Little Matthy Groves- Nolan (KY) 1920 Wells
[From Notes Pine Mountain School Notes (Two special issues with full lyrics of mountain ballads collected at Pine Mountain Settlement School were produced in 1935 by Evelyn K. Wells and the staff at Pine Mountain.) Also from The Ballad Tree, Wells- 1950 and in the 1932 BFSSNE, Volume 4.
This is a complete version. This compares closely to Evelyn Case's version form Missouri.
In 1932 Barry published Wells' version in his BFSSNE saying: There are two forms of "Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard" in American tradition, distinguished as the Banner type and the Arnold type (Barry, Eckstorm and Smyth, British Ballads from Maine, pp. 181, ff.) Miss Wells's version is of the Arnold type and clearly very old; its nearest textual relatives are Maine E, F, and Belden A (ibid., pp. 169-70, 172-80), particularly the last, with which it agrees in the interpretation of the alarm-call on the bugle. The melody is an excellent set of what was certainly the original air to the ballad. In stanza 8, formed of the second couplets of two stanzas, with the refrain of each, only the second part of the melody is used, repeated to fit each half-stanza. A version of the Banner type is in Bulletin, FSSNE., 8, pp. 6-8.
Barry also dates the ballad April, 1928, but The Ballad Tree (1950) gives the date as 1920.
R. Matteson 2015]
LITTLE MATTHY GROVE (Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard, 81) - As sung by Willie Nolan ("singing Willie") of Incline, Ky., to E. K. Wells, 1920.
1. Holiday, holiday, on the very first day of the year, year,
On the very first day of the year,
Little Matthy Grove went to the church,
The holy word to hear, hear,
The holy word to hear.
2. The first came in was lily white,
The next came in was a girl[1],
The next came in was Lord Daniel's wife,
The fairest one in the world, world,
The fairest one in the world.
3. She placed her eye on Little Matthy Grove,
And said, Go home with me this night;
Go home with me, this night for to lie,
Go home with me this night, night; (etc.)
4. I can't go home with you this night,
For fear I do lose my life.
For the rings that's on your fingers says
You are Lord Daniel's wife, wife, (etc.)
5. But what if I am Lord Daniel's wife,
Lord Daniel's gone from home;
He has gone to the high king's house
To see his fences, sir, sir, (etc.)
6. There stood that little foot-page,
Hearing every word that they did say:
He says, Lord Daniel shall hear of this,
Before the break of day, day, (etc.)
7. It was fourteen miles to the king's house,
And seven of them he run;
He run till he came to the broad river side,
He bowed to his breast,r,d r*o*,(etc.)
B. He swum till he came to the other side,
He buckled up his shoes and run,
He run till he came to the high king's gate,
He rattled his bell and rung, (etc.)
9. The first came out was Lord Daniel,
Said, What news have you to tell?
Is my old scafel[2] a-burning down,
Or is my tavern *on, (etc.)
10. Your old scafel is not burnt down,
But neither is your tavern won,
Bqllo_utwiie p at home, in the bed,
With Little Matthy Grove Grove,(etc.)
11. He had a trumpet and it would blow,
And every time that it would sound,
It seemed for to say, Rise up and go,
It says, Rise up and go, (etc.)
12. She says, No, no, lie still with me,
And keep me from the cold,
It is nothing but them shepherd boys
A-driving their sheep to the fold,(etc.)
13. They turned then to hugging and kissing,
'Till they returned to sleep,
And when they wakened the next morning,
Lord Daniel was at their bed-feet, etc.
14. Says, How do you like your blanket, Sir,
And how do you like Your sheet?
Or how do you like this fair young miss
That lies in your arms so sweet, etc.
15. Very well I do like my blanket, Sir,
Very well I do like my sheet,
Much better do I tike this fair young miss
That lies in my arms asleep, etc.
16. Get up, get up, put on Your clothes,
And fight me like a man,
I can't have it said in the farest[3] land,
That I slew a naked man, etc.
17. How can I get up, put on my clothes,
And fight You for my life,
For I see you have two very-bright swords,
And me not as much as a knife, etc.
18. Sir, I have two very bright swords,
That cost me deep in purse,
And you can have the very best one,
And I will take the worst, etc.
10. The very first lick Little Matthy stroke,
He wounded him deep and sore,
But the very first lick Lord Daniel stroke,
Little Matthy couldn't fight no more, etc.
20. He took this lady by the hand,
And placed her on his knee,
Says, Which do You love the best,
Littte Matthy Grove or me? etc.
21. Very well I do like your red rosy cheeks,
Much better do I like Your chin,
Much better do I like Little Matthy Grove
Than You or any of your kin, etc.
22. He took this lady by the lily-white hand,
He led her out in the lane,
He drew his sword from his side,
He split her head into twin, etc.
23. O, don't you hear them larkins[4] say,
Don't you hear them sparrows cry,
Today, I have slain two the fairest ones,
And tomorrow I will die, die,
And tomorrow I will die.
1. "pearl" in other versions; girl isn't correct here.
2. scaffold
3. farthest
4 for larks