[From Brewster: Ballads and Songs of Indiana; Actually it's four versions from Indiana and one from Illinois.
R. Matteson 2011]
THE ELFIN KNIGHT (Child, No. 2)
Five variants, all more or less fragmentary, of this ballad have been recovered in Indiana. They correspond most closely to Sargent and Kittredge A, although, as is usually the case in ballads of this type, all traces of the wooer's supernatural character have disappeared.
For American texts, see Barry, Eckstorm, and Smyth, p. 3 (four variants and two airs) ; Gray, p. 78 (one variant) ; Journal, VII, 228; XVIII, 49, 212; XIX, 130; XXIII, 430; XXVI, 174; XXX, 283; PTFLS, X, 137; Henry, Folk-Songs from the Southern Highlands, p. 31 (fragment).
English texts are to be found in Sharp, Folk-Songs of England, III, 21; Greig, Last Leaves of Traditional Ballads and Ballad Airs, 1-2 (two airs); Baring-Gould, A Book of Nursery Songs and RhyTnes, p. 3; Broad-wood and Maitland, English County Songs, p. 12 (with air); Journal of the Folk-Song Society, I, 83; II, 212; III, 274.
The ballad seems to be known locally as "The Two Lovers" or "I Want You to Make Me a Cambric Shirt."
A. "The Two Lovers." Contributed by Mrs. Bora Ward, of Princeton, Indiana. Gibson County. January 14, 1936.
1. "I want her to make me a cambric shirt,
Rivers and seas are merry in time,
With very fine needle and very coarse work,
Then she shall be true lover of mine.
2. "Go tell her to wash it in yonder spring,
Rivers and seas are merry in time,
No water there and never has been,
Then she shall be true lover of mine."
3. "Go tell him to plant an acre of land,
Rivers and seas are merry in time,
Between the salt sea and the dry sand,
Then he shall be true lover of mine.
4. "Go tell him to plow it with one hog's horn,
Rivers and seas are merry in time,
Plant it all over with one grain of corn,
Then he shall be true lover of mine.
5. "Go tell him to reap it with a sickle of leather,
Rivers and seas are merry in time,
And bind it all up in a peafowl feather,
Then he shall be true lover of mine.
6. ".......................................
.....................................
Bind it all up and cart it all home,
Then he shall be true lover of mine.
7. "Go tell that old fool when he's done his work,
Rivers and seas are merry in time,
To bring me my corn and I'll give him his shirt,
Then he shall be true lover of mine."
B. No title given. [As You Go Out to Yonders Town] Contributed by Mrs. Thomas M. Bryant, of Evansville, Indiana. Vanderburg County. January 2, 1936.
1. "As you go out to yonders town,
Every rose grows merry in time,
Give my respects to that young lady;
Then she shall be a true lover of mine.*
2. "Tell her to make me a cambric shirt,
Every rose grows merry in time,
And make it without any needle-work;
Then she shall be a true lover of mine.
3. "Tell her to wash it in yonders spring,
Every rose grows merry in time,
Where water never flows nor never's been seen;
Then she shall be a true lover of mine.
4. "Tell her to hang it on yonders thorn,
Every rose grows merry in time,
That's never been budded since Adam was born;
Then she shall be a true lover of mine.
5. "As you go out to yonders town,
Every rose grows merry in time, Give my respects to that young man; Then he shall be a true lover of mine.
6. "Tell him to plow it with a young ram's horn,
Every rose grows merry in time, And plant it all over with one grain of corn ; Then he shall be a true lover of mine.
7. "Tell him to reap it with a sickle of leather,
Every rose grows merry in time, And bind it all in a peafowl feather; Then he shall be a true lover of mine."
* The last two lines of each stanza are to be repeated.
C. No title given [If You Go Up To Town Tonight] Collected by Dr. Claude Lomax, of Dale, Indiana. Sung by Mrs. Earl Underhill, of Doolittle Mills, Indiana. Perry County. January 24, 1936.
1. "If you go up to town tonight,
Ly flum a lum a licker sloma,
Just hand this note to that young miss,
Turn a tiest turn a tiste turn a tinest Ly flum a lum a licker sloma.
2. "And tell her to make me a fine shirt,
Ly flum a lum a licker sloma,
And make it out of an old cotton sheet,
Turn a tiest turn a tiste turn a tinest Ly flum a lum a licker sloma.
3. "And tell her to sew it with her gold ring,
Ly flum a lum a licker sloma,
And every stitch a foot between,
Turn a tiest turn a tiste turn a tinest Ly flum a lum a licker sloma.
4. "And tell her to wash it in yonder well,
Ly flum a lum a licker sloma,
Where never a drop of water fell,
Turn a tiest turn a tiste turn a tinest Ly flum a lum a licker sloma.
5. "And tell her to hang it on yonder thorn,
Ly flum a lum a licker sloma,
That never grew there since Adam was born,
Turn a tiest turn a tiste turn a tinest Ly flum a lum a licker sloma."
6. "If you go down to town tonight,
Ly flum a lum a licker sloma,
Just hand this note to that young gent,
Turn a tiest turn a tiste turn a tinest Ly flum a lum a licker sloma.
7. "And tell him to buy me an acre of land,
Ly flum a lum a licker sloma,
Between salt water and the sea sand,
Turn a tiest turn a tiste turn a tinest Ly flum a lum a licker sloma.
8. "And tell him to plow it with a ram's horn,
Ly flum a lum a licker sloma,
And seed it down with one grain of corn,
Turn a tiest turn a tiste turn a tinest Ly flum a lum a licker sloma.
9. "Tell him to reap it with his penknife,
Ly flum a lum a licker sloma,
And haul it in with two yoke of mice,
Turn a tiest turn a tiste turn a tinest Ly flum a lum a licker sloma.
10. "And tell him to haul it to yonder barn,
Ly flum a lum a licker sloma,
That's never been built since Adam was born,
Turn a tiest turn a tiste turn a tinest Ly flum a lum a licker sloma.
11. "Just tell that gent if he's done his work,
Ly flum a lum a licker sloma,
He can call tonight and get his shirt,
Turn a tiest turn a tiste turn a tinest Ly flum a lum a licker sloma."
D. "Mother, Make Me a Cambric Shirt." Contributed by Mrs. John W. Wright, of Aurora, Indiana. Dearborn County. January 17, 1936.
1. "Mother, make me a cambric shirt,
Fom a nomanee, cast nomanee,
Without a stitch of needlework,
Keely ope, keely ope, patalai, patempali,
Fom a nomanee, cast nomanee.
2. "Wash it out in an old dry well,
Fom a nomanee, cast nomanee,
Where a drop of water never fell,
Keely ope, keely ope, patalai, patempali,
Fom a nomanee, cast nomanee.
3. "Hang it out on an old bush thorn,
Fom a nomanee, cast nomanee,
Where the sun never shone since Adam was born,
Keely ope, keely ope, patalai, patempali,
Fom a nomanee, cast nomanee.
4. "Mother, buy me an acre of land,
Fom a nomanee, cast nomanee,
By the sea sea-shore, by the sea sea-sand,
Keely ope, keely ope, patalai, patempali,
Fom a nomanee, cast nomanee.
5. "Mother, plant me an acre of corn,
Fom a nomanee, cast nomanee,
And plow it up with an old ram's horn,
Keely ope, keely ope, patalai, patempali,
Fom a nomanee, cast nomanee.
6. "Now, kind friends, my song is done,
Fom a nomanee, cast nomanee;
I hope I've not offended one.
Keely ope, keely ope, patalai, patempali,
Fom a nomanee, cast nomanee."
E. No title given. [Go Make for Me a Cambric Shirt] Communicated by Mrs. Mary J. Shriver, of East St. Louis, Illinois. January 24, 1936.
1. "Go make for me a cambric shirt,
Rose merry and time,*
Without seam or needlework;
Then you shall be true lover of mine.
2. "Go buy for me an acre of land,
Rose merry and time,
Between the salt water and the sea sand;
Then you shall be true lover of mine.
3. "...........................
..........................
Plant it all o'er with one grain of corn;
Then you shall be true lover of mine."
* Rosemary and thyme ?