The False Lover- Devlin (PA) c1879 Lomax/Newman
[From Never Without a Song, Newman 1995; Recorded by Lomax 1938. I've guestimated the date at 1879 when Devlin was twelve years old based on a brief interview. Lomax interview follows.
R. Matteson 2014]
Interview with Lomax:
Grandma Deb [chuckling]: 'About making up to the cat and how she tried to fool him, her father, you know."
Alan Lomax: "Where did you learn that?"
Grandma Deb: "I dunno. Lots of them I could sing when I was little. I said to Kay, I've been to so many places, I couldn't tell you, the different places I've been in my young life. But whether I learned them this year or that year . . .more, I couldn't tell you. Ever since I could remember, I could sing that. "I tell you about the violin and the second violin. I was bound out when I
was somewhere between four and six years oid, and, see, I was learned to do all them kind of things. And they moved around--he was a basketmaker and we wound up in Canada and all that . . ."
Her voice trailed off. Here, and in other comments she made during her day with Lomax, she seemed to be endeavoring to explain herself and her songs, hoping to give this young stranger whatever it was he needed, whatever he had come for.
"Go fetch me down your father's gold,
Likewise your mother's fee,
And fetch two horses out of the stable,
The best of the thirty and three, three, three,
The best of the thirty and three."
She brought him down her father's gold,
Likewise her mother's fee.
She brought him two horses out
The best of the thirty and three,
The best of the thirty and three.
She mounted upon her bonny brown,
And he the dapple gray,
They rode till they came to the merry green woods,
Three long hours before it was day, day, day,
Three long hours before it was day.
They rode till they came to the water's side
Where the lilies shone out so gay.
"For it's six kings' daughters I've drownded here,
And it's you the seventh shall be, be, be,
And it's you the seventh shall be.
"Take off your robes, your robes so fine,
And lay them down by me,
For I count your robes too rich and too costly
For to lie and to rot in the sea, sea, sea,
For to lie and to rot in the sea."
"If I'm to take off my robes so fine
And lay them down by thee,
O wheel about and turn clear round
With your eyes to the leaves of the tree, tree, tree,
With your eyes to the leaves of the tree.
"For an unrobed maid it is not fit,
For any human face for to see, see, see,,
For any human face for to see."
He wheel-ed about and turned clear round
With his eyes to the leaves of the tree.
She stepped up to him so manfully
And plunged him into the sea, sea, sea,
And plunged him into the sea.
"Lie there, lie there, you false-hearted man,
Lie there, I tell unto thee.
For it's six kings' daughters you drownded here,
Just to keep you company, -ny, -ny,
just to keep you company."
She mounted all on her bonny brown
And led the dapple gray.
She rode till she came to her father's door,
Three long hours before it was day, day, day,
Three long hours before it was day.
Then up spoke the pretty Poll-ee,
And unto Pauline did say,
"What's the matter, my pretty Pauline,
That you're out so long before day, day, day,
That you're out so long before day?"
"O, hold your tongue, my pretty par-rot
And tell no tales on me,
And gold shall be the lining of your cage,
And hang on the green willow tree, tree, tree,
And hang on the green willow tree."
Then up then spake the father dear
And unto the parrot did say,
"What's the matter, my pretty Poll-ee,
You prattle so long before day, day, day?
You prattle so long before day?"
"The cat came up to my cage door
And she tried to worry me,
And I was calling my pretty Pauline
To drive the old cat away, away, away,
To drive the old cat away."