Three Ladies Played at Ball- Price (RI-MA) 1914
[From Flanders, Ancient Ballads, 1966. Coffin mentions that two middle verse are left off that say, the bride got consent from her parents and family- everyone but brother John. Since the brother is responsible for brother's wife it was custom that the bride must ask permission of the brother to marry. In this version and Barry's version the brother is asked but still stabs the bride.
R. Matteson 2014]
Three Ladies Played at Ball- As sung by Miss Edith Ballenger (ballinger) Price at Newport, Rhode Island; learned, from an old lady from Massachusetts about 1914. M. Olney, Collector; October 25, 1945. Structure: A (internal repetition) B C D (2,2,2,2); Rhythm E; Contour: arc; Scale: anhemitonic pentatonic t.c. e. For mel. rel. see BES, 431; possibly SharpK, 36 (first half); and BC1, 186, No. 2.
Three ladies played at cup and ball,
With a hey and a lady gay!
Three knights there came among them all,
The rose that smells so sweetly!
And one of them was dressed in red;
He ask-ed me with him to wed.
And one of them was dressed in yellow;
He ask-ed me to be his fellow.
And one of them was dressed in green;
He ask-ed me to be his queen.
"Oh, you must ask my father the king
And you must ask my mother the queen.
"And you must ask my sister Anne
And you must ask my brother John."
["Oh, I have asked your father the king[1]
And I have asked your mother the queen.
"And I have asked your sister Anne
And I have asked your brother John."]
Her father the king led her down the hall;
Her mother the queen led her down the stairs.
Her sister Anne led her down the path;
Her brother John sat her on her horse.
And as she bent to give him a kiss
He stuck a penknife into her breast.
"Now, up and ride, my foremost man!
My lady fair looks pale and wan!"
"Oh, what will you leave to your father the king?"
"The golden chair that I sit in!"
"And what will you leave to your mother the queen?"
"The golden coach that I ride in!"
"And what will you leave to your sister Anne?"
"My silver brooch and ivory fan!"
"And what will you leave to your brother John?"
"A pair of gallows to hang him on!"
1. Two stanzas added from the online recording