Lord Arnold's Wife- Payne (VA) 1914 Davis E
[From: Davis; Traditional Ballads of Virginia; 1929. His notes follow.
R. Matteson 2015]
LITTLE MUSGRAVE AND LADY BARNARD
(Child, No. 81)
THE seven variants found in Virginia have the titles, "Lord Arnold's Wife," "Lord Daniel's Wife," "Lord Vanner's Wife," "Lord Darnold," "Little Matthew Groves," and "Little Mosie Grove and Lord Burnett's wife." A general concurrence with Child A is to be noted, but the divergences are many. In the Virginia texts, the lady is more definitely the aggressor; the stanza in which Little Matthew recognizes her as Lord Barnard's wife by her rings (found in Child D, E, F, H, J, K, and L, but not in A) is included, while the stanzas in which the two lovers profess their past affection are excluded; except in Virginia A, no regret is expressed by Lord Barnett for either of his killings; except in Virginia B where the lady is shot, she dies by stroke of sword, not by the barbarity of Child A; Lord Barnett's instructions for the lovers' burial are omitted; repetition is frequent in the Virginia texts.
The story told by the Virginia texts is this: on a certain holiday Little Matthew (Mathy, Marthy, Mosie) Grove (Groves) goes to church and there sees Lord Barnett's (Burnett's, Daniel's, Arnold's, Darnold's) wife, who makes advances and invites him to lie with her that night. He at first refuses, as he sees by her ring that she is Lord Barnett's wife, but is reassured when she informs him that her husband is away. A little foot-page hears the assignation, and runs off to inform Lord Barnett, who returns and surprises the lovers in bed. He generously offers his best sword to Little Matthew and kills him in fair fight. In A, he regrets his rash act. When he finds that his lady loves little Matthew more than she loves him (B, D, and E), he kills her also.
For American texts, see Brown, p.9 (North Carolina); Bulletin, Nos. 3, 6, 7, 9, 11; Campbell and Sharp, No. 20 (North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky) Cox, No. 15; Journal, XXIII, 371 (Mackenzie, Nova Scotia); XXV, 192 (Mackenzie, Nova Scotia); XXX,309 (Kittredge, Kentucky, three texts and two melodies, Missouri, text and melody); Mackenzie, pp. 14, 88 (fragment); Mackenzie , Ballads No. 8; Pound, Ballads, No. 15; Shearin, p. 3; Shearin and Combs, p. 8, Reed Smith, No.7; Reed Smith, Ballads, No. 2; Wyman and Brockway, songs, pp. 22, 62. For additional references, see Journal, XXXI 309.
E. "Lord Arnold's Wife." Collected by Miss Juliet Fauntleroy. Sung by Charles Henry Payne (Colored), near Altavista, Va. Campbell County. June 6, 1914. Miss Fauntleroy writes: "I copied this down myself from the singing of the old Colored man, with the repetitions, etc., just as he gave them, and it is as nearly accurate as I can make it. This is the same old man from whom John Adams got the copy I sent you before. . . From something the old man said I think he meant George's in the second verse, and not gorgeous; alluding probably to one of the former King Georges of England."
1 Lord Arnold's wife she went to church
The first day in the year;
She cast her eyes all round the room
To see who would go with her home,
To see who would go with her home.
2 Little Marthy Grove was standing aside,
She said, "Come and go with me home;
Lord Arnold is gone to the King's white house,
George's (gorgeous?) white horses to see,
George's (gorgeous?) white horses to see."
3 A little foot-page was standing aside,
He took to his heels and he ran;
He ran and he ran to the water side,
He vented his breath and he swam,
He vented his breath and he swam.
4 He swam and he swam to the other side,
He took to his heels and he ran,
He ran, he ran to Lord Arnold's house,
What news, what news- do you bring,
What news, what news do you bring."
5 "Bad news, bad news, I bring to you,
Bad news, bad news I bring to you."
"If 't is the truth you are telling me,
As probably it may be,
As probably it may be.
6 "But if it is a lie you are telling me.
Your neck it shall be hung,"
To the tallest tree is on the roadside,
Your neck it shall be hung,
your neck it shall be hung."
7 "Oh hush, oh hush, little Marthy Grove,
I think I heard Lord Arnold's horn,
I think I heard Lord Arnold's horn,
It rings so loud and clear,
It rings so loud and clear.
8 "Oh hark, oh hark, little Marthy Grove,
You keep my back so warm."
"It's nothing but my father's horn,
Blowing sheeps under the globe (glebe?),
Blowing sheeps under the globe." [1]
9 "Rise you up, little Marthy Grove,
And put you on some clothes;
I won't have it said in the old country
I murdered a naked man,
I murdered a naked man.
10 "You may take the two bright swords
And I will take the dull;
You may take the very first lick,
And I will make the next,
And I will make the next."
11 The very first lick little Marthy made.
He ruined Lord Arnold's song
The very first lick Lord Arnold made,
Little Marthy didn't fight no more
Little Marthy didn't fight no more.
12 "The better I like your pillows and dines (downs?),
The better I like your silk sheet,
The better I like your pretty fair maid,
That lies in my arms asleep,
That lies in my arms asleep."
13 "The better I like your pillows and dines (downs),
The better I like your silk sheet,
The better I like your pretty fair maid,
I like little Marthy the best,
I like little Marthy the best."
14 He raised his sword up above his head
And he cut her all up into twain;
He raised his sword up above his head
And he cut her all up into twain,
And he cut her all up into twain.
1. Probably a phonetic substitute for fold, Cf. A 15, B 17, etc.