Lexington Girl- Mary Riddle (NC) 1925 Henry D
[From Mellinger Henry's "Folk Songs from the Southern Highlands," J.J. Augustin, 1938. This is the copy Henry gave in his 1929 JAFL article "Lexington Girl." His notes follow.
R. Matteson 2016]
64 THE WEXFORD GIRL (THE CRUEL MILLER) See Cox, No. 90 {A "The Tragedy;" B "Johnny McDowell"); Hudson, Journal, XXXIX, 125 {A and B "The Oxford Girl;" C "The Expert Girl;" D "The Shreveport Girl"); Belden, Journal, XXV, 11; Henry, Journal, XLII, pp. 247, 290; Mackenzie, Ballads and Sea Songs from Nova Scotia, No. 115; R. W. Gordon, New York Times Magazine, June 19, 1927. Hudson's version is included also in his Specimens of Mississippi Folk-Lore, Ann Arbor, 1928, No. 24. See also Flanders and Brown, p. 88.
D. "The Lexington Girl." Obtained from Miss Mary Riddle, North Fork Road, Black Mountain, North Carolina, 1925.
1. My tender parents brought me up, provided for me well.
It was in the city of Lexington, they placed me in a mill.
It's there I met a pretty fair maid; on her I cast my eye;
I promised her I'd marry her, and she believed a lie[1].
2. I went into her sister's house at nine o'clock at night;
But little did the creature think at her I had a spite.
I asked her to walk a little way, a little way away,
And we would have a little talk and name a wedding day.
3. We walked a long, a lonesome road until we walked through a desert plain[2],
I drew a stake out of the fence and hit her in the face.
She fell upon her bended knees; for mercy loud she cried
And said, "Oh, please don't murder me for I'm unprepared to die."
4. Little attention did I pay unto her dying prayer, but only hit her more
Until I saw the innocent blood which I could not[3] restore;
I ran my fingers through her coal black hair; to cover up my sin
I took her to the river side and there I plunged her in.
5. On my returning home I met my servant, John,
He asked me why I was so pale and yet so onward worn[4].
I snatched the candle out of his hand and went to take my rest,
For I could feel the flames of hell a-burning in my breast.
6. Come, all you people old and young,
And listen to my story:
It's always prove to your lover true
And never let the devil get the upper hand of you.
1. a corruption of "if with me she would lie"
2. desert[ed] place
2. "not" added.
4. from "wan" meaning pale