Farmer's Curst Wife- Barton (VT) 1945 Flanders L
[When Flander's published Barton's version in 1964 the "And the old devil he throwed her down on the floor" stanza was missing and an additional stanza was added at the end, taken from a previous recording:
From: Ancient Themes and Characteristics- 1964
Well, the old woman she went yelling all over the hills,
Lowland tickle O lay.
The old woman went yelling all over the hill.
The devil wunt have her 'n' I don' know who will!
Saying lowland tickle O laddie,
Lowland tickle O lay.
She also edited dam' (damn) to darn in the "like a dam' fool' stanza.
Gardner E tells why the farmer had to plow with hogs instead of horses or oxen: "The devil keeps coming around and taking things away from the farmer according to some pact between them. His cows and horses are taken, until he has only hogs left to plow with."
R. Matteson 2013]
Flanders' Ancient Ballads- 1965; Notes by Coffin
The Farmer's Curst Wife
(Child 278)
Coffin's notes: There is an old proverb that says there are but two places where a man wants to have his wife- in bed and in the grave. Certainly, the scolding wife, one who can rout the devil himself, has left her mark on folklore from India and Russia to the western countries. This particular anecdote concerning her is a favorite of the American informant with a similar song, "The Devil in search of a wife," it was also popular among the printers of nineteenth-century London broadsides. ["The Sussex Farmer" being close to, or the origin of, Child A. "The Devil in search of a wife" is quite different- see English & Other versions- except for the last few stanzas.]
Originally, it must have concerned a contract in which a farmer hired the devil to do some plowing in exchange for a member of the family. The farmer, in many texts, worries that he may lose his eldest son and is relieved when his wife is taken. The American versions follow Child A as a rule, it being rare that the wife come back to her cooking as in Child B. However, the yoking of the dogs and hogs to the plow and the proverbial sayings at the close of the song are frequently added to the Child A base in the New world.
The Flanders material needs little comment. Texts A and B, in which the farmer seems to be rather proud of his wife's triumph over the forces of hell are not common, though Phillips Barry, British Ballad's from Maine, 330-1, prints an example from Northeast Harbor. Nor are the C-I "Anthony Rowley" texts with the "right leg, left leg," refrains. But C in which the wife is the farmer, harnesses the cattle herself, and goes to the gates of hell, is the only text that introduces a really radical story variation. C is a noteworthy find.
American references for Child 278 may be found in Coffin, 148-50. see also Dean-Smith, 66, and Belden, 94-95, for English citations. Barry, op. cit., 332, cites local uses of the motif in New England.
The tunes for child 278 all belong to one tune family. A large proportion of them are especially closely related; the following tunes are slightly divergent: Ordway, Davis, Weeks, Brackett. The Underhill, Farnham, and Lorette tunes are very similar, as are the Moses and Blake tunes.
For general relationship to the larger group of tunes, see FCBa, 116, 117, 119; DV, 598 No. 46 (c), 599 No. 46 (E) and (F), 601 No. 46 (L); GCM, 373; Sharp I, 215, 278.
L. As sung by Elmer Barton of Quechee, Vermont. Learned when a young boy from his uncle, who lived in the northern
part of the state. Published in Ballads Migrant in New EngLand, 49. [1]
M. Olney, Collector
August 13,1945
Structure: A1 B A2 C D1 D2 (2,2,2,2,2,2); Rhythm A; Contour: descending; Scale: hexatonic
Farmer's Curst Wife
There was an old man who bought him a farm,
Saying low-land tick-le O lay.
There was an old man who bought him a farm
And he had no team to carry it on,
Saying low-land tick-le O laddie,
Low-land tick-le O lay.
(Follow pattern of the first stanza for all stanzas.)
So he yoked up his dog beside his sow.
He yoked up his dog beside his sow
And he went walloping 'round, the devil knows how.
But he met the old devil on one certain day.
He met the old devil on one certain day,
Saying, "One of your family I'll carry away."
"Oh," out cries the old man, "I am undone!"
Out cries the old man, "I am undone!
The devil has come for my oldest son!"
"No, it is not your son," the devil did say;
" 'Tis not your son," the devil did say,
"But your scolding old wife I'll carry away."
"Oh, take her, oh, take her with all my heart!
Take her, oh, take her with all my heart
And I hope and pray you will never part!"
So the old devil swung her across his back,
The old devil swung her across his back
And up to hell's door he went clickerty-clack.
There was one little devil preparing the chains,
There was one little devil preparing the chains,
While she up with her foot and she kicked our his brains.
Then another little devil said, "Hitch her up higher!"
Another little devil said, "Hitch her up higher!"
For she up with her foot and she kicked nine in the fire.
Then another little devil peeked over the wall,
Another little devil peeked over the wall;
"Carry her back, Master Devil, she will kill us all!"
So the old devil he swung her across his back,
The old devil he swung her across his back
And like a darn fool he went tugging her back.
And the old devil he throwed her down on the floor,
The old devil he throwed her down on the floor,
Saying, "Got to stay here-go to hell no more!"
Then out cried the old man, "You were born for a curse!"
Out cried the old man, "You were born for a curse;
You've been to hell, now you're a whole lot worse!"
1. On the LP record made in 1958 Mr. Barton omitted Stanza 6, made minor changes in wording, and added the following stanza at the end:
Well, the old woman she went yelling all over the hills,
Lowland tickle O lay.
The old woman went yelling all over the hill.
The devil won't have her 'n' I don't know who willt
Saying lowland tickle O laddie,
Lowland tickle O lay.