The Green Wedding- Corbett (NL) 1929 Karpeles
[From Karpeles' Folk Songs from Newfoundland, 1934. This version is based on the British broadside ballad, titled The Squire Of Edinburgh (see in US Versions), which is a variant of Katharine Jaffray found in the US northeast and Canada. Karpeles collected four versions of The Green Wedding in Newfoundland in 1929-1930- only this one appearing in her book.
R. Matteson 2013, 2016]
The Green Wedding- Sung by Mrs. Theresa Corbett at Conception Harbour, NL; October 1929, Collected Karpeles.
There was a lady lived in this town,
And she had only one son.
He courted of the country girls,
Till he thought he had to mourn.
He courted them both young and old,
Both rich and poor likewise,
Till at length he cries: I am undone,
And the tears rolls from his eyes.
She wrote her letter a love letter,
And signs it with her hand,
She says: I'm going to be married,
Unto another man.
The very first lines he looked upon,
He smiles and this did say,
I'll deprive him of his bride,
All on his wedding day.
He wrote her back and answer:
Be sure to dress in green.
A suit of the same I will put on,
At your wedding I'll be seen.
A suit of the same I will put on,
For your wedding I'll prepare,
I'll meet with you, my heart's delight,
In spite of all that's there.
His father looked at him and says:
Where have you been all day?
Or what have been the eight score men
That ride along the way ?
He looked at him, he laughed at him,
He smiled and this did say:
It must have been some fairy troop
That rode along the way.
He looked east and he looked west,
And he looked all o'er the land,
Until he picked out eight score men
Belonging to the British gang.
He mounted on a milk-white steed
And a single man rode he,
And it's off to the wedding-house he has gone
All in great company.
Come fill the glass up to the brim,
Let the toast go merrily round.
Happy, happy is the man
That will enjoy the crown.
Happy, happy is the man
That will enjoy his bride.
Let another young man love her so well
As to take her from his side.
Up speaks the young bride's husband,
And a bold spoken man was he.
If it's for fighting you came here
I am the man for thee.
It's not for fighting I came here,
It's friendship for to show.
Give me one kiss from your bonny bride's lips
And away from you I'll go.
He took her round the waist so small,
And around the grass green sleeves,
It's out of the wedding-house they did go
Without any more delay.
The bands they played and the trumpets sound,
Was glorious to be seen,
And it's off to Alma Town
With his company dressed in green.