The Two Brothers- Hurt (VA) 1921 Davis K
[Title assigned by Stone. From Davis Traditional Ballads of Virginia; 1929. Davis's notes follow. Davis mentions Newell, who gave Child two US versions, the shorter, two stanza version dated 1850, is Child G b as found in Volume 2: Ballads 29-53; published June 1884 w/Additions and Corrections.
R. Matteson 2012, 2014]
TRADITIONAL BALLADS OF VIRGINIA
11. THE TWA BROTHERS (Child No. 49)
This is one of the very few ballads of which American texts were known to Child, included in the body of his work, and actually commented upon in his head-note. " It is interesting," he says, "to find the ballad still in the mouths of children in American cities, --in the mouths of the poorest, whose heritage these old things are. The American versions, though greatly damaged preserve the names John and William, which all the other copies have." And in a foot-note he quotes W. W. Newell, who obtained the American version[s] to this effect: "I have heard it sung at a picnic by a whole carful of little girls. The melody is pretty. These children were of the poorest class."
The Virginia singers seem to have no distinctive title for " The Two Brothers." The bulk of the Virginia versions differ from the bulk of the Child versions in that only two of the Virginia texts out of a total of eleven leave even the possibility that the fratricide was accidental. Of the other nine, some leave the stabbing as an outburst of passion, some indicate that the two brothers were in love with the same girl and that jealousy was therefore the motive. This essential point, and others, connect the bulk of the Virginia texts with Child B. The other two may be related to A in this respect, otherwise, especially verbally, to B.
In all of the Virginia texts the age of the "little boys" is incompatible with the rest of the story, the love affair in particular. Several variants, like Child B and C, conclude the ballad with several stanzas taken from "Sweet William's Ghost" (Child; No. 77), but none follows Child D, E, F, G, in supplementing the story with more or less of the ballad of "Edward" (Child, No. 13). As Child C differs in several essential points (accidental killing, the mother's parting anger at the younger son, etc.), we are led back to Child A and B, especially B, for our closest relationship.
The brothers, when not simply older and younger, are John and William, as in Child. The girl, when not merely a truelove or little sweetie, is Susie, not Margaret as in Child B.
K. "The Two Brothers." Collected by Mr. John Stone. Sung by Mrs. M. C. Hurt, of Wytheville, Va. Wythe County.
1 "Dear William, dear William, where is dear John?"
"I left him in the wild, wild woods,
Learning his hounds to run."
2 " Dear William, dear William, where is dear John?"
"I left him in the church-field town,
His lesson for to learn."
3 "Dear William, dear William, where is dear John?"
"I left him in the cold, cold grave,
Never more to return."
4 She took her crape in her hand
And she went along,
she mourned till she mourned the birds off of the trees
And the fishes out of the sea.
5 She mourned till she mourned him out of his grave
"O what do you want, Pretty Susie,
O what do you want with me?"
6 "One sweet kiss from your red ruby lips."
"I'm sure my breath's to strong.
If you will kiss my red ruby lips
I'm sure your days are not long."