Sweet William- Ray (TN) 1916 Sharp H
[My title. Full version with music from: English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians I; Sharp/Campbell 1932 edition, edited by Karpeles. All of Sharp's versions use the generic title, Fair Margaret and Sweet William. Fair Margaret is not the name that is sung, usually it's Lady (Liddy/Lydia) Margaret (Marget/Margret).
Notes from the 1932 edition follow. Stanza 17 was added from Sharp's MS.
R. Matteson 2014]
H. Sweet William. Sung by Miss MAY RAY at Lincoln Memorial University,
Harrogate, Claiborne Co., Tenn., April 29, 1917
Pentatonic. Mode i.
1. Sweet William arose one May morning
And dressed himself in blue,
Come tell to me all about that love
Between Lady Marg'ret and you.
2 I know nothing of Lady Margaret's love,
But I know that she don't love me,
And in the morning at half-past eight
Lady Margaret my bride shall see.
3 Lady Margaret was standing in her own room door,
A-combing back her hair,
When who did she spy but Sweet William and his bride
As to the church they drew nigh.
4 Then down she threw her ivory comb,
In silk bound up her hair,
And out of the room this lady ran;
She was never any more seen there.
5 The day passed away and night a-coming on
And the most of the men were asleep,
Sweet William he espied Lady Margaret's ghost
A-standing at his bed-feet.
6 O how do you like your bed?
And how do you like your sheet?
And how do you like the fair young bride
That's lying in your arms at sleep?
7 Very well do I like my bed,
Much better do I like my sheet,
But best of all that fair young girl
That's standing at my bed-feet.
8 The night passed away and the day coming on
And most of all the men were awake.
Sweet William said: I am troubled in my head
By the dream that I dreamed last night.
9 Such dreams, such dreams as these,
I know they mean no good.
I dreamed last night that my room was full of swine
And my bride was floating in blood.
10 He called his servants all to him,
By one, by two, by three,
And the last he called was his own new-made bride,
That he Lady Margaret might see.
11 O what will you do with Lady Margaret's love,
And what will you do with me?
He said: I'll go and Lady Margaret see,
And I'll return unto thee.
12 He rode till he came to Lady Margaret's door
And dingled at the ring;
And who was so ready as her seventh lonely brother
But to rise and let him in.
13 O is she in her kitchen-room?
Or is she in her hall?
Or is she in her dining-room
Among her merry maids all?
14 She's neither in her kitchen-room,
Nor neither in her hall;
But she lies both dead and cold,
Stretched out against the wall.
15 You go fold up those snow-white sheets
That are made of linen so fine;
To-day they're hanging over Lady Margaret's corpse,
To-morrow they'll hang over mine.
16 Lady Margaret was buried in the old church-yard,
Sweet William was buried close by,
And out of her grave there sprung a red rose,
And out of his a brier.
17. They grew so tall and they grew so high
That they scarcely could grow any higher,
And they tied in a true love's knot
For all true loves to admire.[1]
18 They grew so tall and they grew so high
That they scarcely could grow any higher.
The brier ran around the corner of the church,
And the rose ran around the brier.
1. 1932 edition omits this stanza