Spanish Lady- John Rease (WV) 1916 Cox
[From: Folk Songs of the South, 1925. Cox's notes follow.
R. Matteson 2017]
158. THE SPANISH LADY
This brief ditty, sometimes used as a game-song, is formed upon "O No, John," for which see Sharp, Folk-Songs from Somerset, iv, 46; Sharp, One Hundred English Folksongs, No. 68; Sharp, English Folk Songs, n, 116; Buck, The Oxford Song Book, p. 147, 1921 (Oh No John reprint Somerset); Journal, xxxv, 405; Pound, p. 43; Wyman MS., No. 49. It keeps, however, only the opening stanza of "O No, John" (see also Gomme, Traditional Games, I, 320; Kidson and Moffatt, Eighty Singing Games, p. 84). Fragments of that song are used as game-rhymes in Indiana (Wolford, The Play-Party in Indiana, p. 73) and Missouri (Belden's collection); cf. Pound, p. 77.
For texts similar to the West Virginia piece see Newell, Games and Songs of American Children, p. 55; Barry, Journal, xxiv, 341; Broadwood and Fuller Maitland, English County Songs, p. 90; Butterworth, Folk Songs from Sussex, p. 2; Gillington, Songs of the Open Road, No. 10, p. 22. Gardiner, Folk-Songs from Hampshire, p. 41; Journal of the Folk-Song Society, iv, 297; Ebsworth, Roxburghe Ballads, viii, ii, 852; Alfred Williams, Folk-Songs of the Upper Thames, p. 196. Of these, all have stanza 3, and all but Newell have stanza 5. Neither of these two stanzas belongs to "O No, John." For stanza 5, in other contexts or alone by itself, see Ashton's Real Sailor-Songs, 72 ; Journal of the Folk-Song Society, 1, 29, 45; Journal of the Irish Folk-Song Society, ix, 28. Stanza 3 has some resemblance to lines in " The Quaker's Wooing," which is also used as a game-song (Newell, p. 94; Rosa S. Allen, Family Songs, p. 14; Pound, No. 108; Focus, in, 276; Journal, xvm, 56; xxiv, 342). Stanzas 2 and 3 occur in one West Virginia version of "A Pretty Fair Maid" (No. 92).
For references to similar songs see Kittredge, Journal, xxxv, 406.
Spanish Lady- Communicated by Miss Violet Noland, Davis, Tucker County, 1916; obtained from Mr. John Raese, who heard it sung when he was a boy.
1 Yonder stands a Spanish lady;
Who she is I do not know;
I'll go and court her for her beauty,
Let her answer yes or no.
Refrain: Rattle O ding, ding dom, ding dom,
Rattle O ding, dom day
2 "Madame, I have gold and silver,
Madame, I have house and land,
Madame, I have a world of pleasure,
And it shall be at your command."
3 "I care not for your gold and your silver,
I care not for your house and land,
I care not for your worldly pleasure:
All I want is a handsome man."
4 Blue it is a handsome color,
When it gets a second dip ;
The first time a young man starts out courting
He is apt to get a slip.
5 The ripest apple soon gets rotten,
The hottest love it soon gets cold;
A young man's word is soon forgotten,
Pray, young man, don't be so bold.