Little Golden- Obtained through Miss Eddy, from Mrs. Betty Mace, Perrysville, Ohio. c. 1917;
[From: Traditional Texts and Tunes; by Albert H. Tolman and Mary O. Eddy; The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 35, No. 138 (Oct. - Dec., 1922), pp. 335-432. Also in Ballads and Songs from Ohio- Eddy B.
Golden is a variant of Collin (see Child H, May Collin) , Colvin or another of the girl's names that are related to the Irish "cailin" which means girl, girlfriend or lover (Barry 1909).
R. Matteson 2011, 2014]
4. LADY ISABEL AND THE ELF-KNIGHT.
Part I, 156; JAFL xxx, 286; One Hundred English Folksongs, No. II; English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, No. 2 (4 texts, 5 airs); Mackenzie, pp. 93-95. Journal of the Folk-Song Society, ii, 282 (3 airs); Songs of Northern England, 130; English County Songs, 164. Obtained through Miss Eddy, from Mrs. Betty Mace, Perrysville, Ohio.
Little Golden
1. Come listen, come listen, young people all,
A story unto you I will tell,
Of a false-hearted knight and little Golden,
And the truth unto you I will tell, tell, tell,
And the truth unto you I will tell.
2. He went unto her father's house
About nine o'clock at night;
Up bespeaks the parrot,
And unto the Golden did say,
"What is the matter with my little Golden,
That you are up before day, day, day,
That you are up before day?"
3. "Hold your tongue, my pretty parrot,
No tales on me do tell,
And your cage shall be lined with the yellow glittering gold,
And hung on yon willow tree, tree, tree,
And hung on yon willow tree."
4. They took of her father's yellow glittering gold,
Likewise of her mother's fees,
And the two best horses in her father's stable
Wherein stand thirty and three, three, three,
Wherein stand thirty and three.
5. She jumped on the bonny, bonny brown,
And he on the dapplin' gray;
They rode till they came to the sea-beating shore,
Long, long before it was day, day, day.
Long, long before it was day.
6. "Take off, take off that fine silk gown,
And lie it on yonder stone;
For it is too fine and over-costly
To rot in a watery tomb, tomb, tomb,
To rot in a watery tomb."
7. "O turn your head around about,
And gaze at the leaves on yon tree;
Ain't it a pity such a rebel as you
A naked woman should see, see, see,
A naked woman should see?"
8. He turned his head around about,
To gaze at the leaves on yon tree;
So manfully she picked him up,
And plunged him into the sea, sea, sea,
And plunged him into the sea.
9. . . . . . . .
. . . . . .
Saying, " Six king's daughters you have drownded here,
And the seventh has drownded thee, thee, thee,
And the seventh has drownded thee."
10. She jumped on her bonny, bonny brown,
And led home the dapplin' gray,
She rode till she came to her father's stable,
One long hour before it was day, day, day,
One long hour before it was day.
11. Then up bespeaks her father,
And unto the parrot did say,
"What's the matter with my pretty Polly,
That you're plattering so long before day, day, day,
That you're plattering so long before day?"
12. "Two strange (or wild) cats came to my cage door,
And said they would murder me,
And I was calling to little Golden,
To drive these cats off away, 'way, 'way,
To drive these cats off away."