[My Pretty Colin] Lady Isabel; From North Carolina; mountain whites; 1913
[My title, replacing the generic title. From the article: Songs and Rhymes from the South by E. C. Perrow; The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 28, No. 108 (Apr. - Jun., 1915), pp. 129-190
In my opinion E.C. Perrow was one of the first outstanding song collectors in the US. His "Songs and Rhymes from the South" with 270 texts was published in three parts in three different editions of the Journal of American Folk-Lore. At the time Songs and Rhymes was published Dr. Perrow was a professor of English at The University of Louisville in Louisville, KY.
R. Matteson 2011; 2014]
4. [My Pretty Colin] LADY ISABEL (Child, 4) (From North Carolina; mountain whites; MS. lent to E. N. Caldwell; 1913-)
"Go and take of your father's gold
And likewise of your mother's fee,
And two steeds out of your father's stable
Wherein lays thirty and three."
She went and took of her father's gold
And likewise of her mother's fee
And two steeds out of her father's stable
Wherein lay thirty and three.
She jumped on the bony, bony black,
And him** on the dapple gray
And rid off from her father's bowers
Two long hours before it was day.
When they got near to their journey's end
It was near to the bank of the sea.
He turned round to his pretty Colin
Saying "I've something to say unto thee.
"It's six king's daughters I have drownded here
And you the seventh shall be."
"Hush up, hush up! you false-hearted knight,
Did you not promise me
You'd take me to the land of old Scotland
And there you would marry me?"
" Pull off, pull off your Holland gown
And lay it upon the rocks
For it's too fine and costilie
To rot in the sea salt sand.
"Pull off, pull off your Holland gown
And lay it upon the ground
For it's too fine and costilie
For to rot in the watery tomb."
"Turn yourself all round and about
And your face to the leaves of the tree,
For it's not fit such a villain as you
A naked woman should see."
Then he turned himself all round and about
And his face to the leaves of the tree;
Then she picked him [up] so manfullie
And she hoved him into the sea.
"Lie there, lie there, you false-hearted knight,
Lie there instead of me;
Vou stripped me as naked as ever I was born
And I'll take nothing from thee."
Then she jumped on her bony, bony black
And she led the dapple gray
When she got back to her father's bowers
Three long hours before it was day.
Then up bespoke the pretty parrot
From the cage wherein it lay
"What ails you, my pretty Colin,
That you travel so long before day?"
"Hush up, hush up, you pretty parrot,
And tell no tales on me,
And your cage shall be made of the best of beaten gold
And hang on a willow tree."
Then up spoke this good old man
From the chamber where he lies [lay?]
"What ails you, my pretty parrot.
That you pray so long before day?"
"There was a cat came to my cage door
A-threatening to worry me.
And I had to call my pretty Colin
To drive that cat away."