Lord Thomas and Fair Eleanor- Greer (NC) 1915
[From the Brown Collection of NC Folklore; 1952. Their notes follow. Lord Thomas and Fair Eleanor was sent in by collector and performer I. G. Greer of NC c. 1915. Greer has several other text versions in his collection.
R. Matteson 2014]
G. 'Lord Thomas and Fair Eleanor.' Sent in by I. G. Greer of Boone, Watauga county, probably in 1915. Though for the most part a quite regular text, it has some details that justify giving it in full. Spelling the "brown girl" with a capital B suggests that it is understood as a family name. The entire omission of the stabbing has a somewhat startling effect.
1 'Father, O father, come riddle this riddle,
Come riddle it all as one;
What must I do? Go marry fair Eleanor,
Or bring the Brown girl home?'
2 'The Brown girl she has house and land,
Fair Eleanor she has none;
So for your own blest good, my son,
Go bring the Brown girl home.'
3 He dressed himself in silk so fine,
His waistbands all in green,
And every town that he rode round
They took him to be some king.
4 He rode up to fair Eleanor's gate,
So lightly tapped the ring;
No one so ready as fair Eleanor herself
To rise and let him in.
5 'What news, Lord Thomas, what news,' said she,
'What news have you for me?'
'I've come to ask you to my wedding.'
' 'Tis very bad news,' said she.
6 'Mother, O mother, come riddle this riddle,
Come riddle it all as one.
What must I do? Go to the wedding,
Or tarry this day at home?'
7 'Daughter, O daughter, I've riddled your riddle.
I've riddled it all as one;
The best advice I can give to you
Is to tarry this day at home.'
8 But she dressed herself in silk so fine,
Her waistbands all in green,
And every town that she rode through
They took her to be some queen.
9 She rode up to Lord Thomas' gate,
So lightly tapped the ring;
No one so ready as Lord Thomas himself
To rise and let her in.
10 'Is this your bride? Is this your bride?
She looks so very brown.
And you could have married as fair a young lady
As ever the sun shone on.'
11 Lord Thomas he squealed and he squalled:
'What makes you look so pale?
You used to wear as red rosy cheeks
As ever shone under a veil.'
12 *Oh, are you blind, that you can't see
Your bride has murdered me?
I feel my own, my own heart's blood
Come trinkling down by me.'
13 He took the Brown girl by the hand.
He led her into the hall,
And with a sword he chopped her head off
And kicked it against the wall.
14 'Father, O father, go dig a grave,
Dig it both wide and deep;
Lay fair Eleanor by my side
And the Brown girl at my feet.'
15 He put the sword against the wall,
The point against his breast,
Saying, 'Father, O father, here's three true lovers;
God send their souls to rest!'
G. 'Lord Thomas and Fair Eleanor.' Sung by I. G. Greer. Recorded probably in 1915. Sung again for the present editor at Chapel Hill in 1952. The first four measures are practically identical with those of the Miller version. Considerable similarity with 'The Seven Sisters' by Mrs. James York and 'Pretty Cold Rain' by Hattie McNeill.
For melodic relationship cf. **SharpK i 119-20, No. 19 F and H; BSM 45; TBV 570, No. 18R; FSF 268, No. 157B; BSSM 37, No. 4.
Scale: Mode III, plagal. Tonal Center: e-flat. Structure: aa^abbi (2,2,2,2,2) = ab (4,6). The second phrase is terminally incremented. Circular Tune (V).