Bluegrass Messengers

Johnny Wedlock- Tillett (NC) 1924 Chappell

[From: Folk-Songs of the Roanoke and Albemarle; Chappell, 1936. "Tink" Tillett, a fisherman, was one of Chappell's best informants and gave songs to both Frank Warner and the Brown Collection.

Compare this confused fragment to George E. Wedlock- Dusenbury (AR) 1875 Randolph C. Verse 1:
 
Oh George E. Wedlock is my name,
And many a man doth know me,
An' many a bad deed I have done,
But this will overthrow me.

R. Matteson 2013, 2016]

Johnny Wedlock- Charles Tillett of Wanchese, NC, 1924, collected by Chappell.

O Johnny Wedlock is my name,
And many a man does know me,
Of all the crimes I have ever done,
This crime will overcome me.

I've not robbed no man of his bride,
Nor have I took no man's money
I stole three steeds from the king's wife,
And sold them over in Virginia [1].

This old judge he stood there
With his head down over his left shoulder [2]
He ordered ten thousand to be paid down,
Dear, spare the life of Georgie. [3]

Footnotes:

1. Virginny, rhymes with money
2. Usually: The judge looked over his left shoulder
3. Clearly confused since it's Johnny Wedlock. Perhaps it should be George Wedlock as the Dusenbury version.