McDonald- McClurg (VA) 1918 Davic C
[From Davis, Traditional Ballads of Virginia, 1929. His notes follow. This version has the line, "I will her a keg of powder to blow her sky high."
R. Matteson 2011, 2014]
LORD RANDAL (Child No. 12)
The famous old story-bearing dialogue between a mother and her son who is poisoned masquerades in Virginia as "John Willow, My Son," "Johnnie Randolph, My Son," "Johnny Rillus" (or "Rilla" or "Rolus" or, "Riller" or "Reynolds"), "Ransel, My Son," "McDonald," "John Elzie," "Billy Randall or A Rope and a Gallows," and "Where Have You Been to, My dear Son?," seldom as "Lord Randal."
In "Johnnie Randolph, My Son," the fame of a distinguished Virginian, John Randolph of Roanoke, has penetrated into ballad tradition. Cox finds the same title in West Virginia. One is glad to find in Bruce's Life evidence that Randolph was himself a ballad fancier and that therefore he may be considered worthy of the ballad's tribute to him, Writing to a niece, February 20, 1820, Randolph says: "Do you know a ballad that used to be sung to me when I was a child by a mulatto servant girl of my cousin Patsy Banister, called Patience, about a rich suitor offering 'his lands so broad' and his golden store to a girl of spirit whose reply was somehow thus?
What care I for your golden treasures?
What care I for your house and land?
What care I for your costly pleasures?
So as I get but a handsome man.
I pray thee get me that ballad. I can give you the tune."
The fame of still another John may be linked with this ballad. Scott's preface to this ballad in his Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border quotes a manuscript chronicle of England which recounts the death of King John of England in a manner not unlike the ballad account of Lord Randal's death.
Most of the Virginia variants belong with Child A or B, but some show relations with other versions, notably D. Most of the texts here given prefer the "hell and fire" ending of A to the "rope and gallows" idea of B (one substitutes "a keg of powder to blow her sky-high"), but all except two follow B in eliminating the death of the dogs, which elsewhere serves as an indication that the master, too, is poisoned. A general verbal similarity with Child D is to be noted.
Two very interesting survivals among the archives have been excluded as not strictly Virginian. One, "as sung by boys from the East Side of New York City," has the son o' Henry" (cf.Child C) answer that he has been down at grandma's, (cf. Child I, K, R), and finally leave the rope, etc., not to his sweetheart, but to his brother. The other, which comes from Oklahoma and is known as "Durango," indicates the grandmother as the poisoner (cf. Child I). They appear as Appendices A and B.
For American texts, see Barry, No. 10; Brown, p. 9 (North Carolina); Bulletin has 2-5, 7-11; Campbell and Sharp, No. 6 (North Carolina, Georgia); Child, 1, 163 (Massachusetts), 499; Cox, No. 4; Hudson, No. 4 (Mississippi); Journal, XIII, 115 (Newell, Ohio, New York, New Brunswick, Scotch variant obtained in America); XVI 258 (Barry, Rhode Island, Masschusetts, five texts and four melodies); XVIII 195 (Barry, Rhode Island, Maine, text and melody, Massachusetts, nine texts and seven melodies, Connecticut, text and melody, Vermont), 303 (Barry, Vermont, text and melody: XXII, 77 (Barry, Pennsylvania, melody only), 375-(Barry, Maine, text and tune; XXIV,345 (Barry, Maine); 157 (Tolman, fragment); XXX 289, Kittredge Indiana, fragment, New York, fragments, Missouri, fragment and melody), XXXV, 338 (Tolman and Eddy, Illinois, fragment and melody), XXXIX (Whiting, Maine); McGill, p: 19; Pound, Syllabus, p.9 (fragment) Pound, Ballads, No. 1; Shearin, p. 4; Shearin and Combs, p. 7; Shoemaker p. 139; C. A. Smith, p. 79 (New York fragment, Oklahoma, and Great Britain, melodies only), Reed Smith, No. 2; Reed Smith, Ballads, No. 2; Focus, December, 1913; February and March 1914 and The Crimson Rambler Tonkawa, Oklahoma), vol. 8, No. 4. For additional references see Journal XXIX, 157; XXX, 289.
C. "McDonald." Sent in by Miss Alfreda Peel. sung by Mrs. W. W. McClurg, of Salem, Va. Roanoke County. November 10, 1918.
1. "Where have you been McDonald, McDonald,
Where have you been McDonald, my son?"
"I've been out hunting, mother, make my bed soon,
I'm a weary, weary wanderer in a pain to lie down."
2 "Where are your grey hounds, McDonald, McDonald,
Where are your grey hounds, McDonald, my son?"
"They're still out a-running; mother, make my bed soon,
I'm a weary, weary wanderer in a pain to lie down."
3 "What did you have for dinner, McDonald, McDonald,
What did you have for your dinner, McDonald, my son?"
"I dined with my sweetheart; mother, make my bed soon,
I'm a weary, weary wanderer in a pain to lie down."
4 "What had you for dinner, McDonald, McDonald,
What had you for dinner, McDonald, my son?"
"We had white fish and poison; mother, make my bed soon,
I'm a weary, weary wanderer in a pain to lie down."
5 "What will you will your father, McDonald, McDonald,
What will you will your father, McDonald, my son?"
"I will will him my gold staff; mother, make my bed soon,
I'm a weary, weary wanderer in a pain to lie down."
6 "What will you will your mother, McDonald, McDonald,
What will you will your mother, McDonald, my son?"
"I will her my gold watch; mother, make my bed soon,
I'm a weary, weary wanderer in a pain to lie down."
7 "What will you will your sister, McDonald, McDonald,
What will you will your sister, McDonald, my son?"
"I will her my jewelry; mother, make my bed soon,
I am a weary, weary wanderer in a pain to lie down."
8 "What will you will your sweetheart, McDonald, McDonald,
What will you will your sweetheart, McDonald, my son?"
I will her a keg of powder to blow her sky high,
I am a weary, weary wanderer in a pain to lie down."