Fair Elanor and the Brown Girl (Child 73)
[Lord Thomas and Fair Annet, Child 73, is known in the US and Canada as "The Brown Girl" or in Scotland as "The Brown Bride." This popular ballad is not to be confused with the ballad number 295, The Brown Girl, which has a single authentic text derived from a broadside (The Cruel Nymph) and is really part of a different song family.
R. Matteson 2014]
FAIR ELEANOR AND THE BROWN GIRL
1. "Come, riddle me, Mother, O Mother," he said,
"Come riddle me two in one,
It's whether I must, marry fair Eleanor, dear,
Or bring the Brown girl home,
Or bring the Brown girl home.
2. "The Brown girl she has houses and lands,
Fair Eleanor she has none;
That's why I say, Lord Thomas my son,
Bring you the Brown girl home
Bring you the Brown girl home."
3. "Go saddle my horse, O mother!" he said
"And bring my clothing in;
For I must ride to fair Eleanor's house
And invite her to my wedding---
And invite her to my wedding."
4. He rode and he rode to fair Eleanor's house,
And rambled [1] at the ring,
There was no one but fair Eleanor herself
To rise and welcome him in ---
To rise and welcome him in.
5. "What news what news, Lord Thomas?" she said,
"What news do you bring to me ?"
"I've cone to invite you to my wedding."
"That's wonderful news to me ---
That's wonderful news to me."
6. She dressed herself in rich array,
Her maidens were all in green ;
And every town that she rode through,
She was taken to be some queen ---
She was taken to be some queen.
7. She rode on to Lord Thomas' house,
And rambled at the ring:
There was none so ready as Lord Thomas himself,
To rise and welcome her in ---,
To rise and welcome her in.
8. He took her by the lily-white hand,
And led her through the hall,
And seated her down at the head of the table
Among the ladies all ---
Among the ladies all.
9. "Lord Thomas," she said, "Is this your bride?
I think she is wonderful brown,
You once could have married as pretty a fair girl
As ever the gun shone on ---
As ever the sun shone on."
10. "Fair Eleanor, don't talk that way --
Don't talk that way to me;
Much better I love your little finger
Than I love her whole body ---
Than I love her whole body. "
11. The Brown girl had a little pen knife
With blade both keen and sharp;
She pressed it against fair Eleanor's side
Until it, reached her heart ---
Until it reached her heart.
12. "Don't, look that, way, fair Eleanor," he said,
"Why are you so pale and wan?
When once you had as red rosy cheeks
Ag ever the sun shone on ---
As ever the sun shone on."
13. "Are you blind, Lord Thomas?" she said
"Oh, can't you very well see --
Oh, don't you see my own heart's blood
Come trickling down by me ---
Come trickling down by me?"
14, He took the Brown girl by the hand,
And led her through the hall,
He drew his sword and cut off her head,
And kicked it, against the wall
And kicked it against the wall.
15. "Go dig my grave, O Mother!" he said,
"Go dig it wide and deep,
And bury fair Eleanor in my arms
And the Brown girl at my feet, --
And the Brown girl at my feet."
16. He placed the handle toward the wall,
And the point toward his breast;
Saying, "This is the last of three true lovers,
Lord send their souls to rest --
Lord send their souls to rest."
This ballad is remembered as above by Mrs. McDowell, who heard it, in her childhood. A version submitted by Miss Alta Smith of Cookevllle, Tennessee, and published in a newspaper about the year, 1900 bears some noticeable differences; carrying two verses not remembered by Mrs. McDowell though Cookevllle is only about forty miles from Smithville, where Mrs. McDowell has lived all her life. The tune given is common to three ballads in the valley of the Caney Fork, as can be seen. This tune, with
slight differences as noted in the three singers was used wlth the different ballads interchangeably; though each ballad above is fitted with the variant whlch it most, often carried ln the memory of those available to make the comparison.
1. usually "tinkled" or "twirled."