Kentucky Folksong in Northern Wisconsin by Asher E. Treat
The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 52, No. 203 (Jan. - Mar., 1939), pp. 1-51
KENTUCKY FOLKSONG IN NORTHERN WISCONSIN
BY ASHER E. TREAT
It is not a long time since the loggers left northern Wisconsin, but it will be a long time before they come again. Drive eastward or northward from the town of Antigo and you may see why. Stump-studded, brushchoked acres line the road for miles on either side. They stretch far back among the rough little hills until interrupted perhaps by a clear creek, a peat bog, a spring-fed lake, an abandoned railroad, or a paved highway to the resort region farther north.
There is some second growth hardwood, much poplar and birch, which helps to preserve the water level and serves as shelter for small game, occasional wolves, foxes, deer, and bear. Where the land has been partially cleared, you may see a plentiful scattering of glacier-borne rocks; but the soil, even when freed of stumps and stones, is not very fertile. The natural obstacles to cultivation, the shortness of the growing season, and the severity of the winters combine to discourage any but the most stubborn attempts at farming.
The lumber companies, however, with these worthless and taxencumbered wastes on their hands, told quite a different story to their prospective buyers. Many poor immigrants parted with a lifetime's savings, only to find themselves stranded in a god-forsaken wilderness where they faced the choice of starving to death or making the land support them. Some of the victims were Polish and Bohemian peasants; some were native Americans in more or less distant parts of the country. Ten or twelve years before the turn of the century a stream of migrants began to flow northward from eastern Kentucky. Most of them came from Powell, Wolf, and Breathitt Counties, some from Elliott and Carter, and a few from Rowan and Greenup. By 1903 or 1904 there were well-established colonies of these people in the Wisconsin backwoods, and the flow of newcomers had just about ceased. A virtual island of mountain culture had been formed, with a population in Forest and Langlade Counties of perhaps two hundred families.
"Kentucks", they were called. Some, perhaps most, were like my friends the Jacobses: honest, diligent, of high native intelligence, and with the most engaging qualities of hospitality, gentleness, good humor, and inborn dignity. Others were shiftless, quarrelsome, lawless, and highly resistant to any modifying influences. The term "Kentuck" is not always a complimentary one as it is heard in the mouths of the Wisconsin farmers and villagers of other than Kentucky ancestry.
Perhaps their tenacity to their southern way of living contributed to the cultural isolation of these people. They had known backwoods life before. They knew how to hunt, fish, cut timber, and scratch the cheap land enough to raise a little corn, a few hills of beans, and maybe some potatoes. But a certain uneasiness and distrust toward them was often manifested by their northern neighbors. Their names, their speech, their manners, their cookery-many things made them seem different from the others; and even now, when many are of the second or third generation of the Wisconsin born, some of those differences persist.
My own early impressions of the Kentucks, which I got as a small boy in the town of Antigo, were mostly from rumors and frequent newspaper stories of shooting or stabbing brawls in the village of Elton, generally involving moonshine liquor in one way or another. Those were Prohibition times, and the newspapers found plenty of copy in the periodic raids on "the Kentucky moonshiners". About their participation in the social life of the areas and settlements in which they lived I have little information. I believe that such participation was limited. Whatever had been their habits in Kentucky, most of the migrants were not regular church-goers in their new environment. Their children went to the local schools, butattendance was often irregular or infrequent.
Assimilation into the general population of the area is already extensive, of course. Intermarriages are common. Intercommunication and access to the larger towns are no longer matters of difficulty. Even the poorer families could not easily dispense with their cars and radios. The neighborliness of the other inhabitants is increasing. There is a county zoning ordinance restricting the future use of the less arable land to forest and recreational purposes. All these things tend to bring the Kentucks out of the "bresh" and into the farm areas and cities. But while the cultural unit is noticeably less compact than it was even a few years ago, there are some localities where things remain pretty much in the same condition as that which characterized the days of the early migration-where the speech, manners, and mode of life are largely transplants from the southern mountains. These remnants are unlikely to survive the older generation by more than a very few years.
The singers of the songs recorded in this collection are all members of one family whose original home was near the town of Grayson, in Carter County, Kentucky. It was there that Madison Green Jacobs married Ollie Jacobs, thus uniting two of the three apparently unrelated Jacobs families who lived in that neighborhood. It was in Carter County, also, that seven of the twelve children were born. In 1906 the family moved to a small farm near the village of Bryant, Wisconsin, about nine miles northeast of Antigo. When most of the children had grown up and moved elsewhere, Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs took another place, also near Bryant, and lived there until Mr. Jacobs died, a few years ago. Mrs. Jacobs is now seventy-six years old. She spends most of her time with her children, five of whom live on farms or in villages within an hour's drive of Bryant, four having children of their own.
Mrs. Jacobs is regarded by all her children, and indeed by everyone who knows her, with the greatest respect and affection. Her difficult life and the fortitude with which she has lived it are to be read in every line and contour of her handsome face. She is painfully crippled with arthritis, so that a movement of any kind is often a veritable ordeal for her. Nevertheless, she insists upon taking active and effective part in the housework, and is never known to utter a complaint or to be otherwise than cheerful and lovable.
Pearl Jacobs, now Mrs. Rodney Borusky, is a daughter of Mrs. M. G. Jacobs and the mother of two children. She is tall, thin, and dark, with a high forehead, high cheek-bones, large, expressive eyes, and a thin, sensitive mouth. She possesses the same gentle and cheerful dignity which appear in the other members of the family and are reflected in her two children. During the past few years she has learned the importance of collecting and preserving the songs which form so intimate a part of her and her people's experience. She has become accustomed to singing the songs phrase by phrase, so as to make the notation of them easy; and she has gone to much trouble to refresh her own extensive memory by conferring with her relatives and writing down the words to many of the songs in advance of my infrequent collecting trips.
Maud Jacobs, a sister of Pearl, received high school training while still living in Kentucky, and has since then lived for several years in fairly large cities, where she has naturally acquired somewhat more of the urban outlook than have the others. Nevertheless, her memory of the songs is very vivid, so that she has been able to supply words to many verses which her relatives had forgotten. Several of the songs might have escaped notation entirely except for her diligent and continual searching of her memory for them. I am also indebted to her for much of the factual material given above. Although she has sung many of the songs for me, almost all were taken from the singing of Mrs. Jacobs or Pearl.
Others of the brothers and sisters have aided the work by expanding or correcting the material given me by the principal singers. These others are probably no less musical than are Mrs. Jacobs and Pearl, but for one reason or another they have been less accessible to me. My acquaintance with the Jacobs family goes back to the year 192I, when I entered high school in Antigo as a classmate of Mrs. Jacobs' youngest son, Paul. He and I became friends; but it was not until after his death in 1925 that I came to know the rest of the family. Since that year I have visited them almost every summer, and have learned to have the deepest regard for all of them. The songs have been taken a few at a time since I first heard some of them sung in 1932.
While it might be anticipated that the transplanted musical culture of the Kentucky immigrants would have undergone modification in the new surroundings, and would show the influence of the neighboring groups, it is my impression that this has not happened. I have done a small amount of collecting among other people of the same locality and have found little that I could interpret as evidence of such influence. On the contrary, comparison of certain of these tunes with those collected by Cecil Sharp and others has led me to suspect that in the Wisconsin songs we have material which has been protected from contamination, perhaps to an extent even greater than has the culture of the present day mountain folk themselves.
Until the introduction of the radio, there was little opportunity for the Wisconsin Kentuckians to hear singing by others, and it appears unlikely that other versions of the same songs would have been sung by any of the people with whom the migrants came into contact. Mrs. Jacobs and her older children learned the songs while they were still living in Kentucky, and have sung them continuously among themselves ever since.
The singers themselves believe that the songs have undergone no modification. They can distinguish carefully and accurately between their own versions of tunes and texts, and those which they have sometimes heard on the radio. For example, they sang the ballad of Barbara Allen for me on two separate visits, at one time specifying that they were then singing it "the way Bradley (Kinkaid) does", and at another time (see No. 19), "the way we hyeard it in Kentucky". Radio performances have occasionally reminded them of songs which they had temporarily forgotten; but they are not indebted to the radio for any of the tunes or words given here. Almost all of these they regard as of Carter County ancestry. It may be worth noting here that none of Cecil Sharp's collecting was done in Carter County.
The tunes of all of the songs have been transmitted to and among the Jacobses purely by vocal tradition. No member of the family has any knowledge of musical notation. They would have been unable to read the melodies even if they had seen them printed. Mrs. Jacobs, however, reports that her mother possessed a scrapbook containing clippings from country papers in which she found the words of certain verses which she had not previously known or had forgotten. The custom of keeping such scrapbooks was apparently a rather general one. The texts of the ballads would be requested by a reader in one issue of the farm journal, and supplied in a later issue by another reader who happened to remember them. The particular book to which Mrs. Jacobs refers was destroyed by fire many years ago.
So far as I know, the songs were not communicated to the children by any deliberate process of teaching. When asked where a tune has been learned, Pearl usually responds, "O, I hyeard mother sing it". Singing was, and still is, among these people, an almost inevitable though often subconscious accompaniment of housework. On occasions such as funerals, prayer-meetings, or parties it might take on a more deliberate or formal nature; but as is probably the case with musical people generally, scarcely a moment passes during which some tune is not either in the head or on the lips. It was not necessary for the children to "commit" the songs to memory; they learned them without effort, simply by hearing them often. A good thing to see is that Pearl's two children, Claire and James, know a number of the songs and are learning more.
The notation has been done under a variety of circumstances. Some was made at the second Jacobs farm near Bryant. The farm house there was of logs covered with tar paper. There was a single large room, with a loft above which served as a bedroom for those of the family who still lived at home, and with a small alcove at one end where Mrs. Jacobs slept. The large room was the kitchen, dining room, and general family headquarters.
A big wood range stood in one corner, supplied with cord wood from a box beneath the south window. Over and around the stove hung long strings of "leatherbreeches"-that is, dried string beans. The furniture included a large folding table, a few chairs, and a long bench. I would sit on a chair between the wood box and the stove, as far out of the way of cooking operations as good hearing would permit. Five or six people might be busy about the room, mixing biscuits, making gravy, or frying chicken. There was plenty of conversation, and the work of taking dictation was not always easy; but it seemed better not to wait for more favorable circumstances. When a song had been sung once or twice, or through a few verses, I would ask to hear it a little at a time. Mrs. Jacobs soon learned about how much I could conveniently get before it was necessary to interrupt, and from then on she would sing a phrase, or a few notes at a time. While I was busy writing down what I had just heard, she would continue her work and conversation until I asked for more. Then with surprising lack of hesitancy, she would resume singing where she had left off. Repetitions were often necessary, of course, and were always given patiently and carefully. When we had finished I would try the song myself, from my own notation, and would make the necessary changes until the singers and the others would tell me that I had done it all correctly. On a few occasions we were somewhat more business-like about it. In her own house, Pearl would sometimes put aside her work and devote her entire attention to singing and discussing the music.
The visits were often short and generally as much as a year apart. The fund of songs seemed inexhaustible. Some of the tunes were of more interest to me than others, and naturally those were the ones that I wanted first in case any had to be sacrificed for lack of time. In the earlier visits, I took whatever was offered and in whatever order it came. My friends learned before long, however, that I had a preference of some sort. From then on there was no difficulty about postponing a tune in favor of another, if that seemed desirable. Most of the tunes were ultimately recorded, but there are others which remain for future visits.
Once Pearl had started the custom of writing out the words for me in advance, the notation of the tunes progressed much more quickly than it had before. When this had not been done, I occasionally asked to have the words of some of the longer songs recited, in order to save time. The singers complied without apparent difficulty, although they would often sing or hum the air for a few measures as though to refresh their recollection. Both Mrs. Jacobs and Pearl have a wealth of innate musicianship, wholly uncultivated as it is. They sing accurately with respect to pitch, and generally unmistakably as regards rhythm. The actual pitches at which the songs were sung, were, unfortunately, not noted; but the singers merely chose any convenient starting note, and would occasionally stop and begin over on a new one if the initial choice appeared to be too high or too low.
The positions which I have chosen for the tunes have been largely a matter of convenience in avoiding ledger lines, accidentals, and artificial implications as to tonality. The qualities of the singers' voices are not, of course, to be described in words. These people sing as children sing, without effort, and without self-consciousness. No hesitancy is displayed in taking such high tones as occur, for example, in Tomorrow morn I'm sweet sixteen (No. 42). The voices are thin and without vibrato, and are unvarying in volume. Ordinarily there is but little accentuation of strong beats, though this is more nearly true of Pearl's singing than of her mother's. There is never, of course, any attempt to dramatize a text in any way. Tempi seem to be chosen with considerable latitude. Within limits, one tempo seems as acceptable to the singers as does another. None of the tunes was sung at a really fast rate, and none was dragged.
It is not impossible, of course, that these words describe only the performances given for me as an outsider. When by themselves, the Jacobses may unconsciously do things quite differently, and think them still differently. Who does not? Still, none of the family ever gave evidence that the singing of the others was done for me in any manner but that in which they were accustomed to hearing it. With the accumulation of more and more songs came the problem of how to classify them. One might turn to the singers themselves. How would they group the songs in their own minds? It may be regarded as unfortunate that the Jacobses have never been asked such a question. I mean to ask them some day; but the question itself may prove to be so artificial a stimulus as to disturb some subconscious classification which already exists for them, and which might be disclosed by careful observation better than by direct inquiry. Obviously the singers or anyone else might form logical groups simply by regarding the songs from the standpoint of their origin: that is, which were learned from whom? Equally rigid categories might be based upon some musical or textual features: which are modal, or which have this or that verse form. That such schemes of classification are useful and interesting is not to be denied; but so far as I am aware, they correspond to nothing explicit in the minds of the Jacobses.
Perhaps a clue to what we are seeking lies in a certain observation which has puzzled me for a long time. That is that some of the songs were offered readily, as soon as they came into the singer's head, while others were brought forward a bit apologetically, with perhaps some such remark as, "I didn't think you'd care about having this one." Some surprise might even be shown at my enthusiasm for a tune that had been mentioned in this way, though the surprise never expressed itself more emphatically than by a polite, "Well!" Among such songs were As I came over yonders hill and My old hen (Nos. 54 and 55). A few songs, although apparently well enough known, were not mentioned until I had asked for them specifically, although I cannot believe that this was because of any special reticence with regard to them. These included What will I do with the baby-oh? (No. 56), Going up Cripple Creek (No. 50), and Sally in the Garden (No. 53)-
A judgment on the basis of such scanty information would, of course, be impossible; but it seems worth considering that some of the songs may seem to the Jacobses less dignified than others, and less worthy of being recorded and remembered. To ask these people to group the songs in some such way would be certain to embarrass them and to invite a wholly unnatural response. It would be surprising indeed if some distinction were not made between, say I once knew a little girl (No. 12) and I asked that girl to marry me (No. 1). People far less sensitive than the Jacobses could scarcely go so far astray as to place anything like equal poetical or musical value upon such opposites as these. Nevertheless, the two songs share some common properties: both are sung in the first person; both are accounts of the singer's troubles with women; neither is a dance or game song, and neither is specially intended for children.
THE SONGS
Forty-nine of the following songs fall into the category of ballads and "songs of sentiment". Six are probably dance or game songs, and three are songs for children. The songs in each category are arranged alphabetically according to the words of the first line. When they are known to the Jacobses by some title other than the first words, the fact is indicated. In no instance are the words or tunes of any of the songs identical with any published versions which I have seen, and in most cases there is wide disparity. Whenever a song or a fragment of a song has been identified with any of the material collected by Sir Cecil James Sharp, the title is given under which that song appears in Sharp's work, English Folksongs from the Southern Appalachians (London, 1932) together with the letter designating the version or versions in Sharp in which the resemblance has been observed.
I. BALLADS AND "SONGS OF SENTIMENT"
1. A FAIR DAMSEL IN A GARDEN
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 13, 1938. Cf. Sharp, The Broken Token.
1. [A fair dam - sel in a gar - den, A brave young
sol - dier came ri - ding by. He drew his rein and thus ad-
dressed her, "My pret-ty maid, won't you mar ry me?"]
2. "I have a true-love in the army.
For seven long years he has been at sea.
If he remains there seven years longer,
No man on earth shall marry me."
3. "Perhaps your true love has been drownded.
Perhaps he's on some battlefield slain.
Perhaps he's married some fair lady,
And never will come back again."
4. "O, no, my true-love is not drownded,
Nor is he on some battlefield slain.
But if he's married some fair lady,
I'll love the girl that marries him."
2. A FARMER HAD A DAUGHTER
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 13, 1938. Cf. Sharp, The Banks of Sweet Dundee. This song is called The Sweet and Dee by the Jacobses.
1. [A farm - er had a daugh- ter Whoseb eau- ty ne'er was told. Her
pa- rents died and left her Five- hund- red pounds in gold. She
lived with her un de Who caused her all her woe, And if
you'll but list' to this pret- ty fair miss, I'll prove it all to you.]
2. Her uncle had a plow-boy
That Mary loved so well.
The way she loved that plow-boy
No human tongue could tell.
There was a wealthy squire
Came Mary for to see,
But she loved her uncle's plow-boy
On the banks of the Sweet and Dee.
3. A press-gang came to Willie
When he was all alone.
He bravely fought for liberty,
But they were six to one.
His blood it flowed in torrents.
"Pray kill me now!" said he,
"For I'd rather die for Mary
On the banks of the Sweet and Dee."
4. One day while she was walking,
Lamenting for her love,
She spied this wealthy squire
Down in her uncle's grove.
He took a step toward her.
"Stand back, young man!" said she,
"For you've banished the only one I love
On the banks of the Sweet and Dee."
5. He threw his arms around her
And strove to set her down.
She spied a sword and pistol
Beneath his morning gown.
She drew the pistol from its belt,
The sword she used so free.
The pistol fired and the squire fell
On the banks of the Sweet and Dee.
6. Her uncle heard the noise
And hastened to the ground,
Saying, "Now you've killed my squire,
I'll give you your death wound."
"Stand back! Stand back!" said Mary,
"Stand back! Stand back!" said she.
The sword she drew and her uncle slew
On the banks of the Sweet and Dee.
7. A doctor was sent for,
A man of note and skill,
And also a lawyer,
That he might write his will.
He willed his gold to Mary
Who fought so manfully.
Then he closed his eyes no more to rise
On the banks of the Sweet and Dee.
3. A MEETING IS A PLEASURE
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, September 9, 1937. Cf. Sharp, The Wagoner's Lad (A); Poor Omie (B, C); The Cuckoo (B, K, M). Verse 3 was supplied in July, 1938.
1. [A meet - ing is a plea - sure, but a part- ing's a
grief. An in - con - stant lov - er is worse than a thief. A
thief, they will- rob you and take all you have, But an
in - con - stant lov - er will bring you to your grave.]
2. . . .. . . . . . . .
The grave will confine you and turn you to dust.
Not one boy in twenty a poor girl can trust.
3. A-walking in the garden, a-walking was I.
I'll meet with Sweet William, I'll meet him or die.
I'll meet him in the garden which was once my delight
And we'll sit and talk there from morning till night.
4. A SHIP SET SAIL FOR NORTH AMERICA
Sung by Mrs. M. G. Jacobs, Maud Jacobs and Pearl Jacobs Borusky, September, 1933. Cf. Sharp, The Golden Vanity.
1. [A ship set sail for North A-mer- i - ca And she
went by the name of "The Turk- ish Re- vil - lee", As she
sails a -long the lone-some low-lands low, As she sails a- long the low- land sea.
sails a -long the lone-some low-lands low, As she sails a -long the low-land sea.]
2. "Captain, O, Captain, O, what will you give me
If I will overtake 'The Golden Willow Tree',
If I'll sink her in the lonesome lowlands low,
If I'll sink her in the lowland sea?"
3. "I have a house and I have land,
And I have a daughter that will be at your command
If you'll sink her in the lonesome lowlands low," etc.
4. "I have a little tool just fitted for the use,
Boring for salt water, letting in the sluice.
I'll sink her in the lonesome lowlands low," etc.
5. He fell upon his back and away swam he
Until he overtaken the "Golden Willow Tree,"
As she sailed along the lonesome lowlands low, etc.
6. Some with their hats and some with their caps,
Trying to stop the salt water gaps,
As she sailed along the lonesome lowlands low, etc.
7. He fell upon his back and away swam he
Until he overtaken "The Turkish Revillee,"
As she sailed along the lonesome lowlands low, etc.
8. "Captain, O, Captain, take me on board
And be to me as good as your word,
For I've sunk her in the lonesome lowlands low," etc.
9. "Neither will I take you on board,
Or be to you as good as my word,
Though you've sunk her in the lonesome lowlands," etc.
10. "If it wasn't for the love I have for your men,
I'd serve you as I served them,
I'd sink you in the lonesome lowlands low," etc.
5. AN IRISH YOUNG LADY, FROM DUBLIN SHE CAME
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 13, 1938. Cf. Sharp, The Brown Girl.
1. [An Ir - ish young la - dy from Dub- lin she came, A
beau -ti- ful dam- sel called Pol- ly by name. Her_ rich - es was more than a
king could pos - sess, And her beau - ty was more than her rich- es at best.]
2. There was a young doctor,
A rich merchant's son
The list of his income
Was five hundred pounds (pronounced "pon").
3(?). "O, Polly, pretty Polly,
Would you think me unkind
If I should sit by you
And tell you my mind?
My mind is to marry
And never to part,
For the first time I saw you
You wounded my heart."
5(?). "I never said that I hated you
Or any other man;
But to say that I love you
I know I ne'er can.
So you may just hush
And we'll end this discourse,
For I never will marry you
Unless I am forced."
["The young man was dying of a broken heart...
and on his death-bed she came to see him."]
7(?). (Four lines missing)
Then off of his fingers
Diamond rings he pulled three,
Saying, "Take these and wear them
When you're dancing o'er me."
6. AND THERE I STOOD ALL IN AMAZE
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 13, 1938, and by Mrs. M. G. Jacobs, September 6, 1938. Cf. Sharp, Locks and Bolts. Mrs. Jacobs learned this song from William Hagerman of West Virginia. See note to No. 8.
[And there I stood all in a- maze To view her_love - y_ tem -ple. My
sword If drew, my pas- sion flew, I swore her room I'd en - ter.]
7. AS I WAS WALKING THROUGH THE GROVE
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 13, 1938, and by Maud Jacobs and Mrs. M. G. Jacobs, September 6, 1938. Cf. Sharp, The Lonesome Grove. Pearl had some difficulty in remembering this one, and was not at all sure it would be of interest anyway. She referred to it as a "funeral song", and explained that this term meant that it was considered suitable for singing at home funerals. Maud, she said, knew all the words, but had never liked hearing the song sung. The next time I saw Maud Jacobs and her mother, I asked them about it, and readily obtained the remaining words. Maud told of someone who had been so undiscriminating as to sing this song at a prayer meeting, with the result that the congregation was considerably shocked.
1. [As I was walk - ing_
in the grove, Sat o'er my -
head a tur - tie dove. For her lost mate be- gan to
coo, Which made me think of my mate too.]
2. 0, little bird, you're not alone.
With you I am constrained to mourn.*
I once, like you, did have a mate,
But now, like you, I mourn my fate.
3(?).* But death, grim death did not stop here.
I had a babe, to me most dear.
My small loss was her great gain.
4.* Consumption seized her lungs severe
And prayed upon them one long year.
Then came grim death at the close of day
And my dear Mary he did slay.
5(?).* Then ceased my heart to mourn for Jane
When my dear Mary she was slain.
Last:* I have a hope that cheers my breast
That my dear Mary she's at rest.
For while her dying tongue could move
She prayed the Lord for pardoning love.
* Supplied by Maud Jacobs
8. COME ALL YOUNG MEN AND MAIDENS
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 15, 1938 and by Maud Jacobs (to another tune) September 12, 1938. C f. Sharp, Caroline of Edinboro Town, which is also the title usedb y the Jacobses. The tune given and the last
verse were supplied by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, the remaining verses by Maud Jacobs. whose version of the tune was a wholly different one which I did not record. Pearl told me the story of the ballad in her own words at the time when she sang the last verse. Caroline had been seduced while away from home. On her return "her people didn't make over her like they had". Note the resemblance of the third phrase to the opening measures of No. 6.
1. [Come all young men and maid-ens And lis- ten to my rhyme. I'll
tell you of a maid- en who was on- ly in her prime. Her
cheeks like blooming ro- ses ad- mired all a- round, The
flow-er of her coun-try of Ed- in- bo- ro town.]
2. Young Henry was a hireling,
A-courting her did come,
And when her parents this did know
They did not like the same.
Young Henry got offended
And unto her did say,
"Arise, my dearest Caroline
And with me run away."
3. And over hills and mountains
Together they did go,
Far, far away to London
Far from her happy home.
Said Caroline to Henry,
"O, never on me frown.
You'll break the heart of Caroline
Of Edinboro' town."
4. They hadn't been in London
More than half a year
When hard-hearted Henry
Proved to be severe.
Said Henry, "I will go away
And never on you frown.
Go beg your way without delay
To Edinboro' town."
5. Distressed with grief without relief
This maiden she did go.
Out in the world to eat such fruit
As on the bushes grow.
And likewise her bonnet
It was found upon the shore,
And in her bonnet there was a note
With the words, "I am no more.
I'm fast asleep within the deep
With the fishes watching 'round.
I am the once-loved Caroline
Of Edinboro' town."
9. GO AND MAKE ME A CAMBRIC SHIRT
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky and Maud Jacobs, September 11, I938. Cf. Sharp, The Elfin Knight.
1. [Go and make me a cam- bric shirt With - out a - ny nee-d ie or
a - ny nee - dle work. Then you can be that true
lo - ver of mine, Then you can be that true lo - ver of mine.]
2. Go and wash it in yonders stream.
Then you can be that true lover of mine, etc.
3. Go and hang it on yonders thorn
That hasn't borne leaves since Adam was born.
Then you can be that true lover of mine, etc.
10. I AM A BO'S'N BY MY TRADE
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 13, 1938. Pearl learned this one from George Brooks, also of Kentucky, who brought it and some other songs to Wisconsin on a visit in about 1909.
1. [I am a bo' - s'n by my trade, Jack Wil liams
is my name, And by a false al-
lur - ing girl Was brought.- to grief.. and shame.-]
2. I took to robbing night and day,
Not to obtain or gain.
Everything I got, I valued not,
But took to her straightway.
3. Then down to Newgate I was brought,
With iron chains bound down.
With glittering chains upon my legs
They longed to see me on.
4. My trial day came round at last,
And hanged I was to be.
It grieved my poor old parents so-
Think of my misery!
5. I wrote my love a letter then,
Some comfort to obtain.
6. She wrote me back an answer,
Saying, "Your company I do not like,
And as you make your bed, your man
Upon it you must lie."
7. If ever I get out of this
One solemn vow I'll make:
I'll quit all evil practices
For this false woman's sake.
8. The heavens have proved kind to me,
As you may plainly see.
I broke my chains, I scaled the wall,
And gained my liberty.
11. I ASKED THAT GIRL TO MARRY ME
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 15, 1938.
1. [I asked that girl to mar - ry me; She
said, "O no! I'd ra-ther be free."
2. I asked that girl to be my wife;
She cut at me with an old case knife.
3. I asked that girl to be my bride;
She sat right down and cried and cried.
4. And the more she cried, the worse I felt,
Till I thought to my soul my heart would melt.
12. I ONCE KNEW A LITTLE GIRL
Sung by Mrs. M. G. Jacobs, August, 1935. Cf. Sharp, The Rejected Lover (B, C, E, F, H, I, J). On September 9, 1937 Pearl sang this song again, including verse five, which was not in Mrs. Jacobs' version. On this occasion a friend of mine was present, whom the Jacobses had not known before. The singing was in no way different from what I have heard on other visits. Songs 3, 19, 39 and 56 were sung under the same circumstances.
1. [I once knew a lit- tie girl, a charm-inbge aut-y bright,A nd to
make her my wife was my own heart's de - light.
0___ , was my own heart's de - light.]
2. I took her by the hand and I led her to the door,
And I held her in my arms while I asked her once more.
3. She looked up in my eyes with scorn and disdain,
And the answer that she gave me was, "You can't come again."
4. I stayed away six weeks, which caused her much pain.
Then she wrote me a letter saying, "Do come again."
5. I answered her letter just for to let her know
That young men oft-times venture where they ort not to go.
6. Come all you young men and warning take by me:
Never place your affections on a green growing tree.
7. For the leaves they will wither and the roots they will decay,
And the beauty of a fair girl will soon fade away.
13. I SAW MY GENTLE MOTHER
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 15, 1938. Note the similarity of the tune to that of the following song. Pearl had not made the comparison herself, but she quickly recognized the resemblance once it had been suggested.
1. [I saw my gen- de mo- th-er Fast fad- ing day by- day , And
like a cap - tive song - ster. Her spi - rit soared a - way. And
O, they said my fa - -ther Was bur- ied in the sea ; But they
bu - ried sis - ter Ma - ry be- neath the lin - den- tree.]
2. And O, alas, how dreary!
The earth was cold and chill
With no one left to cheer me
But gentle brother Will.
We loved each other fondly
And roamed the world with glee;
But now he sleeps, dear Willie,
Beneath the linden tree.
3. I know that I am dying,
I'm fading fast away
Like mist clouds on the ocean,
Like night before the day.
I soon shall join the circle
And happy, happy be,
And then they'll lay me down to rest
Beneath the linden tree.
14. I STOOD UPON THE SAND BANK
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 13, 1938. See note to No. 13.
1. [I stood up-on the sand_ bank So loud- ly roared the
wa - ters, I stood up - on the sand bank, My
fa - ther did not come. I caught the main mast
in my hand, Which toss'd me to my na - tive land. I'm a
poor lit tie sail - or boy So far a - way from- home.]
2. The ladies heard me crying;
They opened their windows.
The ladies heard me crying;
They welcomed me in.
Now I shall tell the ladies all
The hardships and the dangers all
Of a poor little sailor boy
So far away from home.
15. I WILL NOT MARRY A FARMER
Sung by Maud Jacobs and Pearl Jacobs Borusky, September 6, 1938. Cf. Sharp, Soldier Boy For Me (A). Professor Leland Coon of the University of Wisconsin has suggested that No. 55, My old hen's a good old hen, may not be of mountain origin, since "section men" were probably not people familiar to the mountain folk. In this connection it is interesting that this song of railroaders was unknown to Mrs. Jacobs.
1. [I will not mar - ry a farm - er. He's al - ways work - ing
in the dirt. But I will mar- ry a rail -road - er That
wears_a stri - ped shirt. A rail- road- er, a rail- road - er, a
rail-road-er for me!_ If ev - er I mar - ry in
this wide world, A rail - road - er's wife I'll be.___]
There are other verses about the disadvantages of gamblers, etc.
16. IF I TAKE OFF MY SILKEN STAY
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 13, 1938. Cf. Sharp, Earl Brand; Young Hunting; Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight. The horn-like character of the melody is unusual, though nothing in the singing of it suggested that it was recognized as such.
1. [If I_ take off_ my silk- en stay, And de - liv- er it un - to
thee, . . . . . . na - ked wo-man to see._]
2. She grabbed him round the middle so small
And tumbled him into the sea.
3. "Lie there, lie there, lie there, young man!
Lie there, lie there!" said she.
"If six fair ladies you have drownded here
The seventh one has drownded thee."
4. She jumped upon her milk-white steed
And led the dappled-gray,
And came unto her father's house
Three hours before it was day.
5. "O, where have you been, my pretty fair maid?
O, where have you been, I pray?
I was afraid some ruffian had stold you, my dear,
You tarried so long away."
17. IF YOU'LL GET UP EARLY IN THE MORNING
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 13, 1938. Cf. Sharp, William Taylor. The title by which this song is known among the singers is Young Will the Tailor.
1. [If you'll get up ear - ly in the morn - ing, If
you'll get up at the break of day, Then you'll see young
Will the Tail - or Walk - ing with his la dy gay.]
["She was dressed as a man"-P. J. B.]
2. She got up early in the morning,
She got up at the break of day.
And there she spied young Will the tailor
Walking with his lady gay.
3. "O, Will, to you I have always been faithful.
Will, for you I have ventured my life.
The one who has you will never enjoy you.
For your sins I'll take your life."
["They were on ship-board"]
4. Then she called for a brace of pistols;
A brace of pistols were at her command,
And there she shot young Will the tailor
Holding by his true-love's hand.
["Ship's officials started to arrest 'him'."]
5. A silver button flew off her waistcoat
And her snowy white breast did appear.
["After she told the captain what she did it for,
he 'fell for her' and they were married."]
6.. . . . . .
O, O, O,
And he made her the chief commander
Over the vessel that he sailed in.
18. I'LL SELL MY HAT, I'LL SELL MY COAT
Sung by Mrs. M. G. Jacobs, September, 1932. Cf. Sharp, Putman's Hill.
[1. I'll sell my hat I' sell my coat To buy my wife a lit-tie flat boat.
Down the ri - ver we will float. Come bib-ble in the boo- shy - lo - ree.
2. I'll sell my pants, I'll sell my vest To get enough money to go out west.And
there I think I can do the best. Come bib-ble in the boo- shy - lo - ree.
Shool, shool, shool - I - rool, Shool - I - rack- a - shack, shool-a bar - be - cue.
When I saw my sal - ly bab- a - yeel, Come bib-ble in the boo - shy - lo - ree.]
For other versions see (i) "Bib-a-lollie-boo", Silvertone record No. 25012-B, sung by Chubby Parker, "Old Time Singin' Acc. by Banjo". Sears Roebuck Co.-Ed. King, Summer Session, S.U.I., 1933. (2) Lincoln campaign song quoted by Luther A. Huston from Lib. of Congress collection of campaign song books, in N. Y. Times Magazine section, Sunday, 9-27-36. Also cf. last movement of Mozart G minor piano quartet-L. M. Rood. Also "The Golden Willow Tree"-Scarborough, Dorothy, 1937.
19. IT WAS IN THE MONTH OF MAY OR JUNE
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, September 9, 1937. Cf. Sharp, Barbara Allen (E, F, G); Edward (C, I); Lady Maisry (A). See note to No. 12.
1. [It was in the month of May or June, And the
green buds they were swel- lin'. Young- Jem - my Grove on his
death bed.. lay For the love of Bar - bry Al- len.]
2. He turned his face to-ward the wall
And softly went to crying
"Adieu, adieu to all the world,
And adieu to Barbry Allen."
The Jacobses claim that their knowledge of the remaining verses is a mixture of what they remember and what they have heard on the radio. The tune, however, is the earliest of the two which they know, the other being B. Kincaid's version. I had not heard the following verse until Mrs. Jacobs gave it to me on September 6, 1938.
20. LAST SATURDAY NIGHT I ENTERED A HOUSE
Sung by Mrs. M. G. Jacobs, September, 1933. Mrs. Jacobs learned this song from Walter Justice in Kentucky.
1. [Last Sat - ur - day night I en-tered a house And thru the dark way I
crept like a mouse. I o - pened the door and went straight-way
In - to a room where the girls- all stay. And it's hard times!-]
2. Such laughing and chatting as we did keep!
We waked the old widder up out of her sleep,
And in a few words she did address me,
"Such an impudent fellow before me I see!"
And it's hard times!
3. "O, widder, O, widder, you'd better keep cam [= calm]
Until you find out who I am.
I'm Johnny the Carpenter I go by that name.
A-courting your daughter, for that purpose I came."
And it's hard times!
4. "O daughter, O, daughter, O, daughter," said she.
"To think that my daughter would go before me
When I am so old and you are so young.
You can get sweethearts and I can get none."
And it's hard times!
5. "O, widder, O, widder, O, widder at large,
If you are an old widder you are a great charge.
O, widder, O, widder, O, widder by name."
She up with a broomstick and at me she came.
And it's hard times!
6. Such fighting and scratching! At last I got clear,
I mounted my horse and for home I did steer,
The blood running down, my head being sore.
There stood the old widder with a broom in the door.
And it's hard times!
7. Come all young men, take warning by me,
And never a widder's daughter go see.
For if you do, t'will be your doom.
They'll fight you like Satan and beat you with a broom.
And it's hard times!
21. MY FATHER HAS OFTEN TOLD ME
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 13, 1938.
1. [My fa ther has of ten told me. His mon-ey would
set me free If I would. mur - der the
fair young maid They called- Rose Cum ber ley.__]
2. I gave her a bottle of Burgundy wine.
'Twas not for her to know.
And there I murdered that fair young maid
Down under the banks below.
3. I took out my silver dagger,
It was my most valuable knife.
The devil and temptation
Caused me to take her life.
4. My father sits in his mansion
With many a tearful sigh,
Gazing upon the scaffold
Where his son is condemned to die.
22. MY FATHER HE'S EVERY DAY PLAIN TO BE SEEN
Sung by Mrs. M. G. Jacobs, September 6, 1938. Cf. Sharp, The Blind Beggar's Daughter. Known to the singers as The Beggar's Daughter or Pretty Betty.
1. [Up stepped a young law . yer say-in g," You'rne ot worth a curse. If
she's a beg-gard'sa ughtesrh e'sn one of thew orse.I 'll deck you in dia-mondasn d
jew- els," said he, "If you will but wed me, my pret-ty Bet- te."]
2. . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
My father he's every day plain to be seen.
He's called "The Blind Beggar of Bethlehem Green."
4(?). . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . .
And now they are married and live at their ease,
Go out when a-mind to, and come in when they please.
23. MY FATHER KEEPS A PUBLIC HOUSE
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 13, 1938. Cf. Sharp, Edwin in the Lowlands Low. Pearl says that she has heard it sung: "My father keeps a boarding house", but that "public house" is the older version and the one which she heard first. She gives as the title, Edward Bolds. The E flat was sung a trifle high.
1. [My fa - ther keeps a pub- lic houseD own by the _ sea-side shore,A nd
when you come to stay all night He'll meet you at the door.]
["Mary's sea-faring lover (un-approved by her father) came to stay all night without
announcing himself except to Mary."-P.J.B.]
3. "I'll meet you in the morning--
Don't let your parents know.
My name it is young Edward Bolds,
Who plows the lowlands low."
4. Young Mary she lay sleeping.
She dreamed a frightful dream.
She dreameds he saw her true-love'sb lood
Came flowing in a stream.
5. Then she arose, put on her clothes
Just at the break of day,
Saying, "Father, where is that young man
Came here last night to stay?"
6. "His body sleeps within the deep-
Just where I do not know.
I sent his body bleeding
Into the lowlands low."
7. "O father, cruel father,
You shall die a public show
For the murder of young Edward Bolds,
Who plowed the lowlands low."
24. MY LITTLE DARLING USED TO STAND
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 13, 1938.
1. -My lit - tie dar. ling_used to stand Just_ by my-
-- cot - tage- door, Wait - ing to - greet me
as I came Each eve - ning from the store.
Her eyes were like two- brill - iant stars That_ shine in -
heav'n's own- blue. "Pa - pa," she'd- say, "Your
dar - ling's- here; I'se look- in' out for you."]
2. She was my joy, my heart's delight,
In those days, long gone by;
And as I'm dreaming o'er the past,
A tear comes in my eye.
She calls no more as I come home,
As oft she used to do.
"Papa," she'd say, etc.
3. But O, what comfort to my heart
That when I'm called away
From toils below to joys above,
In that eternal day,
That there she'll meet me at the gate
Just as I'm passing through.
"Papa," she'll say, etc.
25. MY WILLIE'S ON THE DARK BLUE SEA
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 13, 1938. This song was sung in an extremely irregular rhythm, and with many subtle embellishments which I found it impossible to record. Repetitions of it seemed to offer no particular changes.
["My Wil - lie's on the dark blue sea, He's
gone o'er_the main, And lone ly drear - y
are the hours Till he comes back a - - gain.
Now blow gentle wind_ o'er the dark blue sea, Bid the
Storm King stay_his hand, And bring my Will - ie
back to me To his own dear na- tive land."]
2. "I love my Willie best of all.
He e'er is true to me;
And many dreary hours have passed
Since he has gone to sea."
Chorus: "Now blow gentle wind o'er the dark blue sea,
No longer stay thy hand,
Since Willie's safe at home with me,
To his own dear native land."
3. Soon as she spoke, the lightning ceased,
The thunder hushed its roar,
And Willie clasped her in his arms
To roam the sea no more.
Chorus
26. NO, BROTHER, I'LL NEVER BE BETTER
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, September, 1932. The folk origin of this song seems highly questionable to me.
1. [No, broth-er, I'll nev-er be bet- ter, Tis use- less in tell- ing me
so; For my poor bro- ken heart's just a - waiting_ A
rest- ing place un - der the snow. I on - ly was dream-ing, dear brother,_ Of our
bright hap - py home filled with joy, When a ser - pent crept in - to our
E - den In the fair form of Chris - tine Le Roy.]
2. I was dreaming again of our bridal
One year ago only tonight,
As I stood with the gas lights above me
Robed in jewels and garments of white.
She came with the smile of an angel,
And wished us a lifetime of joy,
That beautiful, radiant creature
'Twas beautiful Christine Le Roy.
3. The jewels shone bright in her tresses,
Parted back o'er her white marble brow,
And they gleamed like the stars in the gas light
On her fingers as white as the snow.
When she gave her hand to my husband,
Tho' I knew he was only a boy,
I trembled with fear at the glances
From the bright eyes of Christine Le Roy.
4. Now brother be kind to your sister,
Whose poor heart grows weary and faint
From the ways and the wiles of a demon
With the beautiful face of a saint.
When I sleep 'neath the snowdrifts of winter,
Where no sorrow or sin can destroy
O, tell them they murdered me, brother,
My husband and Christine Le Roy.
27. O, BURY ME NOT IN THE DEEP, DEEP SEA
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 15, 1938. Cf. Sharp, The Lonesome Prairie. A radio performance of similar words, but to another tune, reminded the Jacobses that they, too, knew this ancestor of the familiar cowboy song.
["O,-- bu -ry me not in the deep,deep, sea." These words came low and
mournful-ly From the pal - lid lips of a youth who lay On his
ca- bin couch near the close o day. He had wast - ed and pined till-
o'er his- brow Death's shades were slow- ly- crept, and now When the
views of his fond loved homew ere nigh, They had gath-ered a -round to- see him, die.]
2. "O, bury me not in the deep, deep sea
Where the cold, cold waves will roll o'er me,
Where no light breaks through the dark, cold waves,
And no sunbeams rest upon my grave.
I had always hoped to be laid when I died
In the old churchyard on the greenhillside.
By my father's bones my grave should be
If you bury me not in the deep, deep sea.
3. "In fancy I have listened to the well-known words,
To the free wild winds and the song of birds.
I remember well the cot and bower
And scenes I loved in childhood hour.
It matters not, so I've oft been told,
Where the body lies when the heart grows cold,
But grant, 0, grant ye this boon to me,
O, bury me not in the deep, deep sea.
4. "There is another whose tears will be shed
For him who lies in his ocean bed.
In hours of pain it grieves me now,
She has curled these locks and wreathed my brow.
The brow she has pressed will the cold waves kiss;
At the locks she has curled will the sea snakes hiss.
"She has been in my dreams-." His voice failed there.
But they gave no heed to his dying prayer,
But they lowered him over the vessel's side,
And above him rolled the clear, cold tide.
28. O, LITTLE BIRD ON THE BOUGH SO HIGH
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 13, 1938. Cf. Sharp, Young Hunting. Pearl referred to this song as Lord Land. When asked where she learned it, she replied, "The boys (her brothers) brought it home". The word "put" in the third line is always pronounced "putt".
1. ["O, lit - tie bird on the bough so high, Fly down up - on my knee
And I will put you in the cage that hangs in the wil - low tree__.]
2. "O, I'll not fly down from this bough
And set upon your knee;
For if you would kill your own true love,
I know that you would kill me."
3(?). She threw him in the dew drop well
(About forty-thousand feet deep.)
"Lie there, lie there, Lord Land!" she cried,
"Till the flesh drops off your bones!"
29. O, MARY DEAR, GO ASK YOUR MOTHER
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 13, 1938. Cf. Sharp, Awake, Awake. Mrs. Jacobs says that the verses marked 3 and 4 should come first.
1. ["O, Ma- ry dear, go ask your mo - ther If you in-deed my (my wed-ded)
wife may be, And if she says no, come back and
tell me And it's the last time that 'll tro - ble thee."
2. "O, no, I cannot ask my mother,
For she lies on her bed of rest,
And in her hands she holds a letter
That has caused me most of my distress."
3. "O, Mary dear, go ask your father
If you indeed my (my wedded) wife may be,
And if he says no, come back and tell me,
And it's the last time that I'll trouble thee."
4. "O, no, I cannot ask my father
For he lies on his bed of rest
And in his hand he holds a dagger
To kill the one that I love best."
30. O, MOTHER DEAR, BE NOT SEVERE
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 13, 1938. Cf. Sharp, George Reilly. Pearl calls this one George Riley.
1. ["O,_ mo ther dear, be nor sev-ere, Where can- I hide my
love? My ve - ry heart lies in his breast As
con - stant as a dove." "O, daugh-ter dear, I'm
not se-vere, Here is five hun - dred pounds. Send
Ri- ley to A me ri - ca, And pur - chase there some grounds."]
2. When about six months were over
George Riley did return,
A-taking of his lady love
To sail the raging main.
The night was dark, the storm loud,
Which grieved their hearts full sore,
And she was locked in Riley's arms;
They were drowned and washed ashore.
3. And in her bosom there was a note
And it was wrote with blood;
"How cruel was my father
When he sought to shoot my love!"
And let this be a warning
To all young ladies gay
To never let the lad they love
Sail to America.
31. ON THE DAY OF JIMMIE'S TRIAL, MOLLIE'S GHOST DID APPEAR
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 13, 1938. Cf. Sharp, Shooting of his dear.
[On the day of Jim- mie's tri - al, Mol - lie's ghost did ap -
pear, say - ing, "Un - de, dear- est un - de, Jim- mie Ran - dall goes
cleat. He shot his own true love, He took her for a
swan. . . . . ]
32. ONCE I COURTED A CHARMING BEAUTY BRIGHT
Sung by Mrs. M. G. Jacobs, September, 1933. Cf. Sharp, The Lover's Lament (G, H). Mrs. Jacobs learned this song from Joshua Jacobs in about 1880.
1. [Once I court - ed -a charm- ing beau- ty bright, I
court-ed her by day and I court-ed her by night. I court-ed her for love, and
love I did ob - tain, And I'm sure that she had no right to com- plain.]
2. She had cruel parents I came for to know
To gather their daughter and 'way we would go.
But they putt her in confinement and locked her up secure
And I never, no, never, got sight of my dear.
3. First to the window I thought I would go
To see if she had forgotten me or no.
But when she saw me coming she wrung her hands and cried,
"I never would forget you until the day I died."
4. Then to the war I thought I would go
To see if I could forget her or no.
But when I got there, the army shining bright,
I bore all my troubles to my own heart's delight.
5. Then seven long years I spent in Mexico.
Then back home I thought I would go.
But her mother saw me coming and ran to me and cried,
"My daughter loved you dearly, and for your sake she died."
6. Then I was struck like a man that was slain.
The tears from my eyes fell like showers of rain.
Saying, "O, o, this grief I cannot bear.
My darling's in her silent grave, and soon shall I be there."
33. ONCE I COURTED A PRETTY LITTLE GIRL
Sung by Mrs. M. G. Jacobs, September, 1933. Mrs. Jacobs' mother learned this song from Charles Messer, probably about 1850.
1. [Once I court- ed a pret-ty (bon-y) lit - tie girl, As
prer- ty a little girl as ev - er you did see. But she
loved an - oth-er man far bet- ter than me, And she'd tak- en her- flight and was
gone , And she'd tak - en her flight and was gone.]
2. I ran up street and I ran down
In search of my bonny little girl.
I whooped and I hollered and I played on my flute,
But my bonny little girl, she was gone.
But my bonny little girl, she was gone.
3. I looked east and I looked west
As far as the eye could discern,
And there I saw my bonny little girl
Standing locked in another man's arms,
Standing locked in another man's arms.
4*. She waved her lily white hand at me
As if she had once been my own;
But I passed on by and I never cast an eye
Though I brought out a sigh and a moan,
Though I brought out a sigh and a moan.
5. Oh now you have got my bonny little girl
You must treat her as well as you can.
And if you don't keep her safely at home
I will walk with her now and again,
I will walk with her now and again.
* Verse 4 supplied by Pearl Jacobs, Septembe9r, 1937.
34. ONE MORNING, ONE MORNING, ONE MORNING IN SPRING
Sung by Mrs. M. G. Jacobs, July 13, 1938. Cf. Sharp, I'm going to get married next Sunday.
1. [One morn - ing, one morn - ing, one morn - ing in spring I
heard a fair dam-.sel so gal -lant-ly sing As she sat un - der her
kal - la - ma - king, "Please God, I'll be mar- ried next Sun - day!"]
2. "Fourteen years is too young to get married.
A girl of your age is apt to get sorry.
For seven long years I'd have you tarry.
Put off your wedding next Sunday!"
3. "Old man, old man, you talk on a cheap scale.
That's seven long years against my will.
My mind is to marry and I mean to fulfill,
I wish that tomorrow was Sunday.
4. "My shawl and my gown lies under the press.
My love will be here before I can dress
With a bunch of blue ribbons tied round my waist
To make me look neat against Sunday.
5. "Saturday night will be all my care
To feeble(?) my locks and to curl my hair,
And two little maidens to wait on me there
To dress me up neat against Sunday.
6. "Saturday night to dance all around
With a bunch of blue ribbons and new fashioned gown,
Invite all the ladies from Barbersville town
To be at my wedding next Sunday."
35. SAID BILLIE TO JIMMIE, TAKE MY FINE SHIRT
Sung by Mrs. M. G. Jacobs and by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 13, 1938. Cf. Sharp, The Two Brothers. Mrs. Jacobs learned this song from William Hagerman of West Virginia. The word "sounder", it was explained, means a hunting horn.
[Said Bil - ly to Jim - my, "Take my fine shirt, Tear
it..from gore_ to gore, And_ bind it up - on my
dead - ly wound." But it still - bled more_and more.]
"Bury my bow and my arrow at my side,
And my sounder at my feet."
36. THE LADY WENT HOME WTH HER HEART FULL OF LOVE
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 13, 1938. Cf. Sharp, The Golden Glove.
1. [The la - dy went home with her heart full of love, And
sent out the news that she had lost her glove, Say - ing,_
"Who will re -turn my glove to me, I vow and declae.............
their bride I will be."]
3(?). Now they are married she tells of the fun,
How she hunted up her farmer with her dog and her gun.
She picks up her basket, goes milking of her cow,
While her brisk young farmer goes whistling to his plow.
37. THE SHIP IT WENT A-SAILING
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 13, 1938. See note to No. 41.
[The ship it went a - sail -ing._It sailed both far and
wide. 'Twas e - nough to break this poor girl's- heart Who had
late - ly been a bride. "A bride! A bride! A
bride!" they cried. She was glo - ri - ous to be hold. Her
hair hung round her shoul - ders Liker love -ly links of gold.]
38. THE SUN HAD SET BEHIND THE HILL
Sung by Mrs. M. G. Jacobs, September 6, 1938. Mrs. Jacobs learned this song from her mother.
1. [The sun had set be - hind the- hill A - cross the drear - y
moor, When tired and lame, a boy there came Up to a farm - er's door.]
2. Saying, "Can you tell if any there be
Who can give to me employ,
To plow, to sow, to reap, to mow,
To be a farmer's boy?"
3. "And if you can't give me employ
There's one favor yet I ask;
And that's to shelter me this night
From this cold, wintry blast.
4. "My father's dead, my mother's left
With her five children small;
And what's the worst to mother is
I'm the eldest of them all."
5. "I'll try the lad," the farmer said,
"No farther let him seek."
"O, yes, dear father!" his daughter cried,
As the tears rolled down her cheek.
6. At length of time the boy grew up
And the old farmer died.
He left the boy the farm that he had,
And his daughter for a bride.
7. The boy that was is a farmer now,
And he often thinks with joy
Of the lucky, lucky day that he passed that way
And became a farmer's boy.
39. THE VERY FIRST TIME I SAW MY LOVE
Sung by Mrs. M. G. Jacobs, September, 1933. Cf. Sharp, The True Lover's Farewell (E). The words of the second verse were sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky on September 9, 1937- See note to No. 12.
1. [The ve - ry first time I saw my- love I was
ve - ry sick in bed; And the on - ly re - quest I
asked of- her Was_ to tie up my head. 0, love it is a
kill- ing thing, Did you ev - er feel the- pain? Did you
ev- er see a man so sick as I For to get well a gain?]
2. I wish my love was a rose so red
And in yon garden grew,
And if I was a gardener
Great care I'd take of you.
There would no month in the year roll 'round
But what I would renew,
I'd garnish you all around and about
With sweet William, thyme and rue.
The words of the two lines "O, love it is a killing thing, Did you ever feel the pain?" occur in Sharp, The true lover's farewell, v. 2, p. 115 (E) but with a different context and tune.
40. THERE WAS A RICH OLD FARMER
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 13, 1938. Cf. Sharp, My Parents Treated Me Tenderly.
1. [There was a rich old far- mer Lived in the
coun- try nigh. He had an on - ly daugh- ter On
whom I cast my eye She was so tall and
slen - der, So de - li cate and so fair _. No o- ther
girl in the coun - try With her I could_ com - pare.]
2. I asked her if it made any difference
If I crossed over the plains.
She said it made no difference
If I'd come back again.
She promised she'd be true to me
Until death's parting time,
So we kissed, shook hands and parted,
And I left my girl behind.
3. Straightway to old Missouri,
To Pikesville I did go.
Where work and money was plentiful
And the girls all treated me kind;
But the girl I left behind me
Was always on my mind.
4. One day while I was walking
Down by the public square,
The mail boat had arrived
And the postman met me there.
He handed me a letter
Which gave me to understand
That the girl I left behind me
Was married to another man.
5. I advanced a few steps forward,
Full knowing these words to be true.
My mind being bent on rambling,
I didn't know what to do.
My mind being bent on rambling,
This wide world to see o'er,
I left my dear old parents
Perhaps to see no more.
41. THERE WAS A ROMISH LADY
'Sung By Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 13, 1938. The second verse was supplied by Maud Jacobs. Note the similarity of the first phrase to that of No. 37.
1. [There was a Rom- ish La - dy Brought up in po pe - ry. Her
mo - ther of - ten told- her The priest she must o bey. "But
par - don me, dear mo- ther, I_ on - ly pray thee now, For
un to these false i - dols I can no Ion - get bow."]
2. Take back your golden image
O, take it from my sight
And bring me back my Bible
In which I take delight.
42. TOMORROW MORN I'M SWEET SIXTEEN
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 13, 1938. Cf. Sharp, Billy Grimes. The title given by Sharp is also used by the Jacobses. The range of two octaves in this song is noteworthy, as is the horn-like refrain. Both words and melody are very sophisticated for a folksong.
1. [To - mor - row morn I'm sweet six - teen And
Bill - ie Grimes the dro - ver Has popped the ques - tion
to me, ma, And asked to be my lo - ver. O, yes!
To - mor - row morn, he says, my ma, He's
com - ing here quite ear - ly To take a plea - sant
walk with me A - cross the fields of bar - ley.
O, yes! Ho ho, ho ho ho, ho ho! O_ yes!]
2. "Now hold your tongue, my daughter dear,
There is no use in talking!
You shall not go across the fields
With Billie Grimes a-walking.
To think of his presumption, too,
That dirty, ugly drover!
I wonder where your pride has gone,
To think of such a lover!"
O, no, etc.
3. "Old Grimes is dead, you know, my ma,
And Billie is so lonely.
Beside they say, to Grimes' estate
That Billie is the only
Surviving heir to all that's left,
And that, they say, is nearly
A cool ten-thousand dollars, ma,
About six hundred yearly."
0, yes, etc.
4. "My daughter dear, I did not hear
Your last remark quite clearly.
Though Billie is a clever lad
No doubt he loves you dearly.
Remember then, tomorrow morn
To be up bright and early,
To take a pleasant walk with him
Across the fields of barley."
0, yes, etc.
43. 'TWAS A DREAM, 'TWAS A DREAM
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 13, 1938. Mrs. Jacobs learned this song from William Hagerman of West Virginia.
1. ["'Twas a dream, 'twas a dream, 'twas a dream, my dear
child, For your ach - ing head makes your fan - cies wild." "0,
if it was a dream I don't see how it could be_,
For my dreams can - not come and talk - with me."]
2. "O, father, come and stay in the room with me
And three beautiful little angels you will see."
They hovered around her little bed.
Each lay a hand on the aching head.
3. And the tears from their eyelids fell like pearl
And they wiped them away with each lovely curl.
4. . .... . "How lonely we must be,
Since we're left all alone, just you and me."
44. 'TWAS AUTUMN AND THE LEAVES WERE AROUND ME DESCENDING
Sung by Mrs. M. G. Jacobs, September 6, 1938. Mrs. Jacobs learned this song from her great uncle, Jack Scott, of Carter County, Kentucky.
'Twas au - tumn and the leaves were a - round me des - cend-ing. The
din of their arms soun-ded dis- mal to hear.
I thought it had bro - ken my heart strings a . sun - der, I
I thought I would see my San - dy no more.
For San- dy my love was en-gaged in the ac- tion. With-out him I va -lue this.
world not a frac-tion. My shep-herd was saved and my coun- try de -
fend - ed By free - dom's brave sons on the banks of Chan - plain.]
45. 'TWAS ON A COLD AND WINTER DAY
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 15, 1938. Cf. Sharp, Sir Hugh. The A flats were sung a trifle high. Mrs. Jacobs learned this song from William Hagerman of West Virginia.
[Twas on a cold and win- ter- day, .......
2. They knocked it high, and they knocked it dry,
And they knocked it 'gainst the Jew's castle wall.
"Go in, go in, my little boy Hugh,
Go in and get your ball."
3. "I mustn't go in, I dassent go in,
My school bell doth me call;
And if my master knew of this
He would surely make my blood fall."
4. Out stepped the Jew's daughter
With apples in her hand.
"Come in, come in, my little boy Hugh,
I will give you one or two."
5. She took him by his little white hand
And led him through the hall.
She led him into a stone wall
Where no one could hear him call.
6. She pierced him with a little penknife
Which was sharp and keen.
7. She wrapped him in a sheet of lead,
One fold or two,
And threw him into a draw well
Which was so cold and deep.
8. The day had fled and night came on;
The children had all gone home,
And every mother had her son,
But little Hugh's mother had none.
9. She broke her a switch all off of a birch
And through the streets she ran.
She ran till she came to the Jew's gate
And the Jews were all asleep.
10. She ran till she came to the draw well
Which was both cold and deep,
Saying, "If you are here, my little boy Hugh,
Speak one word to your mother dear."
11. "0, here I am dear mother!" he cried,
And here I've lain so long,
With a little penknife pierced to my heart,
And the blood is still running strong.
12. "O, take me out of this draw well
And make me a coffin of birch.
O, take me out of this draw-well
And bury me in yonders church."
46. YOU MAY CLIMB A CHESTNUT TREE
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 13, 1938. Mrs. Jacobs supplied the fragment from the last line of the song purely in the interest of making the record as complete and accurate as possible. It would have been decidedly out of character for her to have sung this line except for some such reason.
1. [You may climb a chest - nut tree and I will climb a pine.
You may sing of your true love and I will sing of mine. We will
drink and be mer - ry as oc - cas - ion it suits me. Now
I can live with - out her; if she's gone, fare - well she.]
2. Adieu to fair weather, welcome in white frost.
It never will be said that I mourn for the lost
(Two lines and some other verses missing)
. . God damn her, let her go. (Last line supplied by Mrs. M. G. Jacobs)
47. YOUNG JOHNNY HE HAS LANDED
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, September 9, 1937. Cf. Sharp, The Green Bed. The order of the verses is that given by the singer. The story would go better if the fragment labelled 4 were interchanged with 3.
1. [Young John - ny he has land - ed, He's late- ly come a - shore. He's
came to the place Where he's oft - en been be - fore. "0,
what's the news, Young John - ny?" "O, ve - ry bad," sad he. "'I've
lost my ship and car - go Up - on the rags- ing sea."]
2. "Go bring your daughter Polly
And set her down by me.
We'll drown all melancholy
And married we will be."
"My daughter Polly's absent
And won't be home today,
And if she were here
She would not let you stay."
3. He looked upon the young
And he looked upon the old
And out in each hand
He drew a purse of gold.
4. Pretty Polly upstairs,
Hearing all of this,
Came tripping down with
With a sweet, smiling face.
Saying, "Welcome home, Young Johnny,
Welcome home from sea!
My green beds are empty
And waiting for thee."
5. "Before I'd lay in your beds
I would lay out in the street,
For when I had no money
My lodgings was to seek.
And now I'll go to the grocery
And make the dollars whirl,
Buy a bottle of good brandy
And chat some pretty girl."
48. WELL MET, WELL MET, MY OLD TRUE LOVE
Sung by Mrs. M. G. Jacobs, September, 1933, and again, September 6, 1938. Cf. Sharp, The Daemon Lover. Mrs. Jacobs learned this song from her mother.
1. ["Well met, well met,- my- old true love. Well - met, well_ met,"- said he.
"I have just re - turned from the salt, salt sea; and 'twas
all for the sake__of thee, and 'twas all for the sake_ of thee.]
2. "I once could have married a king's daughter fair,
And she would have married me.
But I refused that rich crown of gold,
And it's all for the sake of thee."
3. "If you could have married a king's daughter fair
I'm sure you're much to blame,
For I am married to a house carpenter,
And I think he's a fine young man."
4. "If you'll forsake your house carpenter
And go along with me,
I will take you where the grass grows green,
On the banks of the Sweet Willee
On the banks of the Sweet Liberty.
5. "If I forsake my house carpenter
And go along with thee,
What have you got for my support,
And to keep me from slavery?"
6. "I have six ships sailing on the sea,
The seventh one at land,
And if you'll come and go with me
They shall be at your command."
7. She took her babe into her arms
And gave it kisses three,
Saying, "Stay at home, my pretty little babe
For to keep your father company."
8. She dressed herself in rich array
To exceed all others in the town,
And as she walked the streets around
She shone like a glittering crown.
9. They had not been on board more than two weeks,
I'm sure it was not three,
Until she began to weep
And she wept most bitterly.
10. "Are you weeping for your houses and your land,
Or are you weeping for your store,
Or are you weeping for your house carpenter
You never shall see any more?"
11. "I'm not weeping for my houses nor my land,
Nor I'm not weeping for my store,
But I'm weeping for my pretty little babe
I never shall see any more."
12. They had not been on board more than three weeks,
It was not four I'm sure,
Until at length the ship sprung a leak,
And she sank to arise no more.
13. "A curse, a curse to all sea men!
A curse to a sailor's life!
For they have robbed me of my house carpenter
And taken away my life."
49. WHOSE CORPSE IS THAT A-COMING THIS WAY?
Sung by Mrs. M. G. Jacobs, September 6, 1938. Cf. Sharp, Giles Collins.
1. [Whose corpse is that a - com-ing this way? Whose
cof- fin is that so fine ? I do be - lieve it's young
Col- lins - es corpse, That old sweet - heart of mine.]
They sent the news to London town
And printed on London's gate.
There six fair ladies died all in one night,
All for young Collins' sake.
II. DANCE AND GAME SONGS
50. GOIN' UP CRIPPLE CREEK
Sung by Mrs. M. G. Jacobs, September, 1932. Cf. Sharp, Cripple Creek; Gone to Cripple Creek.
1. [Go - in' up Crip. pie Creek, go . in' in a whirl.
I'll go to Crip -ple Creek to see my girl. I'll roll my bree - ches
to rny knees and I'll go to Crip- pie Creek when I please.]
2. Goin' up Cripple Creek, goin' in a run,
Goin' up Cripple Creek to see my fun!
51. KING WILLIAM WAS KING JAMES'S SON
Sung by Mrs. M. G. Jacobs, September, 1933. Cf. Sharp, Charlie's Sweet (D). Mrs. Jacobs described the opposition of her people's sect, The Christian Church, to dancing, and told of this song's being used as a substitute at parties. Her mother had been present at such a party when a young couple who had been forbidden to marry were the ones to kneel on the carpet. "You could just see the love in their eyes", she had
said. "But it wasn't no use, for her father married her to a nigger-holder."
1. [King Wil-liam was King James's son. From the roy - al race he sprung.
On his breast he wore a star To show that he was a prince of war. 0,
choose from the east and choose from the west. Choose the one that you love best.
an- oth- er with all your heart. If you can- not act your part
Then choose the next (another) with all your heart.]
2. Down on this carpet you shall kneel
Sure as the grass grows in the field
Look at your bride and kiss her sweet
Rising upon your feet.
52. O, PRETTY GIRLS, WON'T YOU LIST AND COME?
Sung by Mrs. M. G. Jacobs and Pearl Jacobs Borusky, September, 1933. The inclusion of this among the dance and game songs may be erroneous, but it appears to fit nowhere else.
1. [O, pret - ty girls, won't you list and come?
0, pret - ty girls,_won't you list and come? 0, pret - ty girls,- won't you
list and come? And fol - low the mu - sic of the fife and drum?]
2. The drum shall beat and the fife shall play,
The drum shall beat and the fife shall play,
The drum shall beat and the fife shall play,
And merrily on we'll march away.
3. Over the hill and a great way off,
Over the hill and a great way off,
Over the hill and a great way off,
O, don't you hear that Indian cough?
53. SALLY-IN-THE-GARDEN
Sung by Mrs. M. G. Jacobs, July 13, 1938. Cf. Sharp, Hog-eyed man. When I asked Mrs. Jacobs whether she knew Hog-eyed man, she fairly rocked with amusement. She hadn't thought of it for years. Nevertheless, she recalled both words and tune instantly. She had never seen the dancing for which the music is intended, for, she said, "You know, I've never been to a dance in my life." Her uncle was a fiddler and used to play and sing this song. The whistling was not an essential part of the performance, but merely a way of communicating to me the wordless part of the tune. I suggested Sharp's words: "What are you going to do with your Hog-eye, Hog-eye," etc. but she said that they were unfamiliar to her. There is a rural community in Arkansas named Hogeye.
[Sal ly in the gar- den, sifting, sift - ing, Sally in the gar - den,
Sal-ly in the gar - den, sift- ing, sift - ing, Sal - ly in the gar - den,
sift - ing sand. Sal- ly in the gar -den, sift - ing,. sift - ing,
Whistled....................
Sue's up stairs with the Hog-eyed man.
III. SONGS FOR CHILDREN
54. AS I CAME OVER YONDERS HILL
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 13, 1938. Madison Green Jacobs used to sing a good deal in his youth and middle age. When the youngest son, Paul was a baby, this was his favorite lullaby. He would often ask his father to "Sing Turkey." When I knew Mr. Jacobs he was already an old man, very hard of hearing, and unable to sing any more.
1. [As I came o - ver yon - ders hill I spied an aw- ful
tur - key. He flapped his wings and he spread his tail, And his
feet looked aw - ful dir - ty. La, la, la, la, la etc.
55. MY OLD HEN'S A GOOD OLD HEN
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, July 13, 1938. This was another of Madison Green Jacobs' songs. See the note to No. 54 and 15.
[My old hen's a good old hen. She lays eggs for the sec- tion men.
Some-times one, some-times two, some- times e - nough for the whole damn crew.
Cluck, old hen! Cluck, I tell you! Cluck, old hen, or I'm a- goin' to sell you.
Cluck, old hen! Cluck, I say! Cluck, old hen, or I'll give you a - way.]
56. WHAT WILL I DO WITH THE BABY-OH?
Sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky, September 9, 1937. Cf. Sharp, What'll we do with the baby. This song had been sung on a previous visit, but was not recorded until the date given. See note to No. 12.
1. [What will I do with the ba - by, oh?
What will I do with the ba - by . o? What will I do with the
ba - by - oh? when I go down to Jel - li - coe?]
2. Wrap him up in calico
And take him to his daddy-oh!