[Six Fair Maids] Lady Isabel & the Elf-Knight- McCormick (NC) 1918 ; Sharp MS
[My title, no title given. Bronson 105; Sharp MSS., 4585/3208-9. The first stanza is from the Brisk Young Sailor, the second is the classic stanza. Three and four are irregular, the rest is fairly standard. The parrot flew off and was not seen or heard.
R. Matteson 2014]
[Six Fair Maids] (Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight) Sung by Mrs. George McCormick, Garden City, N.C., September 9, 1918.
Bronson: Sharp's sensitive notation was for the second stanza. How the irregularities of other stanzas were accommodated was not recorded.
I'll tell you of a brisk young sailor,
And Jimmy his name shall be,
He came across the wide ocean,
And then he came courting of me.
He followed me up, he followed me down,
He followed me to my father's room;
I'd not any tongue to say O Nay,
Nor no wings to fly away.
I want part of your father's money,
I want your mother's key,
And two of the best horses out of thirty and three.
I gave him part of my father's money,
I gave him my mother's key,
And two of the best horses out of thirty and three.
He set me up on the milk-white steed,
And himself on the iron grey;
We rode till we came to the Asia shore
Just the length of a summer's day.
Get down, get down, my pretty fair maid,
And pull the leaves upon the trees.
Six fair maids I have drowned here
And the seventh you shall be.
Turn your back, she said to him,
Pull the leaves of the trees.
She got him round the middle small
And tripped him into the sea.
Lie there, lie there, you dirty dog,
Lie there in place of me,
For six fair maids you've drowned here,
But the seventh you shall be.
She got up on the milk-white steed,
By her side was the iron-grey;
She rode till she came to her father's gate
Three long hours before it was day.
X:105
T:Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight
C:Trad
B:Bronson
O:Sharp MSS., 4585/3208-9. Sung by Mrs. George McCormick,
O:Garden City, N.C., September 9, I9I8.
N:Sharp's notation was for the second verse. He did not
N:note how the irregularities of the other verses were accommodated.
M:3/2
L:1/8
K:Gmix % Pentatonic ( -4 -7) Lydian/Ionian/Mixolydian [¼1]
G2 AA B2 | d6 BA GG B2 | A2 G4 G2 AA B2 |
w:He foll-owed me up, he* foll-owed me down_ He foll-owed me
d6 BA G2 B2 | A6 G2 AA BB | d6 BA G2 B2 | [M:2/2] A4 B3 A |
w:to my* fath-er's room; I'd not* any* tongue to* say O Nay, And then
G2 AG E G2 E | [M:3/2] D2 E2 G4 B3 A | [M:2/2] G2 AG E G2 E | [M:3/2] D6 |]
w:he came* a court-ing of* me. And then he came* court-ing of me.
W:
W:I'll tell you of a brisk young sailor,
W:And Jimmy his name shall be,
W:He came across the wide ocean,
W:And then he came courting of me.
W:
W:He followed me up, he followed me down,
W:He followed me to my father's room;
W:I'd not any tongue to say O Nay,
W:Nor no wings to fly away.
W:
W:I want part of your father's money,
W:I want your mother's key,
W:And two of the best horses out of thirty and three.
W:
W:I gave him part of my father's money,
W:I gave him my mother's key,
W:And two of the best horses out of thirty and three.
W:
W:He set me up on the milk-white steed,
W:And himself on the iron grey;
W:We rode till we came to the Asia shore
W:Just the length of a summer's day.
W:
W:Get down, get down, my pretty fair maid,
W:And pull the leaves upon the trees.
W:Six fair maids I have drowned here
W:And the seventh you shall be.
W:
W:Turn your back, she said to him,
W:Pull the leaves of the trees.
W:She got him round the middle small
W:And tripped him into the sea.
W:
W:Lie there, lie there, you dirty dog,
W:Lie there in place of me,
W:For six fair maids you've drowned here,
W:But the seventh you shall be.
W:
W:She got up on the milk-white steed,
W:By her side was the iron-grey;
W:She rode till she came to her father's gate
W:Three long hours before it was day.