George Collins- Talbot (OK) 1921 Moores
[My date. From Ballads and Folk Songs of the Southwest, Moores, 1964. They compare their versions to Child B, but give no version resembling B. Only one closely resembling B has been collected in the US, Brown A.
R. Matteson 2015]
George Collins- Sung by Mrs Lofton Talbot of Atoka, She was born in Quinton in 1902.
George Collins came home one cold winter's night,
George Collins came home so fine;
George Collins came home one cold winter's night,
And he took sick and died.
When little Mary heard of this occurrence,
She wept, she mourned, and cried;
When little Mary heard of this occurrence,
She laid her silk aside.
"Go open the coffin, lay back the lid,
Lay back the linen so fine,
And let me kiss his cold, pale lips,
For I know they will never kiss mine."
"Oh, Mary, dear, why do you weep?
There are many other boys."
"Oh, Mother, George did have my heart,
And now he's dead and gone."
"Oh, don't you see the turtle dove,
As it flies from pine to pine?
He weeps, he mourns for his own true love,
Just as I weep for mine."