Lord Daniel- Cas Wallin (NC) 1980 Recording
[From Far in the Mountains : Volumes 3 & 4 of Mike Yates' 1979-83 Appalachian Collection. Compare to Madison County singers Sheila Kay Adams, Dillard Chandler and Dellie Chandler Norton. Yates notes follow.
R. Matteson 2014- 2015]
Cas Wallin
Cas Wallin was one of Doug Wallin's uncles. Many of the songs that Cas and Doug sang were similar to those that Sharp collected from the singer Mary Sands, who was, in fact, the half-sister of Cas's father, Thomas Wallin. Cas had farmed for most of his life but was more or less retired when I met him and his wife, Vergie. They lived close-by to Evelyn and Douston Ramsey and I was sorry not to have been able to spend more time with them. At one time Cas led the singing in his local Church of God. Cas can also be heard singing Pretty Saro and Fine Sally on Folkways LP 2309.
28. Lord Daniel (Child 81, Roud 52)
(Sung by Cas Wallin at his home in Sodom Laurel, Madison County, NC. 27.8.80)
Spoken: I'm gonna sing an old-timey song, Lord Daniel. Way back, I've heard it all my life.
First come down was dressed in red.
And the next come a-down was green.
Next come a-down Lord Daniel's wife,
She's as fine as any queen, queen,
Just as fine as any queen.
She stepped up to little Mathie Grove,
'Come home with me tonight.'
'I really know by the ring you wear,
You are Lord Daniel's wife, wife,
You are Lord Daniel's wife.'
'It makes no difference who's wife I am,
For you or no other man.
My husband's away, he's away from home,
He's in some distant land, land,
He's in some distant land.
Little Robert Ford was standing nigh,
He's a-hearing every word was said.
'If I don't die before daylight,
Lord Daniel will hear these words, words,
Lord Daniel will hear these words.'
Spoken: He busied hisself, didn't he?
He had a-fifteen miles to go,
Ten of them he run.
Run 'til he came to the fell-down bridge,
And he fell on his breast and swam, swam,
He fell on his breast and swam.
He run 'til he came to Lord Thomas's hall,
He jingled on the bell.
'What's the matter?' Lord Thomas said.
'What's a-making you ring?'
'There's a man in the bed with your true-love,
There's gonna be some old huggin' done, done,
There's gonna be some old huggin' done.
He got him up a few good men,
And started with a free good will.
Placed his bugle to his mouth,
He blewed it loud and shrill, shrill,
He blewed it loud and shrill.
'Let's get up,' little Mattie Grove said,
'Let's get up, put on our clothes.
I hear your husband a-coming home,
I heard his bugle blow, blow.
I heard his bugle blow.'
'Lie down, lie down, lie down,' she says,
'Lie down, go off to sleep.
Nothing but my father's shepherd,
A-calling for his sheep, sheep,
A-calling for his sheep.'
From that they both fell a-huggin' and a-kissing,
And they both fell off to sleep.
When they awoke at the break of day,
Lord Daniel was at their bed feet, feet,
Lord Daniel was at their bed feet.
'Get up, get up, get up,' he says,
'Get up and put on your clothes.
Never wanted it to be said,
That a naked man I slew, slew,
That a naked man I slew.'
'How can I get up?' he says,
'How can I put on my clothes?
There you stand with two glittering swords
And me not as much as a knife, knife,
And me not as much as a knife.'
'Oh yes I have two glittering swords,
They cost me deep in pearl.
But I'll give to you the best
And I will take the worst, worst,
And I will take the worst.'
'You can have the very first lick
And strike it like a man.
I will take the very next lick,
I'll kill you if I can, can,
I'll kill you if I can.'
Little Mathie Grove struck the very first lick,
He struck an awful blow.
Lord Daniel took the very next lick,
He laid him on the floor, floor,
He laid him on the floor.
He took his little bitty wife on his lap,
And he look-ed straight at her.
Says, 'Which one of the two do you like the best?
Little Mathie Grove or me, me,
Little Mathie Grove or me?
'Very well do I like your red rosy cheeks,
Much better do I like your chin.
But I wouldn't give little Mathie Grove
For you and all your kin, kin,
For you and all your kin.'
He took his little bitty wife by the hall (sic)
He led her through the hall.
He took his sword and he cut off her head,
And he kicked it against the wall, wall,
And he kicked it against the wall.
'Dig my grave in the meadow.
Dig it wide and deep.
Bury little Mathie Grove in my arms,
Lord Daniel at my feet, feet,
Lord Daniel at my feet.'
Notes to this ballad will be found with Little Massie Grove sung by Eunice Yeatts MacAlexander on Volume 1, track 22, of this set.
[notes:] According to Professor Child, who lists fourteen versions of this ballad, there is a 1630 entry for the ballad in the records of the Stationers' Registers. He also mentions that the ballad can be found in several blackletter broadside collections from the middle of the 17th century. Most British versions have the Mattie Groves/Musgrave title, whilst a good number of North American ones use Lord Daniel/Banner.
I wonder if other listeners have noticed the similarities in this story with those in the legends of King Arthur. Arthur, like Lord Daniel, carried two swords ( Excalibur and Caliburnus) and, again like Lord Daniel, discovered his wife Guinevere to be having an affair, in this case with Lancelot. Arthur did not, of course, kill Lancelot, but did, nevertheless, send other knights to kill him in what is now France. I am sure that this is coincidence... well, almost sure!
While still quite popular with American singers (Cas Wallin sings his version - titled Lord Daniel - on Volume 3, track 29, of this set, and Dillard Chandler, one of Cas Wallin's neighbours, sings his version of the ballad on Folkways LP 2309), this is one of the ballads that has all but disappeared from the British tradition - although the late Jeannie Robertson had not one, but two versions! (For one of these, see volume one of Classic Ballads of Britain and Ireland - Rounder 1775). According to Mark Wilson, many American singers who had heard the song in their youth - such as Buell Kazee and Almeda Riddle - refused to learn the piece because of its perceived 'smutty' content.