The Devil's Nine Questions; Texas Gladden 1941
[From The Devil's Nine Questions; Texas Gladden, on Texas Gladden, Ballad Legacy, The Alan Lomax Collection, Portraits, Rounder CD 11661-1800-2. Gladden and her brother Hobart Smith performed and frequented the Whitetop Festival in Virginia and knew Richard Chase and Horton Barker. Chase and Barker got a version from a singer at the festival but there's no indication who that was. The text of Chase and Barker's version is slightly different so we may assume that they didn't get their version from Gladden. [Listen: Texas Gladden]
Mike Yates wrote, "We are told that Texas Gladden learnt her version of The Devil's Nine Questions from the collector Alfreda Peel, who had previously noted the songs from a Mrs Rill Martin of Mechanicsburg, VA, before passing it on to Texas." Gladden's text version differs from Mrs Rill Martin only in the first verse. Melodically they are similar but there are slight differences.
R. Matteson Jr. 2011 and 2014]
The Devil's Nine Questions- Texas Gladden, on Texas Gladden, Ballad Legacy, The Alan Lomax Collection, Portraits, Rounder CD 11661-1800-2.
Oh, you must answer my questions nine
Sing ninety-nine and ninety
Or you're not God's, you're one of mine
And you are the weaver's bonny
What is whiter than the milk?
Sing ninety-nine and ninety
And what is softer than the silk?
And you are the weaver's bonny
Snow is whiter than the milk
Sing ninety-nine and ninety
And down is softer than the silk
And you are the weaver's bonny
Oh, what is higher than a tree?
Sing ninety-nine and ninety
And what is deeper than the sea?
And you are the weaver's bonny
Heaven's higher than a tree
Sing ninety-nine and ninety
And Hell is deeper than the sea
And you are the weaver's bonny
What is louder than a horn?
Sing ninety-nine and ninety
And what is sharper than a thorn?
And you are the weaver's bonny
Thunder's louder than a horn
Sing ninety-nine and ninety
And death is sharper than a thron
And you are the weaver's bonny
What's more innocent than a lamb?
Sing ninety-nine and ninety
And what is meaner than womankind?
And you are the weaver's bonny
A babe's more innocent than a lamb
Sing ninety-nine and ninety
And the devil is meaner than womankind
And you are the weaver's bonny
Oh, you have answered my questions nine
Sing ninety-nine and ninety
And you are God's, you're none of mine
And you are the weaver's bonny