Lord Lovel- Carr (ME) c1868 Barry A
[From: British Ballads from Maine; 1929. Barry, Eckstorm, Smyth. From a manuscript book compiled at least twenty-five years ago (around 1900) by Mrs. Susie Carr Young (b. 1862- d. 1933) of Brewer to preserve the old songs sung by her grandmother, mother, and others of the family.
I assume and Barry says that Mrs. Young says learned this song (at least sixty years before 1929) from her Grandmother Carr, the wife of Hugh Hill Carr (b.1790) of Bucksport, who was born Mary Soper (b.1791) of Orland, where the Sopers were very early settlers (Joseph Soper, from Boston 1654, thought to be the son of John Soper and Elizabeth Rhodes married in 1624 in London). It has without doubt been a long time traditional in that family, and Mrs. Young thinks the first emigrants of some branch in the ancestry brought it to this country with them.
This version could have been learned in the late 1700s.
R. Matteson 2014]
"Lord Lovel." Written down by Susie Carr Young as the form traditional in her family for many generations. Certainly sung by her grandmother, Carr, born in 1793. [This date is not what I have- see Ancestry.com.]
1. Lord Lovel he stood at St. Pancras' gate
A-combing his milk-white steed,
When up stepp'd Lady Nancy Belle
And bidding her lover Good spe-ed, speed, spe-ed,
And bidding her lover Good speed.
2. "Oh! where are you going, Lord Lovel," she said,
"Oh!where are you going?" said she,
"I go, my Lady Nancy Belle,
Strange countries for to see-e, see, see-e,
Strange countries for to see."
3. "Oh! when'll you be back, Lord Lovel?" she said,
"Oh! when'll you be back?" said she,
"In a year or two or three at the most,
I'll return to my Fair Nan-cy, cy, cy-y,
I'll return to my Fair Nancy."
4. He had not been gone a year and a day
Strange coun-tri-es for to see,
When languishing thoughts came into his head:
Lady Belle he must go and see-e, see, see-e,
Lady Belle he must go and see.
5 So he rode and he rode on his milk-white horse
'Til he came to London town;
And there he heard St. Pancras' bells,
And the people all mourning 'round, 'round, 'round
And the people all mourning 'round.
6 "Oh ! what is the matter?" Lord Lovel he said,
"Oh ! what is the matter?" said he;
"They say that a Lord's Fair Lady is dead
And some call her Lady Nan-cy-y cy, cy-y,
And some call her Lady Nancy."
7 So he ordered the grave to be opened wide
And the shroud to be turned down,
And there he kiss'd her clay-cold corpse
Till the tears came flowing dow-own, down, dow-own,
Till the tears came flowing down.
8 Lady Nancy died, as it might be today;
Lord Lovel he died tomorrow;
Lady Nancy she died out of pure, pure grief,
Lord Lovel he died out of sor-row, row, ror-row,
Lord Lovel he died out of sorrow.
9 Lady Nancy was laid in St. Pancras' church,
Lord Lovel was laid in the choir;
And out of her bosom there grew a red rose
And out of Lord Lovel's a bri-er, ri, rir,
And out of Lord Lovelts a brier.
10. And they grew and they grew to the church steeple's top
And then they could grow no higher;
So there they entwined in a truelover's knot
For all truelovers to ad-mire, mi, mi-i-ire,
For all truelovers to admire.