Slackman- Short (KY) 1917 Sharp E
[My title, replacing the generic Child title. From English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians; 1932. Collected by Cecil J. Sharp (1859-1924) and Olive Dame Campbell. Edited by Maud Karpeles. Their notes follow.
R. Matteson 2015]
Notes: No. 24. The Maid Freed from the Gallows.
Texts without tunes:—Child, No. 95.
Texts with tunes:—English County Songs, p. 112. Folk Songs from Somerset, No. 121.
Journal of the Folk-Song Society, v., 228. American variants:—American Journal of Folk-Lore, xxi., 56; xxvi., 175. Musical
Quarterly, January, 1916, pp. 10 and 11 (without tunes). Wyman and Brockway's Lonesome Tunes, p. 44.
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Sharp diary 1917 page 249. Wednesday 29 August 1917 - Pine Mountain Settlement School
Breakfast at 6. Shortly after Maud and I tramp up Greasy Creek after songs and get a goodish lot from Mrs Mary Ann Short and her mother Mrs Berry Creech. Return home rather late for mid-day meal at 12 in the large dining hall. The latter is a magnificent room in which 70 or 80 people dining at round tables take up only part of the accommodation. The feeding of the children is excellent and a great contrast from Oneida. The general atmosphere is very good. The children most of whom are kiddies are just delightful, clean, bright & intelligent and are indistinguishable from the children of gentle-folk. I rest in the afternoon have tea at the office with Miss Wells, Dr Little etc and again after supper sing songs which are greatly appreciated by children & elders. Have a long talk with Miss Pettit in the evening.
E. [Slackman] Sung by MRS. MARY ANNE SHORT at Pine Mountain, Harlan Co., Ky., Aug. 29, 1917
1. Slack, man, slack, man, slack up your rope,
O slack it for just a while;
I looked over yonder and I saw Pa coming,
He's walked through many along mile.
2 Say, Pa, say, Pa, have you brought me any gold,
Any gold to pay on my fine?
Or have you come over for to see me hung,
Hung on the gallows line?
3 No, sir, no, sir, I've brought you no gold,
No gold to pay on your fine,
But I've come over for to see you hung,
Hung on the gallows line.
4 It's you won't love, it's hard to love,
It's hard to make up your mind.
You've broke the heart of a many poor girl,
True love, but you can't break mine.
In subsequent verses, 'mother,' 'brother', etc. and finally 'true love' are substituted for 'father' The penultimate verse runs thus :—
15 Yes, sir, yes, sir, I've brought you some gold,
Some gold to pay on your fine,
And I have come for to take you home
Down off the gallows line.