Little Moscrow- Underhill (NB) c.1920 Manny/Wilson
[From: Songs of the Miramichi; Manny and Wilson 1968. Their notes follow. Barry published 3 versions from New Brunswick in BBM, 1929; see Barry D a and Db.
R. Matteson 2015]
The Child Ballad 81, Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard, (also called Lord Arnold, Lord Banner, etc. etc.) appears in Miramichi as Little Moscrow, and the faithless wife is Lady Bantley. The song came from the Old Country with our early settlers. Nick Underhill learned this in the winter of 1920 from "Big John MacDonald a native of Glenwood, who later moved to Grey Rapids and spent the rest of his life there.
Little Moscrow is well-known here, but it was hard for Louise Manny to collect, since our singers considered it unsuitable for a lady's ears. The same sense of propriety proved an insurmountable barrier to getting a recording of the ribald OurGoodman, though this is so popular that dozens of songs made up on the Nor'West river have been set to its tune.
LITTLE MOSCROW- As sung by Nicholas Underhill of Nor'west Bridge about 1962; learned circa 1920.
Four and twenty gay ladies
One night was at the ball;
Lord Bantley's wife, the fairest flower,
The fairest of them all.
She placed an eye on Little Moscrow,
And he did the same on she
Saying, "How much would you give me my sweet little 'crow
One night to spend with me ?"
"One night to spend with thee, lady,
Would cost me a great deal of strife,
But by the ring on your finger small
I fear you're Lord Bantley's wife."
"Lord Bantley's wife, oh no I am;
You I mean to beguile;
For he has to old England gone,
And he won't return for a while."
"What noise is that?" said little Moscrow,
It's sounding very near?
I fear it is Lord Bantley's horn;
It sounds so very clear."
"Turn o'er, turn o'er, my sweet little 'crow
And keep me from the cold;
It is nothing but my father's herd
They're driving the sheep to the fold."
They had scarcely been in bed for an hour or two;
Oh, it was fast asleep,
When into the room lord Bantley crept,
And stood at their bed feet.
Saying, "How do you like my blanket, Sir,
And how do you like my sheet,
And how do you like my false lady
Who lies in your arms so neat?"
"It is well I like your blanket, Sir,
An d better I like your sheet,
And far better I like your gay lady
Who lies in my arms so neat."
"Here is two swords I hold in my hand,
And they cost me very dear;
You take the best and I'll take the worst,
And we'll try each other here."
The very first round which they did fight
He wounded the King full sore,
But the next round that they did have,
Little 'crow he smiled no more.
He took his false lady by the hand,
And he pierced her body through
Saying, "Lie there, lie there, you false lady
It is soon I will follow you."
So they dug a grave both wide and deep,
And they put Lord Bantley in,
And they placed his wife on the sunny side;
The wife of a noble King.