Lord Thomas- Beeman (Michigan) 1936 Gardner A
[From Ballads and Songs of Southern Michigan by Emelyn - Elizabeth Gardner and Geraldine Jencks Chickering, Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press London: Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press: 1939. Their notes follow.
R. Matteson 2014]
4 LORD THOMAS
(Lord Thomas and Fair Annet, Child, No. 73)
The Michigan texts are most closely related to group D of Child's texts. Child D was taken from Percy, who obtained it from the Pepys collection, in which it was described as a broadside In the Michigan texts, however, the brown girl does not put the knife "Betwixt the short ribs and the long," as in Child D. No lines similar to the fragmentary stanza seven of Michigan B, where the groom not only shows his preference for the blonde but adds insult to injury by seating her at his right, have been noted. For texts and references see Cox, pp. 45-64. See also Barry, Eckstorm, and Smyth, pp. 128-134; Davis, pp. 191— 220; Eddy, No. 7; Fuson, pp. 49-51; Henry, JAFL, XLII, 262--265; Mackenzie, pp. 20-24; Scarborough, pp. 105-114; Sharp, I, 115-131; Smith, pp. 109-120; Stout, pp. ; and Thomas, pp. 88-90.
Version A was sung, in 1936, by Mrs Joseph J. Beeman, Detroit, who learned the song from her mother, Mrs. Wm. Waldron, Amherstburg, Ontario. Mrs. Waldron's maiden name was Cornwall; she was born m Colchester, Ontario, of English and French parentage.
Lord Thomas- Version A
1 "Come riddle your rights, my mother dear,
Come riddle your rights once more.
Shall I marry fair Ellen or no,
Or bring the brown girl home?"
2 "The brown girl she has houses and lands;
Fair Ellen she has none;
Therefore I charge you with my blessing
Go bring the brown girl home."
3 He rode till he came to fair Ellen's gate
And jingled loud at the ring,
And who was there but fair Ellen herself
To let Lord Thomas in?
4 "What news? What news?" fair Ellen said,
"What news have you brought to me?"
"I've come to invite you to my wedding,
Most miserable news for thee."
5 "O God forbid," fair Ellen said,
"That such a thing should be;
I thought to be the bride myself,
And thou shouldst be the groom."
6 "Come riddle my riddle, dear mother," she said;
"Come riddle it all for me.
Shall I go to Lord Thomas's wedding,
Or shall I stay at home?"
7 "O to Lord Thomas's wedding don't go;
To Lord Thomas's wedding don't go.
As many as are your friends, dear daughter,
There's more will be your foes."
8 "To Lord Thomas's wedding I'll go,
To Lord Thomas's wedding I'll go;
If it costs my heart's blood, body and all,
To Lord Thomas's wedding I'll go."
9 She rode till she came to Lord Thomas's gate;
She jingled loud at the ring,
And none so eager as Lord Thomas himself
To rise and let her in.
10 He took her by her lily-white hand;
He led her across the hall,
Placed her at the head of the table
Among the gentry and all.
11 "Is this your bride?" fair Ellen said,
"She's looking very brown,
When you might have had as fair a young bride
As e'er the sun shone on."
12 The brown girl having in her hand
A knife both long and sharp
Plunged it into fair Ellen's breast
And entered it deep in her heart.
13. "O are you blind?" fair Ellen cried.
"Or can you not well see?
O don't you see my own heart's blood
Go trickling down to my knee?"
14. He took the brown girl by the hand
And led her across the hall,
Took down his sword and cut off her head
And kicked it against the wall.
15. "O dig my grave," Lord Thomas he said,
"Dig it both wide and deep,
And lay fair Ellen in my arms
And the brown girl at my feet."
16. He points the handle towards the wall
The sharp end towards his breast,
Saying, "Here's the end of three true lovers;
God send their souls to rest."