The Devil's Nine Questions- Collected from Mrs. Rill Martin, Virginia, 1922.
[Bronson prints one US melody from Virginia collected in 1922 from Mrs. Rill Martin (reprinted from Traditional Ballads from Virginia). Lomax prints the similar melody collected from Texas Gladden which has been covered more recently by Elizabeth LaPrelle. At the bottom of the page is the text from 1933 recordings made by Davis appearing in More Ballads- which adds two additional stanzas.
[Listen: Texas Gladden] Gladden's version differs only in the first verse.
Mike Yates wrote, "We are told that Texas Gladden learnt her version of The Devil's Nine Question 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."
[Listen: Peggy Seeger] This is Seeger's version with only slight variations in the lyrics.
If you don't answer my questions nine
Sing ninety-nine and ninety,
I'll take you off to hell alive,
And you are the weaver's bonny.
What is whiter than milk?
Sing ninety-nine and ninety;
What is softer than silk?
Say you're the weaver's bonny."
Snow is whiter than milk,
Sing ninety-nine and ninety;
Down is softer than silk,
And I'm the weaver's bonny."
What is louder than a horn?
Sing ninety-nine and ninety;
What is sharper than a thorn?
Sing I am the weaver's bonny.
Thunder's louder than a horn,
Sing ninety-nine and ninety;
Death is sharper than a thorn,
Sing I'm the weaver's bonny.
What is higher than a tree?
Sing ninety-nine and ninety;
What is deeper than the sea?
Sing I'm the weaver's bonny.
Heaven's higher than a tree,
Sing ninety-nine and ninety;
And hell is deeper than the sea,
Sing I'm the weaver's bonny.
What is innocenter than a lamb?
Sing ninety-nine and ninety;
What is worse than womankind?
Say I'm the weaver's bonny.
A babe is innocenter than a lamb,
Sing ninety-nine and ninety;
The devil's worse than womankind,
Sing I'm the weaver's bonny."
You have answered me questions nine,
Sing ninety-nine and ninety;
You are God's, you're not my own,
And you're the weaver's bonny."
-----------------
[From Davis: More Ballads; the first (additional) stanza is taken from Froggie Went A-Courtin'. ]
The two final stanzas of the ballad may reflect the old folklore idea that naming the Devil frightens him away. See Wimberly, p.
87.
AA. "The Devil and the Nine Questions" or "The Devil's Nine Questions." Collected by Miss Alfreda M. Peel, of Salem, Va. Sung by Mrs. Rill Martin of Mechanicsburg, Va. Bland County (formerly of Giles County), The original text and tune collected September 11, 1922, the additional stanza October 22, 1933. Tune noted by Miss Evelyn Rex. Cf. TBVa. pp. 50-51. 549.
1 The Devil went a-courting and he did ride,
Sing ninety-nine and ninety,
A sword and a pistol by his side,
And you're the weaver's bonny. [1]
2 "If you don't answer me questions nine,
Sing ninety-nine and ninety,
I'll take you off to hell alive,
And you are the weaver's bonny.
3 "What is whiter than milk? [2]
Sing ninety-nine and ninety;
What is softer than silk? [3]
Say you're the weaver's bonny."
4 "Snow is whiter than milk,
Sing ninety-nine and ninety;
Down is softer than silk,
And I'm the weaver's bonny."
5 "What is louder than a horn?
Sing ninety-nine and ninety;
What is sharper than a thorn?
Sing I am the weaver's bonny."
6 "Thunder's louder than a horn,
Sing ninety-nine and ninety;
Death is sharper than a thorn,
Sing I'm the weaver's bonny."
7 "What is higher than a tree?
Sing ninety-nine and ninety;
What is deeper than the sea?
Sing I'm the weaver's bonny."
8 "Heaven's higher than a tree,
Sing ninety-nine and ninety;
And hell is deeper than the sea,
Sing I am the weaver's bonny."
9 "What is innocenter than a lamb,
Sing ninety-nine and ninety;
What is worse than woman kind?
Say I'm the weaver's bonny."
10 "A babe is innocenter than a lamb,
Sing ninety-nine and ninety;
The3 Devil's worse than woman kind,
Sing I'm the weaver's bonny."
11 "You have answered me questions nine,
Sing ninety-nine and ninety,
Oh, you are God's, you're not my own,
And you're the weaver's bonny."
1. Variant line: "An-a you the weaver's bonny."
2. Miss Peel in BB sings "the milk" and "the silk."
3. A misreading of Miss Peel's original manuscript is here corrected from "She" to "The." Incidentally, a certain popular singer [Burl Ives] of ballads has perpetuated the error on a commercial record, thus revealing the source of his text (also tune)! The editor regrets the necessity of parting with the picturesque and distinctive variant.
BB. "The Devil and the Nine Questions." phorograph record (aluminum) Made by A. K. Davis, Jr. sung by Miss Alfreda M. Peel, of Salem, Va. Roanoke County. August 2, 1933. Text transcribed by P. C. Worthington. The rest of the ballad, and the tune, are almost (but not quite) identical with Mrs. Rill Martin's version, AA. Hence they are not reproduced here. See headnote.
1. There was a knight came riding by,
Sing ninety-nine and ninety,
And there he spied a weaver's lass,
And she the weaver's bonny.