Little Matty Groves- Harmon (NC) pre1929 Henry A
[From: Folk Songs from the Southern Highlands- Mellinger E. Henry and from Ballads and Songs of the Southern Highlands- Mellinger E. Henry; The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 42, No. 165 (Jul. - Sep., 1929), pp. 254-300. Henry's notes follow. Henry mentions that Sam's version comes from his grandfather (I assume it's Council Harmon). Old Counce's did not come from England, if fact the Harmon line many generations earlier came from Germany. Couce's mother was a Hicks (Sabra) and that side did come from England - although many generations removed.
My footnotes. Not many mountaineers knew what "arrrayed in white" meant or "clad in pall." This ballad was collected in Tennessee from "Uncle" Sam Harmon who learned it in NC. The Harmon family is well-known in NC as tradition bearers for ballads and Jack-tales (Hicks/Harmon family). Cf. Sharp B, Jane Hicks Genrty's version.
R. Matteson 2012, 2015]
LITTLE MUSGRAVE AND LADY BARNARD (Child, No. 81) For American texts, see Barry-Eckstorm-Smyth, p. 150; Brown, p. 9; Campbell and Sharp, No. 20; Cox, No. 15; Davis, No. 23; Mackenzie, Quest, pp. 14, 88; Mackenzie, Ballads, No. 8; Pound, Ballads, No. 15; Shearin, p. 3; Shearin and Combs, p. 8; Reed Smith, No. 7; Reed Smith, Ballads, No. 7; Wyman and Brockway, Songs, pp. 22, 62; Journal, XXIII, 371 (Mackenzie); XXV, 182 (Mackenzie); XXX, 309 (Kittredge);XLII, 265 (Henry, the same text). Mrs. Helen Hartness Flanders, Bulletin of the Folk-Song Society of the Northeast, No. 3, p. 6; another version by the same in the Springfield (Mass.) Sunday Union and Republican, July 26, 1931, p. 3 E (reviewed in Bulletin of the Folk-Song Society of the Northeast, No. 3, p. 21); also Bulletin, No. 4, p. 12; Fuson, p. 52. In regard to B Mrs. Eckstorm writes that "this Musgrave text is one of the noteworthy texts. I should call it one of the four most important ones ever found in this country."
6. LITTLE MUSGRAVE AND LADY BARNARD Child, No. 81.
"Little Matty Groves." Recorded by Mrs. Henry from the singing of "Uncle" Sam Harmon Cade's Cove, TN in August, 1928. Harmon learned it from the same source as No. 5. He learned it from his grandfather in Watauga County, North Carolina, who had learned it in England before emigrating to North Carolina. "Uncle" Sam gives the assurance that he "can sing all night and nary repeat." Eight variants of this ballad are given by Campbell and Sharp, No. 20. Version B bears some resemblance to the following text. The former is reprinted by Pound, No. 15. See Reed Smith, No. 7; Cox, No. 15.; Kittredge, Journal XXX, 309; Mackenzie The Quest of the Ballad, 14.
1. First come down was a raving white;[1]
Next come down was a pilot;[2]
Next come down was 'igh Donald's wife,
And she was the fairest of all, all,
She was the fairest of all.
2. Little Matty Groves was standing by;
On him she cast her eye:
"You are the darling of my heart
And the beauty of my eye, eye,
And the beauty of my eye."
3. Little Matty Groves was standing by;
He caught her in his arms.
Little foot-spade was standing by
And he tuk to his heels and he run, run,
And he tuk to his heels and he run.
4. He run till he come to the broken-down bridge.
And he bent to his breast and he swum;
And he swum till he come to the high dry land;
And he buckled up his shoes and he run, run,
And he buckled up his shoes and he run.
5. And he run till he come to 'igh Donald's gate;
And he dingle at the ring and it rung.
"What news, what news," 'igh Donald, he says,
"What news you brung to me, me,
What news you brung to me?"
6. "No news, no news," little foot-spade said,[3]
"Only little Matty Groves in the bed with you gaily dee."[4]
"That's a lie," 'igh Donald said, "a lie, I take it to be.
And if there air green tree in all of these wood.
A hang man you will be, be,
A hang man you will be."
7. He placed his men all in a row --
Not a horn or a bugle for to blow.
There was one man all in that row
That knowed little Matty Groves well, well,
That knowed little Matty Groves well.
8. He wound his horn unto his mouth
And blowed both loud and shrill.
"What's that, what's that," little Matty Groves says,
"That blows so loud and shrill, shrill,
That blows so loud and shrill?"
9. "Lie down, lie down," 'igh Donald's wife says,
"And keep the cold from me.
It's nothing but my father's little shepherd boy
Driving his sheep from the fold, fold,
Driving his sheep from the fold."
10. "How do you like my curtains ?" he says,
"And how do you like my sheet?
And how do you like my gaily dee,
That's in your arms asleep, sleep,
That's in your arms asleep?"
11. "Very well I like your curtains," he says,
"And very well I like your sheet;
Much better do I like your gaily dee,
That's in my arms asleep, sleep,
That 's in my arms asleep."
12. "Rise up, rise up," 'igh Donald, he says,
"Some clothing to put on.
It never shall be said in old England
That I slew you, a naked man, man,
That I slew you, a naked man."
13. "How can I rise," little Matty Groves says,
"How can I rise for my life?
And you have two good swords
And I not as much as a knife, knife,
And I not as much as a knife."
14. "I know I have two good swords;
They cost me deep in the purse.
You may have the very best one
And I will take the worst, worst,
And I will take the worst."
15. "You may have the very first lick
And strike it like a man
And I will take the very next lick
And I'll kill you if I can, can,
And I'll kill you if I can."
16. The very first lick little Matty Groves struck,
He struck him on the head.
The very next lick 'igh Donald struck,
He killed little Matty Groves dead, dead,
He killed little Matty Groves dead.
17. He tuk his wife by the hand
And pulled her down on his knee.
"How do you like my ruby lips,
How do you like my chin, chin,
How do you like my chin?"
18. "Well do I like your ruby lips,
Well do I like your chin;
Much better do I like little Matty Groves
Than you and all your kin, kin,
Than you and all your kin."
Footnotes:
1. arrayed in white
2. was a-clad in pall [See Child A or Jean Ritchie's version]
3. foot-page
4. gay lady