The Burly Burly Banks- Elmer Barton from Quechee, Vermont; Collected in 1942 by M. Olney; Flanders C
[From Ballads Migrant in New England; Flanders, Version C in Ancient Ballads, 1960. Coffin's notes follow. This version by Elmer Barton of Quechee, Vermont was collected in 1942 by M. Olney. It first appeared in Helen Hartness Flanders' Ballads Migrant in New England. Barton's version was recorded and appears on the recording, Eight Traditional British-American Ballads; 1953. A similar version with the same title was collected by Flanders from Jonathon Moses of Orford, New Hampshire. Peggy Seeger's recorded version (see below) titled The Burly Burly Banks of Barbee-O (The Long Harvest Vol. 5) is nearly identical to Barton's but is attributed to Jonathon Moses of Orford, New Hampshire.
R. Matteson 2012, 2014]
Babylon
(Child 14)
This song is quite hard to find in Anglo-American tradition, although it is known to most of the Germanic peoples. It has been collected in New England, the Maritime Provinces, and the Appalachians, but has not been popular enough to spread West.
The Flanders A version, in which the youngest sister kills the brother, is unique to America. The B-D texts follow the Child A story and seem to have borrowed from "High Barbary" in their refrain. Phillips Barry (British Ballads from Maine, 72) found a fragment in Maine which seems to relate to Child F, and he also points out in BFSSNE, VII,6, that Child E, from G. R. Kinloch's Ancient Scottish Ballad's ([London, 1827], 212), introduces the girl's brother as a means of thwarting the robber. The villain is to be hanged or fed to toads or rattlesnakes, even though the rattlesnake is not found in Britain. However, there cannot be much variation in a ballad tradition as sparse as that of the Anglo-American "Babylon."
Consult coffin, 46-47 (American); and Greig and Keith, 15 and l2l (Scottish), for further remarks and bibliography.
All three of the tunes for Child 14 are related. The Porter tune corresponds to BC1 group B, while the Moses and Barton tunes belong with BC1 group A. The beginning of Barton, however, corresponds to that of Porter. For melody relationships for all three, see GN, 10 and Maud Karpeles Folk Songs from Newfoundland (1934), II, 78-82. Evidently this tune family is restricted to northeastern North America.
The Burly Burly Banks of Barby-O- Elmer Barton; Quechee, Vermont; Collected in 1942 by M. Olney; From Ballads Migrant in New England
There was three sisters picking flowers
High in the lea and the lonely O!
They scarced had picked but one or two
On the Burly Burly Banks of Barbry-O
It's there they spied a bank robber bold
It's there they spied a bank robber bold
He took the oldest by the hand
He *hurled her round 'n he made her stand
Saying, "Will you be a bank robber's wife
Or will you die by my penknife?"
"No, I won't be a bank robber's wife
I'd rather die by your penkife."
Then he took out his penknife
It's there he ended her sweet life
He took the next one by her hand
He *hurled her 'round; he made her stand
Saying, "Will you be a bank robber's wife
Or will you die by my penknife?"
"No, I won't be a bank robber's wife
I'd rather die by your penknife."
Then he took out his penknife
And it's there he ended her sweet life.
He took the youngest by her hand
He hurled her 'round he made her stand.
Saying, "Will you be a bank robber's wife
Or will you die by my penknife?"
"Yes I will be a bank robber's wife
So I won't die by your penknife."
"Oh dear, oh dear, I wish my two brothers were here!"
"Oh what would your two brothers do?"
For one is a minister, the other like you.
On the Burly Burly Banks of Barbry-O
And then he took out his own penknife,
And it's there he ended his own life.
*whirled
_______________
The Burly Burly Banks of Barbree-O Peggy Seeger from the singing of Jonathan Moses of Orford; New Hampshire, 1942. Note that Stanza 14 is irregular.
1 There were three sisters picking flowers,
High in the lea and the lonely, O
They scarce had picked but one or two
On the burly burly banks of Barbree-O.
2. They'd scarcely picked but one or so,
High in the lea and the lonely, O
O, when they spied a bank-robber bold
On the burly burly banks of Barbree-O.
3 He took the oldest by the hand,
High in the lea and the lonely, O
He 'hirled her around and he made her stand.
On the burly burly banks of Barbree-O.
4 Saying, Will you be a bank-robber's wife?
High in the lea and the lonely, O
Or will you die by my penknife?'
On the burly burly banks of Barbree-O.
5 No, I won't be a bank-robber's wife
High in the lea and the lonely, O
I would rather die by your penknife.
On the burly burly banks of Barbree-O.
6 Then he took out his penknife,
High in the lea and the lonely, O
And sadly ended her sweet life.
On the burly burly banks of Barbree-O.
7 Then he took the next one by the hand,
High in the lea and the lonely, O
He 'hirled her round and made her stand.
On the burly burly banks of Barbree-O.
8 Saying, 'Will you be a bank-robber's wife?
High in the lea and the lonely, O
Or will you die by my penknife?'
On the burly burly banks of Barbree-O.
9 No, I won't be a bank-robber's wife,
High in the lea and the lonely, O
I'd rather die by your penknife.
On the burly burly banks of Barbree-O.
10 Then he took out his wee penknife,
High in the lea and the lonely, O
And sadly ended her sweet life.
On the burly burly banks of Barbree-O.
11 He took the youngest by the hand,
High in the lea and the lonely, O
He 'hirled her round and made her stand.
On the burly burly banks of Barbree-O.
12 Saying, 'Will you be a bank-robber's wife?
High in the lea and the lonely, O
Or will you die by my penknife?'
On the burly burly banks of Barbree-O.
13 Yes, I shall be a bank-robber's wife,
High in the lea and the lonely, O
So I won't die by your penknife.
On the burly burly banks of Barbree-O.
14 O dear, O dear! I wish my two brothers were here,
High in the lea and the lonely, O,
O, what did your two brothers do?
On the burly burly banks of Barbree-O,
The one is a minister, the other like you,
On the burly burly banks of Barbree-O.
15 O dear, O dear! What have I done?
High in the lea and the lonely, O
I've killed my sisters all but one.
On the burly burly banks of Barbree-O.
16 Then he took out his penknife,
High in the lea and the lonely, O
And sorry ended his own life.
On the burly burly banks of Barbree-O.