Sweet William & Lady Margaret- Smith (NM) 1917 Flanders B
[From Flanders Ancient Ballads, 1966; version B. Parenthesis supplied by Flanders, I did some minor editing.
R. Matteson 2014]
B. Sweet William and Lady Margaret. About 1917-19 this was sung by Franklin Smith to his son, Herbert Wilson smith, at the son's mining camp near Socorro, New Mexico. In parentheses his father wrote different ways he remembered. it. His son thinks his father learned, it from "Grandma" Joy where he boarded, in 1884 when attending Fayette Normal school, Fayette, Ohio. She was sprightly lady who lived to be 101 years old. Both men liked this song and, the father was likely to sing this and,other songs when they were together, as they often were in New England. Copied literatim et punctatim.
H. H. F., Collector; July 24, 1957.
Sweet William and Lady Margaret
Sweet William rose on a May morn bright
And dressed himself in blue
Pray tell me of this undying love
That's between Lady Margaret and you
I know no wrong of Lady Margaret
And she knows no wrong of me,
Tomorrow's morn by eight o'clock
Lady Margaret's my bride to be.
Lady Margaret stood in her window high
A combing her golden hair
In the church she did espy
Sweet William and his bride pass there.
She then threw down her ivory comb
She tossed back her golden hair
That window high she fell back from
And never more was she seen there.
When that day was done and night had come
And good men were asleep,
Sweet William saw like in a dream
Lady Margaret stood (stand) at his bed feet.
How like you now your bed asked she?
And how like you now your sheet
And how like you now your wedded wife
There on your arm asleep? (That lies in your arms asleep)
Fair well (very well) in truth I like my bed
Fair well I like my sheet
But better than both that fair lady (Far better I like that fair lady)
A standing at my bed's feet
When that night was done and day was come (The long night done then day did come)
All good men were awake (Then good men did awake)
Sweet William's thoughts did trouble him
Of Lady Margaret standing at his bed's feet (Of Lady Margaret's words at his bed's feet)
Sweet William rose on this May morn
Once more he dressed in blue
He stepped up in his stirrup high
And rode off through the early dew
He rode up to Lady Margaret's hall
He tingered (tingled) at the bell knocker.
Who then arose to let him in?
'Twas Lady Margaret's seventh brother.
Where is Lady Margaret fair?
Is she in her chamber hall?
Or does she comb her yellow hair
Behind her window wall?
She lies in her chamber hall
She lies in her bed sheet
Her cold face is against the wall
And candles burn at her bed feet.
Up spoke Sweet William at this sad time
"Unfold from her face that white bed sheet
That I may kiss those cold cold lips
That so often have kissed mine.
Fair well (very well) in truth I tike my bed
Fair well I like my sheet
But better than both that fair lady (Far better I like that fair lady)
A standing at my bed's feet
When that night was done and day was come (The long night done then day did come)
All good men were awake (Then good men did awake)
Sweet William's thoughts did trouble him
Of Lady Margaret standing at his bed's feet (Of Lady Margaret's words at his bed's feet)
Sweet William rose on this May morn
Once more he dressed in blue
He stepped up in his stirrup high
And rode off through the early dew
He rode up to Lady Margaret's hall
He tingered (tingled) at the bell knocker.
Who then arose to let him in?
'Twas Lady Margaret's seventh brother.
Where is Lady Margaret fair?
Is she in her chamber hall?
Or does she comb her yellow hair
Behind her window wall?
She lies in her chamber hall
She lies in her bed sheet
Her cold face is against the wall
And candles burn at her bed feet
Up spoke Sweet William at this sad time
"Unfold from her face that white bed sheet
That I may kiss those cold cold lips
That so often have kissed mine."
"Stand back, go home," her brothers spake
Go back now to your wedded wife
Let our fair sister lie alone
Where for her love she lost her life.
Lady Margaret died on one (that) fair day.
Sweet William on the morrow.
Lady Margaret died for her true love
Sweet William died of sorrow.
They laid Lady Margaret in that churchyard
They laid Sweet William near by her
From her grave grew a red red rose
From his a green green brier.
They grew up to the church wall top
Tilt they could grow no higher
They turned and twined in a lover's knot
Red Rose and Green Brier (The Rosy and the Brier).