Lady Margaret- Boone (NL) 1929 Karpeles B
[My title, replacing the generic Child title. Two versions (of B) from Folk Songs from Newfoundland (piano score and standard unedited text); Karpeles; 1934. Version B is sung by Mrs. Emma Boone and Version C by her song John McCabe. McCabe's text is given when it changes from his mother. Version D is sung by Zeala McCabe, who is likely John's daughter.
In the edition with Ralph Vaughan Williams (with piano score) the text differs slightly- there are several refashioned stanzas, 14 stanzas total. The additional stanza 15 that I've added is from her book.
R. Matteson 2015]
[Lady Margaret] Sweet William's Ghost- Sung by Mrs. Emma Boone at North River, Conception Bay, October 15, 1929. Text edited and changed by Karpeles for piano-score edition.
1) Lady Margaret was sitting in her lonely bower,
A-builded of lime and stone."
Lady Margaret was sitting in her lonely bower
And she heard of a dismal moan.
2) O is it my father, the king? she cries,
Or is it my brother John?
Or is it my true love, Knight William? she cries,
From Scotland he has come.
3) It's not your father, the king, he cries,
Nor yet your brother John,
But it is your true love, Knight William, he cries,
From Scotland he has come.
4) Do you bring to me any apparel, she said,
Do you bring to me a ring,
Do you bring to me any token at all
That a true love ought to bring?
5) I've brought to you no case of gold,
I've brought to you no ring,
I've brought to you a white holland sheet
That my poor body lies in.
6) There's one request I'll ask of thee,
I hope you will grant it to me.
That is my faith and a troth, he said,
I left in pledge with thee.
7) Your faith and a troth I'll not bring to you,
Nor any such a thing,
Until you take me to yonder church
And wed me with a ring.
8) O God forbid, Lady Margaret, he said,
That ever that should be,
That the dead should arise and marry the quick
And vanish away from thee.
9) O she took hold of his white holland sheet,
And tied it around her tight,
And it's over the hills of a cold winter's night
In a dead man's company.
10) They walked till they came to the old church yard
Where the graves were mossy green.
There is my home, Lady Margaret, he said,
And the place I do dwell in.
11) Is there any room at your head, she cried,
Or any at your feet,
Or any at your right-hand side
Where I can lie and sleep?
12) My father's at my head, he cried,
My mother's at my feet,
And there's three hell-hounds at my right side
That torment me from my sleep. [1]
13) And one is for my drunkenness,
The other for my pride,
And the other's for deluding a fair pretty maid
And staying out late by night.
14) She took her hand all from her side
And struck him all on the breast;
Here is my faith and a troth, Knight William,
God grant your soul to rest.
15) I thank you, Lady Margaret, he said,
I thank thee kinderly,
If ever the dead is allowed to pray for the quick,
I must be allowed to pray for thee.
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1. This is the standard verse usually sung in Newfoundland. Karpeles notes: This stanza accords with the usual printed versions of the ballad. In Newfoundland the following words were sung, and, if desired, either the first, or both, of the stanzas may be substituted for that given in the text.
12) There is no room at my head, he cried,
Nor any at my feet,
There is no room at my right-hand side
For a lady to lie and sleep.
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[Lady Margaret] Sweet William's Ghost- Sung by Mrs. Emma Boone. Text from the Folk Songs from Newfoundland. Same as Bronson 9.
Lady Margaret was sitting in her lonely bower,
Builded with lime and stone,
Lady Margaret was sitting in her lonely bower,
And she heard of a dismal moan.
Is this my father the king? she cries,
Or is it my brother John?
Or is it my true love, Knight William? she cries,
From Scotland he has come.
It's not your father the king, he cries,
Nor yet your brother John.
But it is your true love, Knight William, he cries,
From Scotland he has come.
Do you bring to me any apparel, she said,
Or do you bring to me a ring,
Or do you bring to me any token at all
That a true love ought to bring?
I brought to you no apparel, he said,
I've brought to you no ring,
All I brought to you is my cold winding-sheet
That my poor body lies in.
There's one requestion I'll ask of thee,
I hope you will grant to me,
That is my faith and a troth, he said,
Lady Margaret, I'll leave in pledge with thee.
Your faith and a troth, I'll not bring to you,
Or any such a thing,
Until you'll take me to yonder church
And wed me with a ring.
O God forbid, Lady Margaret, he said,
That ever that should be
That the dead should arise and marry the quick
And vanish away from thee.
She took her petticoats in her hands
And they above her knees,
And it's over the hills of a cold winter's night
In a dead man's company,
Until they came to the mossy green bank
Where the graves been grassy green.
There's my home, Lady Margaret, he said,
And the place I do dwell in.
Have you any room at your bed's head,
Or any at your feet,
Or have you any room at all
That I lay down to sleep?
My father he's at my bed's head,
And my mother is at my feet,
And there's three hell hounds all around me
Waiting my poor soul to keep.
One of them's for my drunkenness,
And the other's for my pride,
And the other is for deluding a fair pretty maid
And staying out late by night.
She took her hand all from her side
And struck him all on the breast.
Here is my faith and a troth, Knight William,
God grant your soul to rest.
I thank you, Lady Margaret, he said,
I thank thee kinderly,
If ever the dead is allowed to pray for the quick,
I must be allowed to pray for thee.