there,
'Twas in the morning early,
And there he found his lady fair,
And she was wet and weary.
7 'And it's fare you well, my dearest dear,
And it's fare you well for ever,
And if you don't go with me now,
Don't let me see you never.
Variant Four: Child I, collected in County Meath, Ireland, in 1860.
1 There come seven gypsies on a day,
Oh, but they sang bonny! O
And they sang so sweet, and they sang so clear,
Down cam the earl's ladie. O
2 They gave to her the nutmeg,
And they gave to her the ginger;
But she gave to them a far better thing,
The seven gold rings off her fingers.
3 When the earl he did come home,
Enquiring for his ladie,
One of the servants made this reply,
'She's awa with the gypsie lad[d]ie.'
4 'Come saddle for me the brown,' he said,
'For the black was neer so speedy,
And I will travel night and day
Till I find out my ladie.
5 'Will you come home, my dear?' he said,
'Oh will you come home, my honey?
And, by the point of my broad sword,
A hand I'll neer lay on you.'
6 'Last night I lay on a good feather-bed,
And my own wedded lord beside me,
And tonight I'll lie in the ash-corner,
With the gypsies all around me.
7 'They took off my high-heeled shoes,
That were made of Spanish leather,
And I have put on coarse Lowland brogues,
To trip it oer the heather.'
8 'The Earl of Cashan is lying sick;
Not one hair I'm sorry;
I'd rather have a kiss from his fair lady's lips
Than all his gold and his money.'
Variant Five: Brown E, singer L. G. Greer; Watauga County, N.C., 1915
1 Black Jack David come ridin' through the woods,
Singin' so loud and merry
That the green hills all around him ring.
And he charmed the heart of a lady.
And he charmed the heart of a lady.
2 'How old are you, my pretty little miss.
How old are you, my lady?'
She answered him with a 'tee, hee, hee,
I'll be sixteen next summer,'
3. 'Come, go with me, my pretty little miss.
Come, go with me, my lady;
I'll take you across the deep blue sea
Where you never shall want for money.
4 'Won't you pull off those high heel shoes
All made of Spanish leather;
Won't you put on some low heel shoes?
And we'll ride off together.'
5 She soon pulled off those high heeled shoes
All made of Spanish leather;
She put on those low heeled shoes
And they rode off together.
6 'Twas late at night when the land-lord come
Inquirin' for his lady.
He was posted by a fair young maid:
'She's gone with Black Jack David.'
7 Go saddle me my noble steed,
Go bridle me my derby;
I'll ride to the east, I'll ride to the west.
Or overtake my lady.'
8 He rode till he came to the deep below ;
The stream was deep and muddy.
Tears came tricklin' down his cheeks.
For there he spied his lady.
9 'How can you leave your house and land,
How can you leave your baby,
How can you leave your husband dear
To go with Black Jack David?'
10 'Very well can I leave my house and land,
Very well can I leave my baby.
Much better can I leave my husband dear
To go with Black Jack David.
11 'I won't come back to you, my love,
Nor I won't come back, my husband;
I wouldn't give a kiss from David's lips
For all your land and money.
12 'Last night I lay on a feather bed
Beside my husband and baby ;
Tonight I lay on the cold damp ground
Beside the Black Jack David.'
13 She soon run through her gay clothing.
Her velvet shoes and stockings;
Her gold ring off her finger was gone,
And the gold plate off her bosom.
14 'Oh, once I had a house and land,
A feather bed and money,
But now I've come to an old straw pad.
With nothing but Black Jack David.'
Variant Six: Gyps of David; singer Frank Proffitt Jr;. collected in Watauga County; N.C.
by J. Scott Plaster, 1993
1. Who's that gallopin' on the King's highway,
Singin' so gay and haley?
It's that dark and roving[5] lad
Known as the Gyps of David,
Known as the Gyps of David.
2. Where may the good man be, said he,
My own true fair lady?
He's gone a-searchin' far and wide,
Searchin' for the Gyps of David,
Searchin' for the Gyps of David.
3. Will you come away with me
And give up all you've saved'
And give up all the ones you've loved
To go with the Gyps of David,
To go with the Gyps of David?
4. I'll leave the good man of the house,
The baby in the cradle,
And all the gold that's stored away
To go with the Gyps of David,
To go with the Gyps of David.
5. So away they rode for many a day
Across the miry heather:
They didn't stop for vine nor briar
Or any sort of weather,
Or any sort of weather.
6. The good man when he returned
Inquirin' for his lady,
She sped away a while ago,
In the arms of the Gyps of David,
In the arms of the Gyps of David.
7. Go saddle me up my fleetest steed,
And don't fool time a-dawdlin';
I'll have his head on the end of my sword
The head of the Gyps of David,
The head of the Gyps of David.
8. He rode till he come to the waters wide
And couldn't go no farther;
On the other side he spied his bride
In the arms of the Gyps of David,
In the arms of the Gyps of David.
9. Will you return to the gold I have,
Will you return to your baby?
No never will I leave the arms,
The arms of the Gyps of David,
The arms of the Gyps of David.
10. He jumped into the waters wide,
In madness he was ravin',
And floated off down to the sea
Because of the Gyps of David,
Because of the Gyps of David.
Matteson Footnotes:
1. This may be an assumption based on the dulcimer making of his father-in-law Nathan Hicks. I'm not aware that the Proffitt side of the family were makers. Coincidentally, the Hicks (Hix) family, that Frank married into, was also in Goochland at that time. Samuel Hicks, who was born there c.1695, moved with some of his family to NC before the Revolutionary War. His son, David and his grandson, Big Sammy of Goochland settled- independent of his father's move- in Watuaga County, NC shortly before the War.
2. Frank may have learned from his father but he also learned directly from "Aunt Nancy", as she was called, who was not Frank's aunt but his great-aunt.
3. One verse (verses 6) and tune were collected from Prather and were published in The Brown Collection volume 4. This stanza does not match Frank's. I think Frank changed some things and other changes are the result of the "folk process." Frank also recorded an entirely different version for Abrams in 1949.
4. It's not clear if this was the exact version that was sung by Greer (it was recorded by the Greer and his wife in two parts for Paramount) or what the source or sources are. The Brown collection does not say "sung" only "contributed." Greer collected it and there are several MS text versions in the Greer Collection as well as five sheet music versions, mostly the same melody. It appears to be a compilations of at least two versions. After Greer assembled it he did sing this or a shorter version. I do not have access to the Paramount recordings.
5. Bronson has "handsome"
References
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Scott Plaster received an MA . in English from Appalachian State
University. H e worksf or IBM and is an independents cholar.
1. This e ssay w ont he 1 995 A SA Conference Student Paper Prize.