Molly Van- Dan Tate (VA) 1962 Foss/Yates
[From: Southern folk ballads - Volume 1 - Page 96 by W. K. McNeil - 1987. Also from Far in the Mountains: Volumes 1 & 2 of Mike Yates' 1979-83 Appalachian Collection.
The second version (Yates- 1979) is presented follow the 1962 version from Foss. There are only minor differences.
R. Matteson 2016]
Molly Van --collected June 1, 1962 by George Foss from Dan Tate, Fancy Gap, Carroll County, VA.
1 Come all you young men who handle a gun,
Beware of your shooting just after set sun.
Jimmy Randal was hunting, it was all in the dark,
He shot at his sweetheart and he missed not his mark.
Stooped under a beech tree a shower to shun,
With her apron pinned around he shot her for a swan.
Young Jimmy went home with his gun in his hand,
Saying, "Father, dear father, I've killed Molly Van.
"I've killed this fair maiden, I've taken her life,
And I always intended to have made her my wife."
On the day of Jimmy's trial Molly's ghost did appear
Saying, "Jimmy Randall, Jimmy Randall goes clear."
Come all you young maidens and stand you in a row,
Molly Van[1] is in the middle as a mountain of snow.
1. Vanders in the middle (Yates)
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Molly Van - Sung by Dan Tate at his home in Fancy Gap, Carroll County, VA. June 8, 1979 collected Yates, his notes follow.
Come all you young men
Who handles a gun,
Beware of your shooting
Just after set sun.
Jimmy Randle was a-hunting,
It was all in the dark.
He shot at his sweetheart
And he missed not his mark.
Jimmy Randle was a-hunting
And the night was coming on.
With her apron pinned around her
He shot her for a swan.
Jimmy Randle went home
With his gun in his hand.
Saying, 'Mother, dear mother,
I have shot Molly Van.'
'Yes, I've killed this fair maiden,
And I've taken her life.
And I always intended
To have made her my wife.'
Come all you young women,
And stand you in a row.
Molly Vanders in the middle
As a mountain of snow.
(ii) Molly Van An American version of the 'Swan Maiden' theme, so beloved by romantic poets. It is a version of the Greek myth of Cephalus and Procris in which Procris, suspecting that her husband Cephalus is about to visit a mistress, hides in a thicket to watch his progress. In fact Cephalus was out hunting and, mistaking Procris for a deer, he killed her with a magic dart.
However, some scholars, including Hugh Shields, believe that this specific song may, in fact, be based on an actual event that occurred in Kilwarlin, Co. Down in the early 1800's. (See Hugh's Ulster Folklife article 'Some Songs and Ballads in use in the Province of Ulster...1845'.)
There are two versions of the ballad on Topic's Voice of the People series, Molly Vaughan sung by Phoebe Smith (Topic TSCD 653) and Molly Bawn sung by Packie Manus Byrne (Topic TSCD 656), as well as recordings from Maggie Murphy - Molly Bawn (Veteran VT134CD),Walter Pardon - Polly Vaughan (Musical Traditions CD 305-6) and Harry Cox - The Fowler (Topic TSCD 512D). American versions may be heard sung by Phyllis Marks (Augusta Heritage cassette 008) and Hazel Stover (Augusta Heritage 009). Surprisingly, there seem to be no recordings from Scotland.