FOLKWAYS RECORDS Album No. FA 2302
©1961 Folkways Records & Service Corp., 43 W. 61st 81., N. Y. C., USA
CHILD BALLADS IN AMERICA,
Volume 2
sung by Jean Ritchie
Notes by Kennee: S. Goldstein
[Jean "learned" this from Uncle Jason, who was a lawyer and an educated man. This version is actually Sharp's C version collected from cousin Sabrina Ritchie in 1917. Sabrina learned it from uncle Jason. It's interesting to compare the two texts and see some of the differences. Clearly Sharp didn't understand all the words. See interview below for more information.
Both Jean and her father and her Uncle Jason had access to books and collected materials from other sources. Jean went to England in 1952 on a Fulbright Scholarship. Some attributions to Uncle Jason are suspect and seem to be Jean's arrangements. Here's more information:
Sowing Seeds of Love for Traditional Music: An interview with Jean Ritchie
Jean Ritchie: Well, Cecil Sharp came to the Hindman Settlement School. Hindman is the county seat of Knott County [Kentucky], which is where my father was born and raised. His grandfather gave the land for the school and encouraged education. In 1917 or 1918 it was very rough around there. They didn't have cars or anything. You had to go by mule and wagon, and if the wagon wouldn't go, you went by mule or you walked. They carried their equipment, and it was quite hard to get around. So, he told all the children around to tell all their parents and the old people that they were there, and that they'd love to hear any songs that the families had. People came out in droves, because they wanted to see this queer man from England, and this funny woman that was with him that made sort of squiggles on the paper.
My sister Una and her cousin Sabrina were there, and they were best friends. Sabrina was Dad's first cousin's daughter. We called him "Uncle" even though he wasn't really our uncle, but he was Uncle Jason Ritchie. So Unie and Sabrina sang for Cecil Sharp because they knew some songs. Then the weekend came and they wanted to sing "Fair Nottamun Town," but they couldn't think of the words. Cecil Sharp got all excited and said, "You must get this!" The other one that he was crazy about was "The Farmer's Cursed Wife," because our family's version has a whistle in it. Sharp had heard that it used to be sung in England with a whistle, but it wasn't anymore, so he was very excited to find it still having the whistle here. So, Unie went home with Sabrina for the weekend, and they got Uncle Jason to sing for them. They learned the songs, and then they came back and sang those two songs. And they sang others too, like "Barbry Ellen," and things that he had coming out of his ears. But he loved these two, "Nottamun Town" and "The Farmer's Cursed Wife," or "The Little Devils," as we call it. And that was their contribution. That's what got printed in Sharp's book when it came out.
SIDE III, Band 2: LITTLE DEVIL'S (Child #278)
Child summarizes this humorous ballad (titled by him ''The Farmer's Curst Wife") as follows: "The Devil comes for a farmer's wife and is made welcome to her by the husband. The woman proves to be no more controllable in Hell than she had been at home; she kicks the imps about, and even brains a set of them with her pattens or a maul. For safety's sake, the devil is constrained to take her back to her husband." Child published only two texts of this ballad, but in the numerous variants collected since his time in England and America, the ballad tale has remained exceedingly stable, a comment perhaps on its basic charm and meaning to the folk who have aided its persistance in tradition. It is probable that in an unreported earlier form of the ballad the farmer made a pact vith the devil in order to secure help to plov his fields. In return the devil vas to receive the soul of some member of the family. This would explain the vording in stanza two, in which the devil indicates that he is ready to receive a member of the family "now". Many variants collected in recent years in England and America end vith a humorous philosophic Commentary on one of womankind 's most unique virtues. Most versions contain jungling nonsense refrains, or on occasion as in Jean's version a whistled refrain. Jean's version was learned from her uncle Jason.
SIDE I, Band 2: LITTLE DEVILS
(Child #278)
There was an old man, he lived near hell,
(Whistle)
He had a little farm and upon it did dwell,
Sing hi oh rattle ding day.
Oh the devil come to him one day at his plough,
There's one in your family I have to have now.
Oh its neither your son nor your daughter I crave,
It's your old scoldin' wife and It's her I must have.
So he hobbest her up all on his back,
And like a bold pedlar went a-packin' his pack.
As they drew near the high gates of hell,
Said, rake back the coals, boys, and we'll roast her well.
Oh two little devils come a-rattlin' their chains,
She hauled back her cudgel and knocked out their brains.
Two more little devils peeped over the door,
She hauled back her cudgel killed ninety-nine more.
Two more little devils peeped over the wall,
Said, take her back daddy or she'll kill us all.
So he hobbest her up all on his back,
And like a bold pedlar went a-packin' her back.
Here's your old scoldin' wife and it's her I won't have,
She ain't fit for Heaven, she shan't stay in Hell
Oh it's seven years goin' and seven a-comin' back,
She called for the 'baccer she left in the crack.
Oh the women they are so much better than men,
When they go to hell they get sent back again.