Farmer Jones's Wife- Peak (AK-OK) pre1964 Moore
[This version is probably much older than 1964 when the Moores published Ballads and Folk Songs of the Southwest. Peck moved to Oklahoma in 1929. Verse 8 should come earlier- probably after verse 4.]
BALLADS AND FOLK SONGS OF THE SOUTHWEST- Moores 1964
English and Scottish Ballads;
53. The Farmer's Curst Wife
One of the versions oI The Farmer's Curst Wife (child, No. 278) was written by Robert Burns (see Child, V, 107). Its theme, a wife cursed of demons, is found in the Orient as well as in Europe. The ballad is very popular in Oklahoma, there being thirty-five variants in our collection. For references, see Barry, Eckstorm, and Smyth, 32s-33; Belden, 94-97; Brewster, 155-57; Chappell, 42; Child, V, 107-109; Cox, 164-65; Creighton and Senior, 95-99; Davis, 505-15; Gardner and Chickering, 373-78; Hudson, lZ4-25; Jamieson, I, 305-309; Journal, Vol. XIX,298 (Belden), Vol. XXIV,348 (Barry), Vol. XXVII, 68 (Barry), Vol. XXX, 329 (Kittredge); Linscott, 189-91; Lomax, 110; Mackenzie, No. 15; Morris,323-26; Owens, 54-56; Randolph, I, 189-
93; and Sharp, I, 275-8t.
Farmer Jones's Wife- sung by Mrs. Georgia Peak of Jenks, who was born in Crawford County, Arkansas, and came to Oklahoma in 1929. She "picked up her songs here and there." Her sons, Gene and Bobby, have learned their mother's songs.
Early one morning as I went out to plow,
To-i-lu, as I went out to plow;
Up stepped the devil says, "How are you now?"
To-i-lu, "How are you now?"
"One of your family I must have,"
To-i-lu, "I must have;
Your old woman or your oldest son,"
To-i-lu, "Your oldest son."
He carried her down to the forks of the road,
To-i-lu, the forks of the road;
Says, "Old woman you're a devil of a load,"
To-i-lu, "A devil of a load."
Set her down to take a little rest,
To-i-lu, to take a little rest;
She up with her bare foot and kicked him her best,
To-i-lu, and kicked him her best.
Up walked an old yellow cat,
To-i-lu, an old yellow cat;
She up with her foot and killed him like that,
To-i-lu, and killed him like that.
Three little devils bound down with chains,
To-i-lu, bound down with chains;
She up with her foot and smashed out their brains,
To-i-lu, she smashed out their brains.
Two little devils peeped over the wall,
To-i-lu, peeped over the wall;
Says, "Carry her back or she'll murder us all,"
To-i-lu, "she'll murder us all."
He carried her up to the gates of hell,
To-i-lu, to the gates of hell;
He gave a little kick and in she fell,
To-i-lu, and in she fell.
Early next morning when I peeped out the crack,
To-i-lu, I peeped out the crack;
I saw the old devil come wagging her back,
To-i-lu, come wagging her back.
Now you see what a woman can do
To-i-lu, what a woman can do;
She can conquer hell and a husband too,
To-i-lu, and a husband too.