Lord Dannel- Taylor (NL) 1930 Karpeles A
[My title. From Folk Songs from Newfoundland; Karpeles 1934. The opening stanza has the names confused then skips to the page (post boy) reporting to Lord Dannel.
Apparently Karpeles or an editor changed the name from Marshall Grones to Marshall Groves. See Bronson 56- he got it from the MS.
R. Matteson 2015]
11 MATTHY GROVES
(Little Musgrave)
[Lord Dannel] - Sung by Mr. George Taylor at Grole, Hermitage Bay, 23rd July 1930
[music]
'Twas on one day and a high holiday,
The high day in the year,
Lord Dannel[1] himself he went to church
Some holy words to hear,
Some holy words to hear.
What news, what news, my little post boy,
What news thou broughtest me?
Bad news, bad news and very bad news,
The worst of news to thee.
Is any of my buildings down,
Or any of my bowers gone,
Or is my wife now in the bed
With a daughter or a son?
There is none of your buildings down,
Nor none of your bowers gone,
This very night young Marshall Groves[2]
Is in bed with your gay lady.
If this is the truth that art telling to me,
It will be the better for thee;
If this a lie that art telling to me,
I'll hang thee on a tree.
I would not and I dare not,
I would not for my life;
The rings she had on her fair finger,
I know 'twas Lord Dannel's wife,
Lord Dannel call-ed all his men,
He ordered them all in his room;
He ordered not a word to be spoke,
Nor yet the horn to blow.
But one of his men went against his will,
He holloed both loud and shrill:
A man that's in bed with another man's wife,
'Tis time to be jogging away.
I thought I heard Lord Dannel's voice,
I thought I heard him say:
A man that's in bed with another man's wife,
'Tis time to be jogging away.
Huddle me up and cuddle me in,
And shelter me from the cold;
It's only the old blind shepherd
Just driving his sheep to fold.
He huddled her up and he cuddled her in,
They both fell off to sleep.
Early next morning when they awoke,
Lord Dannel stood at the bedside.
How do you like my bed, he said,
And how do you like my sheet,
And how do you like my gay lady
That lies in your arms asleep?
It's well I like your bed, he said,
And better I like your sheet,
But the best of all is the gay lady
That lies in my arms asleep.
Arise, arise, young Marshall Groves,
Some raiment to put on;
I'd never have it to say in my life
That I killed a naked man.
I have two swords all by my side,
Which cost me right of my purse,
And you may take the best of them
And I will take the worst.
And you may strike the very first blow,
And I will strike the other;
I cannot say any fairer than that
If it was my true born brother.
The very first blow Marshall gave,
He wounded Lord Dannel full sore;
The very first Lord Dannel gave,
Marshall Groves can't rise no more.
He took his gay lady on his knee,
Saying: Between Marshall Groves and she,
I'd rather have Marshall Groves' little finger
Than all thy whole body.
Then the little birds they sang for joy,
The bells did toll for sorrow;
Lord Dannel he kill-ed his wife today,
And he's going to be hung tomorrow.
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1. This should be "Marshall Groves"
2. In the MS it's Marshall Grones