Lord Thomas & Fair Ellender- Smith (NC) 1936 Niles A
[From: The Ballad Book of John Jacob Niles; 1961. Collected and probably rewritten by Niles.
R. Matteson 2014]
Lord Thomas & Fair Ellender- (Niles No. 28 A) Granny Smith (NC) 1936 Niles A
1."The brown girl she hath house and lands,
Fair Ellender she hath none;
The best advice I can give to you:
Go bring me the brown girl home."
2. He dressed himself in scarlet red
And his servants all in green,
And every town that he rode through
They thought 'twas a royal scene.
3. He rode till he come to Fair Ellender's gate
And he dingled so loud on the ring,
There's none so handy as Fair Ellender
To run and welcome him in.
3. "What news, what news, Lord Thomas?" said she,
"What news have you brought to me?"
"I've come to ask you to see me wed,
The brown girl's the bride to be."
4. "Oh Mother, oh Mother, come read me a riddle,
Come riddle hit both in one:
Shall I today see Lord Thomas wed,
Or tarry this day to home?"
5. "Oh, many a body may be your friend
And many your foe might be,
But I should advise you this day to stay
And tarry to home with me."
6. "Oh, many a body may be my friend
And many a one my foe,
I'll venture, I'll venture my own heart's blood,
To Thomas's wedding I'll go."
7. She dressed herself in satin white
And her servants all in green,
And every town she passed through
They took her to be some queen.
8. She rode up to Lord Thomas's gate
And she dingled so loud on the ring,
There's no one so handy as Thomas himself
To run and welcome her in.
9. He took her by the lily-white hand,
He led her through the hall,
He seated her at the table's head
Among the nobles all.
10. "Be this your bride, be this your wife
That looks so wondrous brown,
When you could have married a woman as fair
As ever the sun shone on?"
11. "Dispraise her not, Fair Ellender mine,
Dispraise her not unto me,
For I think more of your tiny finger
Than I do of her whole body."
12. The brown girl hath a tiny penknife,
Hit was both long and sharp,
Betwixt the long ribs and the short
She speared Fair Ellender's heart.
13. "What matter, what matter, Fair Ellender dear?
You look so pale and wan!
You used to have a color as fair
As ever the sun shone on?"
14. "Oh, be you blind, Lord Thomas?" said she,
"Or can't you very well see?
For yonder is my very heart's blood
Come a-twinklin' down to my knee."
15. He took the brown girl by the hand,
He led her through the hall,
And with his sword he cut off her head
And threw it agin the wall.
16. He put the handle 'gainst the wall
And the p'int against his breast.
Goodbye, goodbye, three lovers dear,
God send them all their rest.
17. They dug a grave both large and wide,
They dug hit long and deep.
They buried Fair Ellender in his arms
And the brown girl at his feet.