Lord Thomas- Andrus (Schenectady NY) 1844
[Lord Thomas, my title, was published in The Decennial Publications by Phillip Allen; University of Chicago in 1903. His notes follow. Note that the first stanza of the ballad is numbered 2. because it is compared to Child D- being the second stanza of Child D.
R. Matteson 2014]
"The two ballads printed above are variants of "Lord Randal" and "Lord Thomas and Fair Annet" They are from the recitation of Mrs. Eliza Andrus, of Schenectady, N. Y., and were learned by her from an elderly serving-maid in the year 1844, when in Bloomingdale, at that time a suburb of New York city (Seventy-second street). Two facts bespeak the value of these versions: (1) Mrs. Andrus had never seen either of the ballads in print; (2) she was not taught them, but learned them as a child from hearing the maid sing them when at work about the house."
Lord Thomas- Eliza Andrus (Schenectady NY) 1844
OLD BALLADS NEWLY EXPOUNDED
Lord Thomas And Fair Annet
2. Come riddle me this, dear mother, he said,[1]
Come riddle this unto me;
Whether I marry fair Ellenor,
Or bring the brown girl home, home, home,
Refrain.—Or bring the brown girl home.
3. The brown girl she hath both money and land,
Ellenor she hath none.—
I'll give you my blessing, my only one son,
But bring me the brown girl home, home, home, — Ref.
4. Lord Thomas he dressed himself in red,
His merry men all in green;
And ev'ry town that they rode through,
They took him to be some king, king, king,— Ref.
5. He rode till he came to fair Ellenor's gate,
Then he the bell did ring;
There was none so ready as fair Ellenor,
To welcome Lord Thomas in, in, in, —Ref.
6. What ails you, Lord Thomas, fair Ellenor cried,
What ails you, Lord Thomas, cried she.—
My mother she bids me the brown girl to wed,
Or no blessing she gives to me, me, me,— Ref.
11. Lady Ellenor dressed herself in pink,
Her waiting-maids all in green;
And ev'ry town that they rode through,
They took her to be some queen, queen, queen,—Ref.
12. She rode till she came to the castle gate,
Then she the bell did ring;
There was none so ready as Lord Thomas himself,
To welcome fair Ellenor in, in, in,—Ref.
15. The brown girl she had a little pen-knife,
It was both sharp and small;
She stuck it in fair Ellenor's side,
And wounded her in the gall, gall, gall,—Ref.
16, 17. What ails you, fair Ellenor? Lord Thomas he cried,
What ails you, fair Ellenor? cried he;
As he saw the blood flowing down,
* * * * * * * * *
18. Lord Thomas he had a little broad sword,
It was both sharp and small;
He took it and cut off the brown girl's head,
And dashed it against the wall, wall, wall, —Ref.
19. Lord Thomas he had a little broad sword,
It was both sharp and small;
He stuck the hilt into the ground,
And on it he did fall, fall, fall,—Ref.
And that put an end to them all, all, all,
And that put an end to them all.
1. Verse numbers as originally notated; this is the first stanza, the second stanza of Child D.