Lord Lovel- Lipscomb (TN) c.1951; Boswell
[Published with music in Folk Songs of Middle Tennessee: The George Boswell Collection by George W. Boswell c. 1950, Charles K. Wolfe ed.
R. Matteson 2014]
After completing his Ph.D. in 1951, George Boswell taught English at Austin Peay State University (Clarksville, Tennessee) where he collected this ballad from Leona DuBois Lipscombe, a student. She learned the song from her grandmother Effie Tucker and it dates back before 1900.
LORD LOVEL- from Leona DuBois Lipscombe, learned from her grandmother, dating back pre-1900.
1. Lord Lovel he stood at his castle gate,
A-combing his milk-white steed;
When along came Lady Nancy Bell,
A- wishing her lover Godspeed,
A-wishing her lover Godspeed.
2. "Oh where are you going, Lord Lovel?" she said;
"Oh where are you going?" said she.
"I'm going away, my Lady Nancy Bell,
Strange countries for to see, see, see,
Strange countries for to see."
3. "How long will you be gone, Lord Lovel?" she said;
"How long will you be gone?" said she.
"In a year or two or three at the most,
I'll return to my Lady Nancy-see, see,
I'll return to my Lady Nancy."
4. He had been gone a year and a day,
When a thought came o'er his mind,
That he would return to his Lady Nancy,
From strange countries for to see, see, see,
From strange countries for to see.
5. And so he rode to London town,
All on his milk-white steed,
And there he heard the death bells ring,
And the people all mourning round, round, round,
And the people all mourning round.
6. "Oh, who is dead?" Lord Lovel, he said,
"Oh who is dead?" said he.
"Miss Nancy Bell is dead," they said,
"She was your Lady Nancy, see, see,
She was your Lady Nancy."
7. He had the grave to be opened wide,
And kissed her cold, cold lips.
"Lady Nancy died of pure, pure love,
Tomorrow I'll die of sorrow,
Tomorrow I'll die of sorrow."
8. And on her grave they planted a rose,
And on his grave a briar,
And they grew and they grew to the tall steeple top,
And then they couldn' grow any higher,
And then they couldn' grow any higher.
9. And so they twined in a lover's knot,
For true lovers to admire, admire,
For true lovers to admire.