Fair Ellen- Bradley Kincaid (KY) 1928 Kincaid
[From Bradley Kincaid's "My Favorite Mountain Ballads" 1928. As sung over WLS, Chicago, the prairie-farmer station.
Kincaid was a regular performer on the radio around 1927. He learned many of the old ballads from his mother. The first verse is incomplete and the rhyme in 4 and 9 are mixed, it should be: green- queen; ring- king.
This version titled, The Brown Girl and Fair Eleanor, was covered by Grandpa Jones. Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ecr7WuvzZC0
R. Matteson 2014]
FAIR ELLEN
Oh, father and mother come tell me this riddle,
Come tell it all to me.
The Brown girl she has house and land, fair
Ellen she has none,
Then my advice to you, dear Tom,
is to bring the Brown girl home.
He went and called his merry may men,
by one, by two and three.
Go saddle and bridle my coal black steed,
fair Ellen I must see.
He dressed himself in cloth so fine,
put on a mantle in green,
And every village that he rode thru he was
taken to be some King.
He rode till he got to fair Ellen's hall,
he jingled at the ring,
And none so ready as fair Ellen herself,
she rose and let him in.
Good news, good news, fair Ellen, he said,
good news I've brought to thee,[1]
I've come to ask you to my wedding,
for married I must be.
Bad news, bad news, Lord Thomas she said,
bad news you've brought to me,
You've come to ask me to your wedding, for
married. you must be.
She went and called her merry may men,
by one, by two and three.
Go saddle and bridle my milk white steed,
Lord Thomas' wedding I'll see.
She dressed herself in cloth so fine,
put on a diamond ring,
And every village that she rode thru she was
taken to be some queen.
She rode till she got to Lord Thomas' hall, she
jingled at the ring
And none so ready as Lord Thomas himself,
he rose and let her in.
Lord Thomas, Lord Thomas, is this your bride?
She's very dark and dim,
When you could have married as fair a fine lady
as ever the sun shined on.
The Brown girl had a little pen knife,
it was both keen and sharp,
Betwixt the long rib and the short,
she pierced fair Ellen's heart.
Lord Thomas, Lord Thomas, are you blind,
or can't you very well see,
And can't you see my own heart's[2] blood
come trinkling down my knee?
He took the Brown girl by the hand
and led her thru the hall,
And with a sword cut off her head.
and kicked it against the wall.
He threw the sword upon the floor;
It flew into his breast.
Here lies three lovers all along in a row,
Lord, send their souls to rest.
Go dig my grave under yonder green tree,
Go dig it both wide and deep,
And bury fair Ellen in my arms and the
Brown girl at my feet.
1. Jones has "Thee", Kincaid, "you"
2. Jones "life's blood"