The Three Crows- Grubb (Va.) 1919 Davis J
[From Davis, Traditional Ballads from Virginia, 1929 p. 137-145. Davis's notes follow. This was sung again in December by Elizabeth Grubb, see version K for another music rendition.
R. Matteson 2014]
10. THE THREE RAVENS
(Child, No. 26)
IN Virginia "The Three Ravens" have become "The Three Crows," som€etimes "The Two Crows." The Virginia variants, though they may differ in many resp€ects, both as to words and tune, are sufficiently alike to prove a similar origin. They lack at once the tenderness of the English "The Three Ravens" and the cynicism of the Scottish "The Twa Corbies." Their verbal resemblance with the Child texts ceases after the first two stanzas, and in spirit they are far removed from the human drama, touching or cynical, of the Child counterparts. Human actors have been entirely eliminated. "The Three Crows " is usually a comic animal song, which lends itself rather easily to improvisation and even parody. Two interesting civil war parodies are given as appendices to the ballad. C is a good example of comic addition to the old ballad. Minor variations in the several texts are exceedingly interesting.
For American texts, see Barry, No. 27; Brown, p. 9 (North Carolina); Bulletin 4,5, 7-10; Campbell and Sharp, No. 10 (Virginia; cf. Sharp, Songs,II, No. 5); Cox No. 6, and p. 522 (melody); Heart Songs, p. 485 Hudson, No. 5 (Mississippi); Jones, p. 301; Journal XX, 154 (Beatty, Wisconsin), 273 (Tatlock, Ohio); for additional references see Cox, p. 31, Journal, XXXI, 273.
J. "The Three Crows." Collected by. Mrs. J. B. Ferneyhough, of Richmond, Va. Sung by Elizabeth Grubb. Norfolk County. October 15, 1919. With music.
1. There were three crows sat on a tree,
And they were black as crows could be.
2. Said one old crow to his mate,
"what shall we do for bread to ate?"
3. "There lies a horse in yonder shed
That has been now some three weeks dead.
4. "We'll perch upon his bare backbone
And pick his eyes out one by one."