Sweet William- Herskille (WV) pre1917 Cox A
[From Folk-Songs of the South- 1925 by John Harrington Cox. Footnotes moved to the end. His notes follow.
R. Matteson 2012, 2014]
11. FAIR MARGARET AND SWEET WILLIAM (Child, No. 74)
Seven variants have been recovered in West Virginia under the titles: "Sweet William," "Lady Margaret," and "Lady Margaret's Ghost." A glance at these ballads shows that they are largely identical; a comparison with the Child versions indicates that they are to be classed with group A, B, as witnessed by the blue suit, the dream of white swine, and the seven brethren.
For American texts see Child, v, 293 (Massachusetts); Journal, xix, 281 (Belden; Missouri); xxin, 381 (Combs; Kentucky); xxvni, 154 (Perrow; North Carolina) ; xxx, 303 (Kittredge; Missouri); xxxi, 74 (Waugh; Ontario); xxxv, 340 (Tolman and Eddy; Ohio); Wyman and Brockway, p. 94 (Kentucky); McGill, p. 69 (Kentucky; reprinted by Pound, No. 16); Campbell and
Sharp, No. 17 (Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia); Focus, iv, 426 (Virginia); Ralph, Harper's Monthly Magazine, July, 1903, cvn, 272 (Kentucky); Mackenzie, p. 124 (Nova Scotia); Smith, p. 18 (two tunes); Minish MS. (North Carolina). Cf. Shearin and Combs, p. 8; Belden, No. 5; F. C. Brown, p. 9; Bulletin, Nos. 2-6, 8-10; Cox, XVI, 159; Reed Smith, Journal, XXXVIII, 200.
A. "Sweet William." Communicated by Mr. G. T. Federer, Morgantown, Monongalia County, January, 1917; taken from a manuscript song book belonging to Lizzie Kelley, Independence, Preston County, who obtained it from Mintie Herskille.
1 Sweet William arose one merry May morning
And dressed himself in blue:
"Come and tell of the long, long love
Between Lady Margaret and you."
2 "I know nothing of Lady Margaret,
Lady Margaret knows nothing of me;
And before eight o'clock on to-morrow, morrow morn
Lady Margaret my bride shall be."
3 As Lady Margaret was sitting in her bedroom door,
A-combing her long yellow hair;
And who should she spy but Sweet William and his bride,
As the churchyard they passed by?
4 'T was down she threw her ivory comb
And back she threw her hair;
There was a fair maid went out of the room
That was nevermore seen there.
5 When the day was gone and the night come on,
When most of the men were asleep,
Sweet William he dreamed he saw Lady Margaret,
Standing at his bed's feet.
6 When the night was gone and the day come on,
And most of the men were awake,
Sweet William he told of a dream
That made his heart to ache.
7 Sweet William he called the merry maids all,
They came by one, two, three;
He asked liberty of his newly-married bride
Lady Margaret to go and see.
8 He rode until he came to Margaret's gate,
He rattled on the ring;
Then was none so ready as Lady Margaret's brother
To arise and let him in.
9 "Is Lady Margaret in the dining room?
Or is she in the hall?
Or is she in her high chamber,
Among the merry maids all?"
10 "She is not in the dining room,
Nor is she in the hall;
She is in her lead coffee, [1]
With her pale face turned to the wall."
11. "Roll down, roll down those snow-white sheets
That are of Holland so fine;
Let me kiss those pale cold lips
That so ofttimes have kissed mine."
12 'T was once he kissed her snow-white brow,
And twice he kissed her chin;
Three times he kissed her pale cold lips:
That pierced his heart within,
13 Lady Margaret was buried on Wismer day, [2]
Sweet William was buried to-morrow;
Lady Margaret was buried under a weeping willow,
Sweet William was buried under another.
14 And out of her grave there sprang a red rose,
And out of his a brier;
They grew and they tied in a true lover's knot,
The red rose around the brier.
15 They grew and they tied in a true lover's knot,
And they lived and died together;
Lady Margaret she died of pure, pure love,
Sweet William died of sorrow.
1. For coffin.
2. A mistake for as it were to-day.