Flowers in the Valley; (The Cruel Brother) Baring Gould- Cornwall 1895
[Flowers in the Valley, a version of the ballad, The Cruel Brother, is closely related to Child 11, Version K titled "There Were Two Ladies Playing Ball" found in Notes and Queries, Dec. 11, 1869. The cruel brother isn't part of either ballad only the opening scene with the knight courting the (lady, ladies) daughter- with some difficulty! A version of the Flowers in the Valley ballad was recorded by Finbar & Eddie Furey. They apparently learned this song from Gordon Geekie, who is mentioned in the sleeve notes of TRA 168, though not as their source. Gordon sang the words as per Baring-Gould, with and intricate guitar accompaniment. (info from Mudcat DT).
Malcolm Douglas (Mudcat DT): Flowers in the Valley, taken from a record by Finbar and Eddie Furey. Their version is quite badly garbled (whether by them or their source, I have no idea) but it seems to derive originally from the version collected by Sabine Baring Gould in Cornwall, and set by him to a tune that he had heard Mr. Gilbert of The Falcon Inn at Mawgan in Pyder, Cornwall, sing to a different -though perhaps related- song. It was published in A Garland of Country Song English Folk Songs with their Traditional Melodies. Collected and arranged by S. Baring Gould and H. Fleetwood Sheppard. (1895). This is the tune that the Fureys use, though they have loosened the rhythm quite a bit. Here is the text, which should also clear up any confusion as to where the refrain fits in (the DT transcription breaks the verses up in the wrong place):
FLOWERS IN THE VALLEY- From: A Garland of Country Song English Folk Songs 1895
O there was a woman, and she was a widow,
Fair are the flowers in the valley,
With a daughter as fair as a fresh sunny meadow,
The Red, the Green and the Yellow.
The Harp, the Lute, the Pipe, the Flute, the Cymbal.
Sweet goes the treble Violin.
The maid so rare and the flowers so fair
Together they grew in the valley.
There came a Knight all clothed in red,
Fair are the flowers in the valley.
"I would thou wert my bride" he said,
The Red, the Green and the Yellow.
The Harp, the Lute, the Pipe, the Flute, the Cymbal.
Sweet goes the treble Violin.
"I would", she sighed, "ne'er wins a bride!"
Fair are the flowers in the valley.
There came a Knight all clothed in green,
Fair are the flowers in the valley.
"This maid so sweet might be my queen."
The Red, the Green and the Yellow.
The Harp, the Lute, the Pipe, the Flute, the Cymbal.
Sweet goes the treble Violin.
"Might be", sighed she, "will ne'er win me!"
Fair are the flowers in the valley.
There came a Knight, in yellow was he,
Fair are the flowers in the valley.
"My bride, my queen, thou must be with me!"
The Red, the Green and the Yellow.
The Harp, the Lute, the Pipe, the Flute, the Cymbal.
Sweet goes the treble Violin.
With blushes red, "I come", she said;
"Farewell to the flowers in the valley."
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Excerpts from: Mrs. Curgenven of Curgenven - Page 289; Sabine Baring-Gould - 1893
Roger Morideg and his wife were seated in the shed converted temporarily into a habitation; a fire was burning in the middle, a fire of skin-turf, and the smoke found its way out as best it might through the thatch, so that from without the hovel had the appearance of a steaming dunghill. To ordinary eyes and lungs the atmosphere within would have been unendurable, but it did not affect either sensibly. Old Roger was adding to the fume by smoking his broken black pipe, and his wife Tamsin was swinging herself whilst knitting, and singing a ballad:
There was a woman, and a widow was she,
The red, the green, and the yellow!
A daughter she had as the elm tree,[1]
Oh I the flowers that bloom in the valley!
Then the old man withdrew his pipe from his mouth and joined in the chorus, taking a third below the melody:
The harp, the lute, the fife, the flute and the cymbal.
Sweet goes the treble violin.
Oh! the flowers that bloom in the valley!
The knitter continued:
There came a knight all clothed in red.
The red, the green, and the yellow!
Oh I and will you be---
Mrs. Morideg was rocking herself and knitting, droning her song,
There came a knight all clothed in red,
The red, the green, and the yellow!
'And will you be my bride?' he said,
Oh! the flowers that bloom in the valley!
And Roger threw in his part lustily,
The harp, the lute, the fife, the flute and the cymbal,
Sweet goes the treble violin,
Oh! the flowers that bloom in the valley!
The old woman continued:
There came a second all clothed in green,
The red, the green, and the yellow!
And he said,' My fair, will you be my queen?'
Oh! the flowers that bloom in the valley!
The moon doth shine so bright in the sky,
The red, the green, and the yellow!
'Come out, come out!' did the green knight cry,
Oh! the flowers that bloom in the valley!
And she and old Roger, at the top of their voices, with something of triumph and mockery in the tone, roared the chorus,
The harp, the lute, the fife, the flute, and the cymbal.
Sweet goes the treble violin.....
1. 'The Cornish elm, that grows as a poplar or a pine, small-leafed.