Johnny Randal- Thomas (WV) no date given, c. late 1960s Gainer
[From Folk Songs from the West Virginia Hills, 1975, with music, listen online- version B. This version is in the key of G and ends in Em. I'm not sure of the sources for Patrick Gainer's three versions (three on-line and one (on-line B) in Folk Songs from the West Virginia Hills) of Lord Randal from West Virginia. They are likely versions he learned locally. He did not provide a version for Boette's 1971 book, Singa Hypsy Doodle- and there are no Lord Randal versions in that book. Since no date is available I'm supplying a date of late 1960s which is about the time I believe they were recorded (this needs verification).
Because of Gainer's questionable versions and his assigning two or more informants to the same ballad text, it's hard to tell if there is a real source (W.A. Thomas) or if the ballad is recreated. I've looked up Gainer's informants on-line and as of yet have never found one to be a real person! This version appears to be real, the text is very standard-- and very similar to John Ellis my Son- however, the melody is different as found in online B.
R. Matteson 2011, 2014]
[Patrick Ward Gainer (1904-1981) partial WFU online bio:
Born in Parkersburg but reared in rural Gilmer County, Gainer grew up within a family bearing a rich singing tradition. He often credited his grandfather F.C. Gainer with providing his early musical education and his chief inspiration.
After attending the Glenville Normal School, Gainer enrolled at West Virginia University in the 1920s. At the time the university was recognized as a national hub of folk music scholarship. His instructors included John Harrington Cox, author of the first significant American folksong study - Folk Songs of the South (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1925) and Louis Watson Chappell whose landmark book John Henry: A Folklore Study (Jena: Frommanische Verlag, 1933) established a standard in ballad scholarship. It was under their tutelage that Gainer first caught the ballad hunting bug. Together with Chappell, and at other times with fellow student and Gilmer Countian Carey Woofter, Gainer made his initial forays into the countryside in search of surviving remnants of a fading musical tradition. From: WVC Digital Collections Home]
Notes by Gainer: The usual title for this ballad in West Virginia is "Johnny Randal" or some slight variation, such as "John Randolph." Mr. W. A. Thomas, of Erbacon, Webster County, who sang this version to me, said he knew the Randal family. He said they lived ouer the mountain. This young man went to see the girl and she fed him poison and he died.
Johnny Randal- W. A. Thomas (Erbacon, Webster County, WV) no date c.1960s pre 1975 Collected by Gainer.
Listen: https://www.libraries.wvu.edu/collections/patrickgainer/media/Sng12iJohnRandall.mp3
"O where have you been, Johnny Randal, my son?
O where have you been, my handsome young man?"
I've been a-hunting; Mother, make my bed soon,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I'd like to lie down."
"Where got you your dinner, Johnny Randal, my son?
Where got you your dinner, my handsome young man?"
"O I got it at my true-love's; Mother, make my bed soon,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I'd like to lie down."
"What did you have for your dinner, Johnny Randal, my son?
What did you have for your dinner, my handsome young man?"
Fried eels in fresh butter; Mother, make my bed soon,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I'd like to lie down."
"O I fear you are poisoned,Johnny Randal, my son,
O I fear you are poisoned, my handsome young man."
"O yes, I am poisoned; Mother, make my bed soon,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I'd like to lie down."
"What will you leave to your true-love, Johnny Randal, my son?
what will you leave to your true-love, my handsome young man?"
"A rope for to hang her; Mother, make my bed soon,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I'd like to lie down."