The Three Crows- Tabb (Va.) 1915 Davis A
[From Davis, Traditional Ballads from Virginia, 1929 p. 137-145. Davis's notes follow.
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.
A. "The Three Crows." contributed by Miss Jennie Tabb. Transmitted by Professor J. M. Grainger. Amelia county, September 29, 1915. printed in the Focus, Farmville, Va., for September, 1915. "Miss Jennie Tabb of Farmville, a niece of Father Tabb, has heard this version of Twa Corbis, as far back as she can remember in Amelia County. She cannot tell where she learned it, but thinks perhaps it came to her first from her old Negro mammy" (Mr. Grainger).
1 There were three crows sat on a tree,
Billy Magee Magaw,
There were three crows sat on a tree,
Billy Magee Magaw,
There were three crows sat on a tree,
And they were black as crows could be,
And they all flapped their wings and cried,
Caw, caw, caw,
Billy Magee Magaw.
2. Said one old crow unto his mate,
Billy Magee Magaw,
Said one old crow unto his mate,
Billy Magee Magaw,
Said one old crow unto his mate,
"What for our dinner shall we eat?"
And they all flapped their wings and cried:
Caw, Caw, caw,
BillY Magee Magaw.
3. "In yonder field there lies a horse,"
BillY Magee Magaw:
"In yonder field there lies a horse,"
BillY Magee Magaw:
"In yonder field there lies a horse,"
And we will dine upon his corse,"
And they all flapped their wings and cried:
Caw, caw, caw,
BillY Magee Magaw.
4. "We'll perch ourselves on his backbone,"
Billy Magee Magaw,
"We'll perch ourselves on his backbone,"
Billy Magee Magaw,
"We'll perch ourselves on his backbone,"
And pluck his eyes out one by one,"
And they all flapped their wings and cried:
Caw, caw, caw,
Billy Magee Magaw.