Sir William and Fair Ellender- Prather (NC) c1890 Brown E; Abrams
[From the Brown Collection; the MS is in Abrams Collection; 1952, one of 11 Versions. I've changed some of the lines in the stanzas but left the spelling. Brown includes music from Greer and Abrams housed at Appalachian State University- available online (some recordings).
Listen to Prather here:
http://contentdm.library.appstate.edu/docapp/abrams/field_recordings/earl_brand.html
Abrams described following Frank Proffitt's directions to find Prather's log cabin in Milam. They crossed into Tennessee, then back into North Carolina, driving their car across a stream. According to Abrams, Mrs. Prather was Proffitt's great-aunt (not aunt as many on-line sources say). She titled the song, "As he rode up to the old man's gate." She must be in her early 80s but she could still sing. The recording is not as accurate as the two text provided from recitation and sent to Abrams.
A second version of Prather's was dictated to a family member (her niece) that could write and sent to Brown in 1938. It's listed in Abrams as Earl Brand, Variant 3. I'm including this version titled Seven King Songs [sic] which has a slightly different ending below at the bottom of the page.
The date is largely a guesstimate based on the age of birth date (c1861 Abrams collection) of Prather and the fact that it was known to Frank Proffitt (b. 1913) when he was a child. Prather also gave Proffitt her version of Tom Dooley. Frank Proffitt apparently knew this version, but there is no recording or text.
R. Matteson 2011, 2014]
3. Earl Brand (Child 7)
This admirable specimen of the tragic ballad seems to have held its place in the favor of ballad singers better in America than in the old country. Greig reports it from Scotland, to be sure, both in the Folk-Songs of the North-East and in Last Leaves, and Ord has it in his Bothy Songs; but the absence of any mention of it in the Journal of the Folk-Song Society seems to show that it is extinct in English tradition. On this side of the Atlantic it has been reported as traditional song in Newfoundland (BSSN 7-8), Nova Scotia (BSSNS 9-11), Maine (BBM 35-40), Virginia (TBV 86-91, SharpK I 21-3, 25), West Virginia (FSS 18-19), Kentucky (SharpK i 24-5), Tennessee (FSSH 36-7, BTFLS viii 64-5), North Carolina (JAFL xxviii 152-4, SharpK 1 14-19, SSSA 45-6, BMFSB lo-ii, SCSM 115-16), Georgia (SharpK I 19-20), Mississippi (FSM 66-8), Florida (SFLQ viii 136-8), the Ozarks (OMF 219-21, OFS I 48-9), Indiana (BSI 37-8), and Illinois JAFL IX 241-2). 'The Soldier's Wooing,' reckoned by some as a secondary form of "Earl Brand,' is dealt with later in the present volume. The American texts follow in general the tradition of Scott's form of the ballad ('The Douglas Tragedy' of the Minstrelsy, Child's version B), clinging in particular to the '"buglet horn" that "hung down by his side," recognizable through a variety of transformations. Old Carl Hood has vanished entirely. Most of the North Carolina versions, and also that from Georgia, have introduced a new element, the question of the hero's origin. *When scornfully described by the girl's father as "a steward's son" (transformed in texts A, C, F below into "Stuart's son"), he proudly declares that his father is a regis king and his mother a Quaker's queen. Possibly this has been picked up, and corrupted, from the English stall ballad of 'The Orphan Gypsy Girl,' the opening line of which in Cox's West Virginia version (FSS 335) runs: "My father is king of the gypsies, my mother is queen of the Jews."
E. 'Sir William and Fair Ellender.' [title from Brown] Reported by W. Amos Abrams. It belongs to the same tradition as C and D, and offers no significant variants from C except that, like D, it omits the ninth stanza of C, has "steward" instead of "Stuart," omits the penultimate stanza of C, and has a "rich risen king" and "a quaker queen" in stanza 3.
As He Rode Up to the Old Man's Gate- [MS in Abrams Collection]- As sung by Nancy Prather.
As he rode up to the old man's gate
And so boldly he did say,
"Your oldest daughter you can keep at home,
but the youngest one I'll take away."
Come in Come in all seven of my sons
Go take your sister down
For it never shall be said, that a steward's son
Has taken my daughter out of town.
I thank you sir, that's very fair,
I am none a stewards son.
My father was a rich risen king,
And my mother was a quaker queen.
He mounted on his milk-white steed
And her on the dappled bay
He swung his bugle horn around his neck,
And they went riding away.
They'd not got but one mile from town,
When she looked back again.
She saw her father and all seven of her brothers
Come tripling over the plain.
"Alight you down fair Ellender", said he,
"And hold my steed by the rein,
Till I fight your father and all seven of your brother[s],
as they come tripling over the plain".
She got down; and she stood right still.
She never said a word,
Till she saw her father and all seven of her brothers
Wallawing[1] in their own heart's blood.
"Oh slack your lick dear Willie", said she
For your wounds are very sore.
Your blood flows free from every vein,
But a father I can have no more.
So he mounted on his milk-white steed,
And her on the dappled bay.
He swung his bugle horn around his neck,
And he went bleeding away.
They rode till they came to his mother's gate.
He tingled there at the ring.
"Oh mother, mother are you asleep or awake?
Oh arise and let me in. "
It was about two hours before day
When the fowls began to crow
Sir William died from the wounds he received,
And fair Ellendor died from sorrow.
1. Wallowing
---------------------
THE SEVEN KING'S SONS- Earl Brand, Variant 3, minor editing for spelling
So he rode up to the old man's gate
So boldly he did say
Your youngest daughter you may keep at home
And the oldest I'll take away.
Come in, come in, all seven of you sons
Take your daughter down
Never shall be said that a steward son
Shall take my daughter out of town.
Thank you, Sir, and its very kind
I'm none of steward's sons
My father was a rich risen king
And my mother was a quaker queen.
So he got on his milk white steed
And her on the daple grey
He swung his mule[1] horn around his neck
And they went riding away.
They rode off a mile from town
She looked back again
She saw her father and all seven of her brothers
Come tripling over the plans.
You stand there and stand right still
And hold my steed by the ring
Till I fight your father and seven or your brothers
Come tripling over the plans.
She stood there and she stood right still
And she never changed a word
Til she saw her father and seven of her brothers
Wallering in their own hearts blood.
Slack your hands, slack your hands
Sweet Willie she said
Their wounds are very sore
The blood flows free from every vein
Thee father I can have no more.
If you don't like what I have done
You may like some other one
I wish you were in your Mothers chamber
Are some houses are room.
Sh He got on his milk white steed
And her on the dapple gray
He swung his mule horn around his neck
And they went riding away.
He rode up to his mother gate
He dangled at the ring
Crying Oh, mother are you asleep are awake
Arise and let me in.
Get up, get up, bind up my hand
My wounds are very sore
Blood flows free from every vein
You'll never bind it up no more.
Sweet Willie died two hours before day
When the fouls began to crow
Sweet Willie died from the wounds he received
Fair Eleanor died for sorrow
Sweet Willie died as it were today
Fair Eleanor will die tomorrow.
Mrs Nancy Prather's version. Recorded by Dr. Frank C. Brown and me in 1938 or 1939. Words were sent later by a young girl in the home - but I don't recall whether She was a granddaughter, neice, or what. Mrs. Prather gave words to the girl - who could write-
WGG
1. bugle (in other MS)