George Collins- Mrs. Harmon (TN) 1930 Henry A
[My stanza divisions. From: Folk Songs from the Southern Highlands; A Collection Of Traditional Folk Songs & Ballads, Collected & Edited by Mellinger Edward Henry, 1938. His notes follow.
Her husband Samuel also sang this version, which apparently she forgot. His version was recorded by Halpert for the LOC. The Hicks/Harmon/Presnell/Proffitt versions were all originally from the Beech Mountain, Watauga County, NC area. Samuel moved with his family to Cades Cove in the 1800s.
R. Matteson 2015]
LADY ALICE
(Child, No. 85) For American texts, see Brown, p. 9; Campbell and Sharp, No. 22; Cox, No. 17; Davis, No. 25; Hudson, No. 14; Reed Smith, No. 9; Reed Smith, Ballads, No. 9; Journal, XXVIII, 151 (Perrow); XXX, 317 (Kittredge); XXXIX, 102 (Hudson); XXXII, 500 (Richardson); The Survey, New York, January 2, 1915, XXXIII, 373.
A. "George Collins." Obtained from Mrs. Samuel Harmon, Cade's Cove, Blount County, Tennessee, August 12, 1930. The song was recorded by Mrs. Henry.
[George Collins rode home one cold winter night
George Collins rode home so fine.] [1]
George Collins rode home one cold winter night
And taken sick and died.
Little Nellie being in the other room
A-sewing on her silk so fine,
And when she heard her George was dead,
She lay her silk aside.
[2]
She weeped, she moaned for her true-love.
"O daughter, O daughter, what makes you weep?
There are more pretty boys than George."
"O mother, O mother, I know that's true,
But he's got this heart of mine.
"Set down the coffin, unscrew the lid,
And roll back the linen so fine,
And let me kiss his cold clay lips.
I'm sure he'll never kiss mine."
1. Opening forgotten
2. This stanza forgotten, it usually appears (see Rena Hicks):
She followed him up, she followed him down
She followed him to the grave,
She fell upon her bending knee
She weeped, she moaned, she prayed.