Henry, My Son- George Dunn (Staffordshire) c. 1920
George Dunn (1887-1975) was born in the Black Country village of Quarry Bank, then in Staffordshire, some eight miles west of Birmingham, and spent most of his long life there. Both his grandfather, Benjamin, and his father, Sampson (1858-1932) worked in the iron trade, as did George himself, who retired at the age of 72 after 59 years, mainly as a chainmaker.
Henry, My Son- George Dunn learned the song 'in his youth'. Recorded 3 Dec 1971, by Roy Palmer
"Where have you been all the day, Henry, my son?
Where have you been all day, my beloved one?"
"In the meadow, in the meadow.
Make my bed, there's a pain in my head,
And I want to lie down and die."
"What have you had to eat?"
"Poisoned berries."
"Who gave you poisoned berries?"
"My sister."
"What will you leave your father?"
"Gold and silver."
"What will you leave your mother?"
"Love and kisses."
"What will you leave your sister?"
"A rope to hang her."
"How shall I make your bed?"
"Long and narrow."
As a ballad this can be traced back in English for some two hundred years, though the story derives from five centuries before that, to a poisoning in the family of an Earl of Chester called Ranulf or Randall ... hence Child's preferred title, Lord Randal. Roud notes almost 500 instances of the ballad, more than half of which are from North America. It was widely found in both Scotland and England, but less-so in Ireland - and it can still be found today. There have been more than 40 sound recordings made, though not many have made the transition to CD. The mention of Rounder CD 1775 Classic Ballads 1 will alert readers to the fact that the recordings by Jeannie Robertson, Thomas Moran and Elizabeth Cronin found there are only a couple of verses each, but complete songs can be heard from George Spicer (MTCD311-2), John MacDonald (Topic TSCD653) and Mary Delaney (Topic TSCD667).
George Dunn learned the song 'in his youth'. His daughter, Mrs Valerie Chapman, helped him remember the words, which she appeared to have learned independently. It is unusual to find, as in this version, that the protagonist's sister is the poisoner.