Lord Thomas- Gregory (TN) pre1949 Boswell
[From Folk Songs of Middle Tennessee: the George Boswell Collection by Charles K Wolfe; George Worley Boswell. Notes by Wolfe follow.
R. Matteson 2014]
It has been especially popular in East Tennessee, having been found in Cades Cove, Carrer county, Cocke county, Flag pond (by Cecil Sharp), Geedville, Knoxville, Sale Creek (Hamilton county), and Soddy. A surprising number of variants appear in the Boswell collection---eight in addition to the one presented below. They come from Bedford county (Jane Snodgrass Johnson), Hickman county (Louise Rogers, via Rosa "Granny" Stevens Nash), Humphreys county (Charlie Hatcher), Overton county (Dora Masters, via Sarah Jane Holt), sewanee (Maude Cook), and Smith county (Myrtle Canigan); all were collected between 1949 and 1956.This version comes from Martha Corwin Gregory who sang it for Boswell on July 14, 1949. She was from Brentwood, a suburb of Nashville; her mother was the source for this ballad.
1. "Oh mother, oh mother, come riddle my sport,
Come riddle it all as one.
Must I go marry fair Ellender,
Or bring the brown girl home?"
2. "The brown girl, she has house and lands,
Fair Ellender, she has none.
I charge you on my blessing, my son,
Go bring the brown girl home."
3. "Go saddle up my milk-white steed,
Go saddle him up for me,
I go to invite fair Ellender,
My wedding for to see."
4. He rode and he rode till he came to her hall,
He tingled all on the ring,
Nobody so ready as fair Ellender herself
To rise and bid him come in.
5. "What news? What news?" fair Ellender cried,
"'What news have you brought to me?"
"I have come to invite you to my hall,
My wedding for to see."
6. "Bad news, bad news!" fair Ellender cried,
"Bad news have you brought to me.
I once did think I would be your bride,
And you my bridegroom would be."
7. "Oh mother, oh mother, come riddle my sport,
Come riddle it all to me,
Must I go to Lord Thomas's wedding,
Or tarry this day at home?"
8. "Oh enemies, enemies have you there,
The brown girl she has none,
I charge you on my blessing, my child,
To tarry this day at home."
9. "There may be few of my friends, mother,
And many more of my foes,
But if I never return again,
To Lord Thomas's wedding I'll go."
10. She dressed herself in a scarlet cloak,
Her maids she dressed in green,
And every town that they passed through,
They took her to be some queen.
11. She rode and she rode and she came to the hall,
She tingled all on the ring,
Nobody so ready as Lord Thomas himself
To rise and bid her come in.
12. He took her by her lily-white hand,
And he led her across the hall,
He placed her in the golden chair,
Among the ladies all.
13. "Is this your bride?" fair Ellender cried,
"That is so wondrous brown?
That once could have married the fairest lady
That ever the sun shone on?"
14. "Despise her not, fair Ellender," he cried.
"Despise her not to me.
I love the end of your little finger,
More than her whole body."
15. The brown girl had a little pen knife,
It was both keen and sharp,
Between the long ribs and the short,
She pierced fair Ellender's heart.
16. "Oh what is the matter?" Lord Thomas he cried,
"Oh can't you see," said she.
"Oh can't you see my own heart's blood
Run trickling down to my knee?"
17. He took the brown girl by the hand,
He led her across the hall;
He took off his sword and cut off her head
And threw it against the wall.
18. "Oh mother, oh mother, go dig my grave,
Go dig it both wide and deep,
And place fair Ellender at my head,
The brown girl at my feet."
19. He placed his sword against the wall,
The point against his breast,
Saying, "This is the end of three poor lovers,
God take them all to rest."