Poor Sally- Richards (VA) 1918 Sharp J
[From English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, Vol 2 by Cecil J. Sharp (1859-1924) and Maud Karpeles; 1932 edition.
My title, Sharp used the generic title, The Brown Girl for all versions, no local titles supplied. Sharp called the ballad "Fine Sally" in his field notes.
This ballad is not to be confused with the popular ballad, Child No. 73 Lord Thomas and Fair Annet, which is commonly known in the US, and Canada as "The Brown Girl."
US and Canada versions are based on the hundreds of late 18th century English broadsides sometimes titled "The Sailor from Dover" or "Sally and her Truelove Billy."
Child's B version of 295, "The Brown, Brown Girl" collected by Rev. S. Baring-Gould, introduced stanzas from the "Sally and her Truelove Billy" songs. In his article "Folk Song Tradition, Revival and Re-Creation" Steve Gardham has shown that Baring-Gould's ballad is a re-creation of two ballads and not traditional.
To put it simply, the versions are not related to "The Brown Girl" but are part of the "The Sailor from Dover" and "Sally and her Truelove Billy" song group. In the US and Canada some common titles are "Pretty Sally," "Sally," and "A Rich Irish Lady." They have been put here following Bronson and others who have attached them to Child 295, not because they belong here.
R. Matteson 2014]
Notes from Cecil Sharp No. 44. The Brown Girl.
Texts without tunes:— Child's English and Scottish Popular Ballads, No. 295. Gavin Greig's Folk-Song of the North-East, i, art. 79. Broadside by Such, 'Sally and her True Love Billy' Cox's Folk Songs of the South, p. 366 (see also further
references). Journal of American Folk-Lore, xxvii. 73 ; xxxii. 502 ; xxxix. 110.
Texts with tunes: — Christie's Traditional Ballad Airs, ii. 241. Kidson's Garland of English Folk Songs, p. 20. Journal of American Folk-Lore, xviii. 295 (tune only). Journal of the Folk-Song Society, viii. 5. British Ballads from Maine, p. 418.
Davis's Traditional Ballads of Virginia, pp. 537 and 604.
'Colours' (Texts A and B) may be a corruption of 'country' as given in Folk Songs of the South.
Version J is reminiscent of The Death of Queen Jane (No. 32).
J. [Poor Sally]- Sung by Mrs. FRANCES RICHARDS at St. Peter's School, Callaway, Va., Aug. 16, 1918; Pentatonic. Mode 2.
1. Poor Sally was taken
Afflict ed to her bed;
There's no one knows what ails her,
Or could relieve her from pain.
2 King Henry was sent for
On horseback and speed,
In the need of poor Sally,
In the time of her need.
3 Am I the doctor
Was sent for to-day?
0 yes, you're the doctor
Can kill or can cure,
And without your assistance
I am ruined, yes, I'm sure.
4 I courted you with honour,
You slighted me with scorn.
I'll remind you of things, girl,
Of the time past and gone.
5 Of the time past and gone,
Forget and forgive,
And 'low me two minutes
And let me still live.
6 I'll allow you no minutes
Nor years to live,
But dance on your grave
Whilst you lie in cold clay.
7 It's off of her fingers
Pulled diamond rings twice three.
Here take those and wear them
While you're dancing on me.
8 O black was the mourning,
And yellow was the band,
And white was poor Sally,
Poor Sally of time.