Bluegrass Messengers

Down by the Greenwood Side- Paugh (WV) 1916 Cox B

[From Folk-Songs of the South- 1925 by John H. Cox. His note follow.

R. Matteson 2014]
 

THE CRUEL MOTHER (Child, No. 20)

Three variants have been recovered in West Virginia under the titles, "Down by the Greenwood Side," and "The Greenwood Siding" (see Cox, XIV, 159).  A is an excellent version, following Child E in most details. B is confused at the  beginning and one verse of stanza 4 is missing. In the main it agrees clearly with  Child C. The only thing in variant C that may be of help in determining its  relationship is the last line: "You shall be keeper of hell's gates." Cf. Child, I,  15: "Seven years a porter in hell," and Child, K, 7: "And seven years a porter  in hell."

For American texts see Mackenzie, Journal, xxv, 183 (Nova Scotia; also  Quest, p. 104) ; McGill, p. 83 (Kentucky) ; Campbell and Sharp, No. 9 (North  Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia) ; Sharp, Folk-Songs of English Origin Collected in the Appalachian Mountains, 2d Series, p. 2 (Kentucky) ; Jones, p. 5  (South Carolina by way of Kentucky) ; Journal of the Folk-Song Society, 11, 109  (Kentucky). For other references see Journal, xxx, 293.

B. "Down by the Greenwood Side." Communicated by Mr. George Paugh,  Thomas, Tucker County, January 10, 1916; obtained from Mrs. S. R. Paugh,  who learned it about forty years previous from Mr. John Cox in Pendleton  County.

1. She placed her foot against a rock,
And there twin babes were born,
Down by the greenwood side.

2 She drew her garter from her leg
And tied them up both hand and foot.

3 She dug a grave both wide and deep,
She placed them in, both hand and feet.

4. .  .  .  .  .  .
She thought this murder would never be known.

5 One day she was sitting in her father's hall,
She saw those twin babes play ball.

6 "O sweet little babes if you were mine,
I'd dress you in the silks so fine."

7 "You false-hearted mother, when we were thine,
You neither dressed us rough nor fine."