The Two Brothers- Lovingood (NC) 1936 Scarborough
[From Song Catcher in the Southern Mountains; Scarborough, 1937, completed in 1936.
R. Matteson 2012, 2104]
THE TWO BROTHERS- Charity Lovingood Murphy, NC; pre-1936
O brother, can you play at ball?
Or can you toss a stone?
I an too little, I am too young,
O brother let me alone.
His brother took out his little penknife,
Which was both keene and sharp.
He put a deep and deadly wound
And pierced him to the heart,
O, brother, take my holland shirt,
And rip it from gore to gore;
You tie it around my bleeding wound.
And it will bleed no more.
His brother took off his holland shirt,
And ripped it from gore to gore;
He tied it around his bleeding wound.
But still it bled the more.
O brother take me on your back,
Carry me to Chesley Town,
You dig a deep and large, wide grave
And lay me there so sound.
You put my bible at my head,
My psaltry[1] at my feet,
My bow and arrow at my side,
And sounder I will sleep.
He put his bible at his head,
His psalter at his feet,
His bow and arrow at his side,
So sounder will he sleep.
And when his true love asked for him,
The truth to her he told,
He told he was dead and in grave laid
And buried in Chesley town.
Go home, go home, you rambling reed,
Don't weep nor mourn for me.
For if you do for twelve long years
No more you'll see of me.
1. sound be "psalter" for a hymn book.