Lord Daniel- (TN) pre1929 Henry B
[From: Folk Songs from the Southern Highlands- Mellinger E. Henry; 1940. His notes follow.
R. Matteson 2012, 2015]
LITTLE MUSGRAVE AND LADY BARNARD (Child, No. Si) 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."
B. "Lord Daniel." The song was recorded by a student in Lincoln Memorial University, Tenn.
1. First come down was dressed in red;
The next come down in green;
The next come down Lord Daniel's wife
As fine as any queen, queen, queen;
As fine as any queen.
2. She cast her eyes all around and about;
She cast her eyes all through;
She cast her eyes on little Mathie Grave:
"This night I'll sleep with you, you, ah, you;
This night I'll sleep with you."
3. "How can I dare to sleep with you?
How can I risk my life?
I'll swear by the ring that you wear on your hand,
You are Lord Daniel's wife, wife, wife;
You are Lord Daniel's wife."
4. "It makes no difference whose wife I am,
To you nor no other man;
We'll go away and lock ourselves up,
And our hearts be just the same as one, one, one;
Our hearts be the same as one."
5. It was one of Lord Daniel's very best friends
Was listening what was done;
He swore Lord Daniel should know this
Before the rising sun, sun, sun;
Before the rising sun.
6. He had sixteen miles or more to go,
And half of them he ran;
He run till he came to the broke-down bridge;
He held his breath and he swum, swum, swum;
He held his breath and swum.
7. Swum till he came to the grassy side;
He took his heels and he run
Till he came to the Keel gas gate; [1]
He rattled them bells and rung, rung, rung;
He rattled them bells and rung.
8. "What news, what news?" Lord Daniel said,
"What news have you brought for me?"
"Little Mathie Grave from Fair Scotland
Is in bed with your lay-de, lay-de, lay-de;
And their hearts the same as one."
9. "If this be a lie you're tellin' to me,
Which I do believe it to be,
A gallows I will build for you,
And hanged you shall be, be, be;
And hanged you shall be."
10. "If this be a lie I'm tellin' to you,
Which you do believe it to be,
You need not build a gallows for me;
Just a-hang me on a tree, tree, tree;
Just hang me on a tree."
11. He counted out his very best men;
It's one, two by three;
Sang, "Come along and go with me,
This happy couple for to see, see, see;
This happy couple for to see."
12. Was one of Lord Daniel's very best friends
Was wishing Mathie Grave no harm;
He blowed Lord Daniel's bugle horn
To give Mathie Grave a warn, warn, warn;
To give Mathie Grave a warn.
13. Little Mathie Grave said to his lady:
"I must get up and go;
I hear Lord Daniel coming now;
I hear his bugle blow, blow, blow;
I hear his bugle blow."
14. "Lie down, he down in bed with me
And keep my back from the cold,
For it is my father's shepherd dog
Driving the sheep to the fold, fold, fold;
Driving the sheep to the fold."
15. They rolled and tumbled all over the bed
Till they both fell asleep,
And when they woke up next morning
Lord Daniel stood at their feet, feet, feet;
Lord Daniel stood at their feet.
16. "How do you like my curdance[2] fine?
How do you like my sheets?
How do you like my old true love
That lies in thy arms asleep, sleep, sleep?
That lies in thy arms asleep?"
17. "Very well 1 like your curdance fine,
Also do I like your sheets;
Much better do I love your old true love,
That lies in my arms asleep, sleep, sleep;
That lies in my arms asleep."
18. "Rise up, Little Mathie Grave,
And put your clothing on,
It never shall be said that I came from Fair Scotland
And slew a naked man, man, man;
And slew a naked man."
19. "Oh, how can I dare to sleep[3] with you?
Oh, how can I risk my life?
You have two swords right by your side,
And me not as much as a knife, knife, knife,
And me not as much as a knife."
20. "I know I have two swords by my side
And they cost me deep in purse;
You may have the very best one,
And I will take the worst, worst, worst;
And 1 will take the worst."
21. "You may strike the very first lick,
And strike it like a man;
I will strike the very next lick,
And I'll kill you if I can, can, can;
And I'll kill you if I can."
22. Little Mathie struck the very first lick;
He wounded Lord Daniel from sword[4];
Lord Daniel struck the very next lick;
He killed him in the floor, floor, floor;
He killed him in the floor.
23. He threw his arms around his wife,
And kisses gave her three;
"Now, tell me which you love the best,
Little Mathie Grave or me, me, me?
Little Mathie Grave or me?"
24. "Very well, 1 like your red rosy cheeks,
Also do I like your chin;
Much better do I love Little Mathie Grave
Than you and all your kin, kin, kin;
Than you and all your kin."
25. He pulled a pistol out of his pocket;
It was loaded with powder and lead;
He shot his wife; he shot himself;
Sang, "Here we all three lay dead, dead, dead;
Here we all three lay dead."
Footnotes:
1 Mrs. Eckstorm interprets this as "King's castle gate" or just "castle gate" with the syllables out of place
2. [My footnote] curtains
3. Mrs. Eckstorm calls this a "nonsense line, corrupted from an unknown original." The substitution of such a word as "'strive' for 'sleep'would be pure guess."She adds the conjecture that it may be "the line from stanza three, lepeated unintentionally or put in by the singer to fill out the measure." [better: Oh, how can I dare to fight with you?]
4. [My footnote] He wounded Lord Daniel sore;