Me Old Wether's Skin- Fish (NH-VT) 1942 Flanders A
[Flanders' extensive notes are below. She refers to the "Dandee" refrain which is almost always "Dandoo" in the South, not "Dandee." This version possibly dates back to the mid1600s -1700s since Bourne, Mass. was first settled in 1640. It was named for Jonathan Bourne Sr., whose father, Richard Bourne, served in the Massachusetts General Court at the time of settlement, as well as helping to found the settlement in Mashpee. This is, of course, speculation-- Flanders suggested that the source, Fish's father Stratton Bourne, could be traced to the early settlers.
R. Matteson Jr. 2013]
The Wife Wrapped in Wether's Skin (Child 277)
This ballad derives from an old tale which Child, v, 104, cites under the title "The Wife Lapped in Morrel's Skin" and is related to a whole host of stories on similar themes. See Aarne-Thompson, Mt. 1370*.
The ballad is still popular in America, where the basic outline of the story remains constant, but where the minor details vary greatly. william H. Jansen has made a careful study (HFQ IV, #3,41) of the ballad and its developments in America [see article attached to Recordings & Info page], and from his remarks two groupings of the American texts emerge: songs with the "dandee, clish maclinge" refrains, popular in the South and Midwest; and songs with the "juniper, gentian, and rosemary" refrains, popular in the South and Northeast. The plant refrains of the latter group have caused some comment. Phillips Barry, British Ballads from Maine, 324-5, suggests, on the authority of Lucy Broadwood (JFSS, II, 12-15), that the wife originally was beaten to exorcise the evil spirits that infested her and that "juniper, gentian, and rosemary" were regarded as charms against the demons. Later the names of the plants were forgotten and confused with the names of girls, June, Jenny, and Rose Mary.
The Flanders texts are highly representative of the American forms of the ballad. A-I, with the plant refrain, relate to Child F (from Massachusetts) and are normal Northeastern versions. J-L illustrate the "dandee" refrain and the common "old man who lived in the West" opening.
M-N (see also Child c) are from the Scottish tradition. Text L, which concerns "Riddleson's daughter Dinah," is the only unusual version in the group. See Coffin, 146-8 (American); Belden, 92-94 (English); and Greig and Keith, 218-20 (Scottish) for bibliographical material and discussion.
All of the tunes for child 277 except the Richards tune are members of the same tune family. Within this group, the Prevost and Baldwin tunes are especially close, as are the Hayward and Hall tunes. The Monson tune is slightly outside the group.
A. Me Old Wether's Skin [1]- Sung by Mrs. Lena Bourne Fish of East Jaffrey, New Hampshire, as learned from her father, Stratton Bourne, who was born in northern Vermont. Mr. Bourne's forebears are the early settlers of Bourne, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. M. Olney, Collector- March 6, 1942
I married a wife in the month of June,
Dainty fair Jennie Rose Marie;
I think I married a little too soon,
As the dew flies over the mulberry tree.
I think I married a little too soon,
As the dew flies over the green valley.
Me wife would not cook; she would not card or spin,
Dainty fair Jennie Rose Marie,
For fear she would soil her lily-white skin,
As the dew fiies over, the mulberry tree;
For fear she would soil her lily-white skin,
As the dew flies over the green valley.
One day I came in from jogging the plow,
Dainty fair Jennie Rose Marie,
Saying, "Good wife, is me dinner done now?"
As the dew flies over the mulberry tree;
Saying, "Good wife, is me dinner done now?"
As the dew flies over the green valley.
"There's bread and there's cheese upon the shelf,"
Said dainty fair Jennie Rose Marie;
"If you want any dinner, go get it yourself,"
As the dew flies over the mulberry tree.
"If you want any dinner, go get it yourself,"
As the dew flies over the green valley.
Then out to the sheep-pen I ran with haste,
Dainty fair Jennie Rose Marie,
And I killed the bell-wether without any waste,
As the dew flies over the mulberry tree;
I killed the bell-wether without any waste,
As the dew flies over the green valley.
I took out me knife and went snippety snip,
Dainty fair Jennie Rose Marie,
And I pulled off his hide by the strippety strip,
As the dew flies over the mulberry tree;
I pulled off his hide by the strippety strip,
As the dew flies over the green valley.
I then threw the sheepskin across me wife's back,
Dainty fair Jennie Rose Marie,
And with two sticks I went whickety whack,
As the dew flies over the mulberry tree;
And with two sticks I went whickety whack,
As the dew flies over the green valley.
"I'll tell me brothers and all of my kin,"
Said dainty fair Jennie Rose Marie,
"For to beat your wife is surely a sin,"
As the dew fiies over the rnulberry tree;
"To beat your wife is surely a sin,"
As the dew flies over the green valley.
"You rnay tell your brothers and all your kin,"
Dainty fair Jennie Rose Marie,
"But I'm bound to tan me old wether's skin,"
As the dew flies over the mulberry tree;
"I'm bound to tan me old wether's skin,"
As the dew flies over the green valley.
She now cooks me dinner and sets up the board,
Dainty fair Jennie Rose Marie,
With a smile of contentment at every word,
As the dew flies over the mulberry tree;
With a smile of contentment at every word,
As the dew flies over the green valley.
She is a fine cook; she can both card and spin,
Dainty fair Jennie Rose Marie,
Since the day I tanned me old wether's skin,
As the dew flies over the mulberry tree;
Since the day I tanned me old werher's skin,
As the dew flies over the green valley.
1 Mrs. Fish sang the song again on August 26, 1943, in an identical version.