The Rich Irish Lady- Reece Underwood (Child 295)
[This ballad, is based on the old English broadside, Sallie and her Truelove Billie. These versions have been grouped by many collectors, starting with Sharp's Appalachian versions in EFSSA, with Child 295, The Brown Girl, incorrectly, in my opinion. Still, I'm including them under Child 295, so noted. Other collectors have pointed out the similarity and categorized the American versions sometimes titled, The Rich Irish Lady, as a secondary ballad (Barry, Cox etc.) of Child 295. Child based his ballad types on two texts provided by Baring-Gould-- there is a debate about the authenticity of the ballad type.
R. Matteson 2014]
THE RICH IRISH LADY
1. A rich Irish lady in London did dwell
Her wealth and her beauty there's no tongue can tell.
A rich merchant's son from Overton[1] came
And courted this lady called Sally by name.
2. "O Sally, O Sally, O Sally," said he,
I'm afraid that, our courtship will never agree;
Unless all your hatred be turned into love,
"We'll never get married, by the Powers above!"
3. "Oh, no, I don't hate your nor no other man,
But, to say that I love you is more than I can.
I'm sure I'll not have you unless I am forced,
So I think it full time, sir, to end your discourse."
4. Three weeks had not passed nor scarcely gone by,
Until this young lady was taken to die.
All tangled in love, she scarcely knew why,
She sent, for the young man she once did deny.
5. "Am I any doctor, that you send for me here?
Or an I the young man who once loved you so dear?
"You are the young doctor, can kill or can cure,
And without your assistance I'm ruined I'm sure."
6. "O Sally, O Sally, O Sally to said he,
"Oh, don't you remember when you first slighted me?
You laughed at my courtship and refused me with scorn,
And now I'll reward you for what's past and gone."
7. "What's past, and gone, Love, forget and forgive,
And grant, me the pleasure a while longer to live."
"No , I won't do that, till the great, Judgement Day,
And I'll dance on your grave when you're laid in the clay."
8. She took from her finger, ring, gold, diamonds, all those,
"Wear those, noble sweetheart, when dancing on me,
And when you're done dancing on Sally, your queen,
Then flee from your sorrow, never more to be seen."
9. Now Sally is dying, the people suppose,
And among her rich kindred she leaves her fine clothes.
Now Sally sleeping beneath the cold clay,
And her pretty red cheeks are mouldering away.
1. Overton County is near Nashville.
The above ballad was written from memory by Reece E. Underwood on December ninth, 1936. An almost identical version was likewise written in 1939 by Elzie McBride, who learned it from his mother. McBride has "Neibeth" instead of London, and "London" instead of "Overton" in the first stanza, and he calls the song "Sallie 5ailor". There are a few other minor word changes.