US & Canada Versions: 295. The Brown Girl (The Sailor from Dover/Sally and Billy/Rich Irish Lady)
[Most US and Canadian versions that have been classified as Child 295 The Brown Girl, have little to do with the Brown Girl (although there are similarities) and nothing to do with a brown girl. They are based on the "Sally and her True Love Billy" songs and common titles are "Fair Sally," "Pretty Sally," "Fine Sally," "A Rich lady from England/Ireland/Scotland," "A Rich Irish Lady" and "Sally Salisworth/Salisbury." The similarity in text between the "Brown Girl" 295A and "Sally" is the line "I'll dance and sing upon your grave." The plots are also somewhat similar: in "Brown Girl" the man rejects the girl because she is brown, in "Sally" the rich lady rejects the man because she is rich and beautiful and he is poor. In both ballads the rejected lover comes to the bedside when person of their affection is stricken sick and is dying and has no sympathy for them. There are some versions that have happy endings.
There is one version of Child 295A collected in West Virginia that was published in Singa Hypsy Doodle (1971). This rare find, dating back perhaps to c. 1784, established the ballad as traditional. It has been overlooked because Boette wrongly label's this Child 73, her notes follow:
According to Winnifred Brown Scott, who sang this song in 1969, her aunt, Sarah Brown Connolly, and her father, Emery Ellsworth Brown of Ritchie County, sang it too. They said the brothers in the family sang it to tease their sisters. The song went back to the family of John Brown who came to what is now Lewis County in 1784 and built the old Fort Mongue on White Oak Flats. Child No. 73 is usually known as "Lord Thomas and Fair Eleanor," "Fair Ellender" or the "Brown Girl." Found in many parts of America, this is a most unusual version in that the brown girl and the pretty fair maid change places.
The Bonny Brown Girl- Winnifred Brown Scott; 1969. Collected by Juanita Dawson.
1- I am as brown as brown can be, my eyes are black as a sloe,
I am as brisk as a nightingale and as wild as any doe.
2- My love he was so high and proud, his fortune too so high,
He for another fair pretty maid, he left me and passed me by.
3- Me did he send a love letter, he sent it from the town,
Saying no more he loved me for that I was so brown.
4- I sent his letter back again saying his love I valued not;
Whether that he would fancy me, whether that he would not.
5- When a six months were overpassed and gone
Then did my lover, once so bold, lie on his bed and groan.
6- First sent he for the doctor-man; "You, Doctor, me must cure,
These terrible pains do torture me, I can not long endure."
7- Next did he send from out the town, oh next he sent for me.
He sent for me the brown, brown girl who once his wife should be.
8- When I came to my sick love's bedside where he lay so dang'rous sick,
I could not for laughing stand upright upon my feet.
9- The white wand I held in my hand and stroked it on his breast;
"My faith and troth I give back to thee, so may thy soul have rest.
10- I've done as much for my true love as other maidens may,
I'll dance and sing on your grave a whole twelve month and a day."
This is the sole known traditional version found of Child 295A. It may be argued that Gainer's version, if legitimate, has a verse of 295A, making it similar to 295B (see below).
It's apparent that the "Sally" ballad in the US/Canada also dates back to the 1700s in the US since, for example, the Proudfit version was sung by Alexander Proudfit who was born in 1763, before the Revolutionary War! Another version was compiled by a Revolutionary war soldier. In the Brown Collection there is a manuscript dated 1824 (Version A) that is somewhat close to the Green Mountain Songster version. A Virginia version by Thomas Cheatham in 1825 is found in Abrams collection (See also Sept. 1973 NC folklore Journal). Barry prints two broadside versions: one which was from Boston and another which is clearly copied directly from an English broadside, it begins " 'Tis of a young sailor, from Dover he came." Both are included here (see Barry C and E).
As Coffin states in his introductory notes to Flanders (The Irish Lady or Sally from London; Laws P9 related to Child 295), "There are not traditional versions of this ballad in America." That was written in 1966 before the recent article by Steve Gardham, which if you agree, severs the relationship of The Irish Lady and related ballads to The Brown Girl (Child 295).
The Brown Girl is part of The Cruel Nymph, an earlier English broadside. Child did not have access to that ballad. According to Steve Gardham 295B by Baring-Gould is a ballad recreation where he added parts of "Sally and her True-Love Billy" to the Brown Girl broadside (295A). In the article Steve shows which stanzas were taken from "Sally" and added to "The Brown Girl."
After an exhaustive search by Gardham, he found only one US version that showed any similarity to the "Brown Girl" text found in Child 295 B, a version collected by Patrick Gainer. After studying Gainer and Woofter's ballads for years now (See for example the Wilgus edition of Combs and examine Gainer's contributions and book) there is only one logical explanation: it's likely Gainer did the same thing that Baring-Gould did, he recreated the ballad with one rewritten stanza of Child 295B. Assuming Baring-Gould made up his version, Gainer implicated himself by inserting this stanza:
'O Sarah, O Sarah, O Sarah,' said he,
'If it's that in love we cannot agree,
For you are too brown for me,' said the young man,
'I'll find one with beauty as soon as I can.'
It's is not the first time this has happened (see Scott's John o' Hazeldean for example) and Gainer has other examples of suspicious attributions and dubious ballads finds. It's ironic that John Harrington Cox, who was at The University of West Virginia when Woofter and Gainer were student collectors, lists his versions of "Sally and Billy" in his 1925 book, Folk Songs of the South, not under Child 295 (although he recognizes the connection with Child 295) but separate from the Child ballads.
In his book, The Late Victorian Folksong Revival: The Persistence of English Melody, 1878–1903, E. David Gregory explores Gardham's article and comments that Baring-Gould's 295B, ascribed to John Woodrich, could have been combined with "Pretty Dorothy" another ballad that John Woodrich knew. "Pretty Dorothy" is a version of the "Sally and her True Love Billy" songs and begins, "Once I was a bachelor, from London town I came."
Regardless of whether this was an intentional combination of ballads or an accidental mixture by an informant- the result is the same- "Sally" is a different ballad and should not be classified with "The Brown Girl."
For now I'm lumping the "Sally and her True-love Billy" or "Sally and Billy"-- known also as "The Bold Sailor," "The (Young) Sailor from Dover" and other popular titles in the US and Canada- "Pretty Sally," "Fine Sally," and "The Rich Irish Lady" songs under Child 295. I know that they don't really below here but since they've already been put here--I'll leave it that way.
R. Matteson 2014]
Harding Broadside of Sally and her True Lover Billy
----The popular ballad that became Child 295----
CONTENTS: (to open individual versions click on them- attached to this page)
The Fair Damsel From London- (VT) pre1823 Flanders B
New Ballad (Sweet Sally)- Adams (NC) 1824 Brown A
Sally- Cheatham (VA) 1825 Abrams Collection
Sally & Her True Love Billy- Brdside c1840 Barry C
Fair Sally- (MA) c.1840s Boston Broadside Barry E
Sally Salisbury- Proudfit (PA) pre1844
Fair Sally- Perry (NC) c.1855 Brown B
Rich Lady from London- Long (MS) c.1863 Hudson A
Pretty Sally- Wilson (WV) c.1865 Cox C
Rich Irish Lady- Allison (VA) c.1865 Davis C
Fair Sally- Carr (ME) pre1869 Barry B
Fair Sally- Pointer (MO) c.1880 Randolph B
A Rich Lady from London- Ingenthron(MO) 1892 Randolph F
Sally- Cox (IN) 1892 Brewster
Sally- M. A. S. (KS) pre1908- Barry JAFL 1914
Pretty Sally- Baker (MO) 1903 Randolph A
The Rich Lady- Barnes (NC) pre1904 Campbell
Sarah- Moore (GA) 1909 Campbell; Sharp F
A Brave Irish Lady- Hyder (MO) pre1910 Belden A
Fine Sally- Wright (MO) 1914 Belden B
A Rich Irish Lady- Hagans (WV) 1916 Cox B
A Rich Irish Lady- Wine (WV) 1916 Cox D
The Rich Irish Lady- Fogg (WV) pre1916 Davis F
Fine Sally- Sands (NC) 1916 Sharp A
Fine Sally- Rice (NC) 1916 Sharp B
Fair Sally- Wallin (NC) 1916 Sharp C
Where does your pain lie?- Shelton (NC) 1916 Sh D
Are You the Doctor?- Chisholm (VA) 1916 Sharp E
Sally Sailsworth- Case (MO) pre1916 Belden C
Pretty Sally- Hunt (WV) 1917 Cox A
Rich Lady from Scotland- Kinnard (KY) 1917 Sharp G
Am I The Doctor?- Patrick (KY) 1917 Sharp K
Young Lady From London- Blackard (VA) 1918 Sharp H
Young Irish Lady- Bennett (NC) 1918 Sharp I
Poor Sally- Richards (VA) 1918 Sharp J
Sweet Sally of Salsworth- Young (VA) 1919 Davis E
Fair Sally- Rosson (VA) 1919 Davis I
Rich Irish Lady- Eakel (VA) 1920 Davis B
Rich Irish Lady- Carpenter (VA) 1920 Davis H
Pretty Sally- Davis (VA) 1920 Davis J
Rich Irish Lady- Cruickshank (MO) 1920 Belden D
Rich Lady from London- Hart (VA) 1921 Davis A
Marthy- Lowry (VA) 1921 Davis F
Sally Dover- Tillett (NC) 1922 Brown/Chappell
Sarah- Nicewander (VA) 1923 Davis D
The Irish Lady- Allison (MO) 1924 Belden E
An Irish Young Lady- Grindle (ME) pre1924 Barry A
Doctor- Harmon (TN) 1930 Henry
Rose of Ardeen- Dickinson (MS) pre1936 Hudson B
The Irish Lady- Nye (OH-SC) 1937 Lomax
A Rich Irish Lady- Haigood (OK) 1938 Owens
Sweet Sally- Bostic (NC) 1938 Brown C
Sarah the Queen- Flannery (NC) 1938 Abrams
The Rich Lady- Wilson (MO) 1940 Randolph D
Rich Lady from Scotland- Hill (MO) 1940 Randolph E
Pretty Sally- Barker (VA) pre1941 Abrams
I Have No Hatred- Chadwick (AR) 1942 Randolph C
Pretty Sally- Davis (VT) pre1946 Flanders A
Rich Lady from London- Mahoney (VA) 1950 Leach
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[From: Close to Home: Old Time Music from Mike Seeger's Collection, 1952-1967 as sung by Archie Sturgill; Smithsonian/Folkways SF 40097, CD (1997), trk# 33 [1967/01].
This version starts off with "The Death of Queen Jane" then in the 5th stanza shifts to "Poor Sally" (usually classified as Child 295).
R. Matteson 2015]
Queen Sally- Recorded by Archie at his and Kate Peters Sturgill's home in Norton, VA; 1967. "My sister and Aunt sung that back when I was a kid, 11 or 12 years old."
1. Queen Sally, Queen Sally,
Taken sick down in bed.
2. No one, knew the reason,
To relieve her from bed.
3. King Henry, was sent for,
On horseback full-speed.
4. In the need of, Queen Sally,
Queen Sally is lain.
5. I am, no doctor,
Why did you send for me here?
6. Yes you're, the doctor,
Can kill or, can cure.
7. I courted you, in honor,
You slighted me in scorn.
8. I'm now gonna remind you,
Of things past and gone.
9. Of things past and gone, love
Let's forget and forgive.
10 Spare me one hour,
Pray Lord let me live.
11. I'll spare you no hour
No moments or days.
12 I'll dance on your grave love,
When you're on the, cold clay.
13. Off of, her fingers,
Diamond rings she drew three.
14. Be wary Loving Henry,
While you're dancing on me.
____________________________
A Brave Irish Lady (Notes from Belden; 1940)
This seems the most fitting title for American texts of this ballad, tho some collectors enter it as a form of Child 295, The Brown Girl. It is related, certainly, to that ballad, but is sufficiently distinct to be ranked as a separate song. In The Brown Girl it is the woman, not the man, that is hard-hearted; the story is put in her mouth; and there is no Irish lady. In fact the figure of the Irish lady is American; the British broadside, Christie's Scotch text, Sharp's from Somerset, even the Boston broadside (printed in B.BM 422-3) know nothing of her. The man's declaration that he will dance on her grave- which is probably what has most contributed to keep the song alive- goes back to Child's two versions of 295, and his suggestion that she has called him in as a doctor is at least implied in Child B, tho not fully developed till later. The peculiarly flat statement, with its false rhyme, that
'You can quit your intentions, and end your discourse,
For I will never have you unless I am forced
is apparently to be credited to the nineteenth century stall prints; it appears in both of them as printed in BBM, and maintains itself pretty well in American tradition. Only in American texts has the stanza from Death and the Lady (100EFS 52)
Now Sally is dead, lies cold in the clay,
Her rosy-red cheeks are all moldering away
crept in; it is found in TBVB, SharpK F H, FSS C D, and all the Missouri texts. The song has been reported since Child's time from Scotland (Christie II 240-1) and. Somerset (JFSS VIII 5-6), from Maine (BBM 478-25), Vermont (VFSB 244-6), Virginia (TBV 537-43, SharpK I 297,300-1, 303-4, SCSM 98), West Virginia (JAFI-, XXXII 502, FSS 366-70), Kentucky (SharpK I 299-300, 304), Tennessee (ETWVMB 119-20, FSSH 134-5), North Carolina (SharpK I 295-7,302-3), Georgia (SharpK I 298), Mississippi (FSM 128-30), and Kansas (JAFL XXVII 73-4). Tolman had a text from Indiana but did not print it because it was so much like that given by Barry in JAF L XXVII 73-4. It is listed as recorded in Tennessee but the text not given in SFLQ II 79.
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[Davis's notes: Traditional Ballads of Virginia; 1925]
50. THE BROWN GIRL
(Child, No. 295)
The Virginia contribution of eleven texts and three melodies more than doubles the- gleanings of this ballad in America. For other American items, see Barry, No. 19 (and melody from Vermont in Journal XVIII, 295; and Campbell and Sharp, No. 36 (six texts and five tunes from North Carolina and Virginia). The Virginia items are reported in Bulletin, Nos. 5, 7, 8, 9,
11. One fragment of this ballad combined with "The Death of Queen Jane" (Child, No. 170) was not reported in the Bulletin but appears as Virginia, No. 35, which see.
The Virginia variants A to J seem to belong to a single version of the ballad, one that has little in common with either of the Child versions, though its phraseology is occasionally reminiscent of Child B, not of A. The Campbell and Sharp texts A to F represent the same version, which we may therefore call the usual American version. In it the girl is no longer brown, and the
lovers have exchanged positions; the man is now the proud one who, once scorned, will not forgive and thus save the life of the sick girl, upon whose grave he will rather dance. These essential changes and others mutt be made in Child's summary, which runs thus: "A young man who has been attached to a girl sends her word by letter that he cannot fancy her because
she is so brown (he has left her for another maid in B). She sends a disdainful reply, He writes again that he is dangerously ill (he is love-sick in B), and begs her to come to him quickly and give him back his faith. She takes her time in going, and when she comes to the sick man's bedside, cannot stand for laughing. She has, however, brought a white band with her, which she
strokes on his breast, in sign that she gives him back the faith which he had given her. But as to forgiving and forgetting, that she will never do; she will dance upon his grave." The Virginia version of the unrelenting male lover over-cruel to the dying Sally because she has rejected him is certainly less moving and less grateful than the picture of the proud brown girl who
refuses the death-bed advances of her once scornful lover. The name Sally or Sarah gives place once to Marthy, in Virginia F.
The style of the Virginia ballad shows unmistakably the influence of the broadside-press.
Indeed, it is with some hesitation that these texts have been definitely assigned to "The Brown Girl." But if they are not strictly a version of that ballad, they may well be, and almost certainly are, founded on "The Brown Girl " or perverted from it. Hence, and also following the authority of Campbell and Sharp, they are printed here as variants of the ballad rather
than as appendices to it.
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[Here is the controversial version from Folk Songs from the West Virginia Hills- Patrick Gainer; 1975. Commentary by Steve Gardham below. Steve is not familiar with Gainer's work.
R. Matteson Jr. 2014]
PRETTY SARAH
(CHILD 295, "THE BROWN GIRL")
There will be folklorists who will dispute my claim that this ballad is a variant of Child No. 295-B. However, the similarities in the two ballads are so striking that I believe I am correct. This version, which we found in Nicholas county, tells a good story, although the language in some stanzas suggests a broadside origin. The lady who sang it, Mrs. Maggie Crites, said she learned it long ago from her parents.
1. A rich Irish lady from Ireland she came,
A beautiful damsel, Sarah by name,
Her riches were more than a king could possess,
And her beautiful behavior [1] was worth all the rest.
2. At once a young doctor a-courting her came,
This beautiful damsel, Sarah by name,
He courted her for six months, I'll tell you the truth,
This beautiful damsel, this beautiful youth.
3. "O Sarah, O Sarah, O Sarah," said he,
"If it's that in love we cannot agree,
For you are too brown for me," said the young man, [2]
"I'll find one with beauty as soon as I can."
4. Oh, seven months had passed and gone,
When this young man fell sick at last,
And tangled in love he knew not why,
He sent for his damsel he once did deny.
5 "Are you the young doctor sent for me here,
Or am I the doctor can kill or can cure?"
'Oh, yes, you're the doctor can kill or can cure,
And without your assistance I cannot endure.
6 "O Sarah, O Sarah, O Sarah," said he,
"Don't you remember when I courted thee?"
But then you denied me and left me forlorn,
And now I'll reward you with hatred and scorn."
7 "For what's past and gone, love, forget and forgive,
And grant me some longer time here to live."
"No, I won't forgive you as long as I have breath,
But I'll dance on your grave when I'm under the earth."
8 Then off from his finger a gold ring he drew,
Saying, "Wear this ring, Sarah, when you dance over me,
Let your colors shine brighter where'er you are seen, [3]
When you are dancing, Sarah, the queen."
Steve Gardham: Here is the appropriate paragraph from my paper that includes the only American version to mention a 'brown girl'. It was collected as late as 1975 so it could easily have been influenced by the Child printings.
'One further American collection of more recent publication, Patrick Gainer's Folk Songs From The West Virginia Hills (1975) is worth noting - not so much for the comments on its relationship of the two ballads as for the unusual version of the song that it includes. It is given under the title 'Pretty Sarah' and has a fairly conventional opening line, 'A rich Irish lady, from Ireland she came', but what is apparently unique among American versions is an actual reference to the girl being brown (in stanza 3):
3. "O Sarah, O Sarah, O Sarah," said he,
"If it's that in love we cannot agree,
For you are too brown for me," said the young man,
"I'll find one with beauty as soon as I can."
The third line here certainly echoes the sentiment of the last line in stanza 3 of Child 295B, although the rhyme of 'man' with 'can' is paralleled in stanza 3 of the broadside ballad. Gainer's version came from Nicholas County, West Virginia, and was sung by Maggie Crites, who 'Learned it long ago from her parents'. the West Virginia Folk-Lore Society had been active around the state collecting folk songs since 1915. One of the earliest fruits of its labours was John Harrington Cox's Folk-Songs of the South, and although none of Cox's six versions of this ballad came from Nicholas County at least one of his contributors hailed from there. It is not inconceivable that Mrs Crites or her parents had been visited by a song collector and been told that what they were singing was a version of a prestigious Child ballad. In my own collecting I have encountered source singers who will go to great lengths to please collectors, sometimes learning extra songs or stanzas, and even composing whole new songs in the traditional idiom.'
My master title for the other ballad is 'The Sailor From Dover' based on the most common title given in English oral tradition, but on broadsides the following titles are found. None of these printings can definitely be ascribed as pre-1800 but many of them were printed around about that time by the likes of Evans, Pitts, Mate of Dover, Kendrew of York.
Sally and Her True Love Billy, Catnach, Pitts, Fordyce of Newcastle, Kendrew, Hodges, Such, Mate (rather oddly) 9sts
Sally and Billy, Evans, 9sts
Billy and Sally, Hurd of Shaftesbury, 9sts
Sally and Her True Love, Such, Disley, 9sts
The Sailor from Dover, NI, 10sts
The Young Sailor From Dover, NI (c1815) 8sts
The Inconstant Couple, NI, 10sts
A New Song Caled The Sailor From Dover, NI, 10sts
There's a 10 st version at the Bodleian under the 'Sailor From Dover' title.
----------------
The Irish Lady, or Sally from London [Coffin's notes from Flanders' Ancient Ballads 1966]
(Laws P9, related to Child 295)
Child, V, 166, gives the story of "The Brown Girl" as follows:
A young man who has been attached to a girl sends her word by letter that he cannot fancy her because she is so brown (he has left her for another). she sends a disdainful reply. He writes again that he is dangerously ill (he is love-sick), and begs her to come quickly and give him back his faith. she takes her time in going, and when she comes to the sick man's bedside, cannot stand for laughing. she has, however, brought a white wand with her, which she strokes on his breast, in sign that she gives him back the faith which he had given her. But as to forgiving and forgetting, that she will never do; she will dance upon his grave.
There are not traditional versions of this ballad in America. However, a song much like "The Brown Girl" and usually called something similar to "The Irish Lady" or "Sally from London" has had great popularity in Britain and this country. It derives from broadsides of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; in it, the sexes of the lovers are reversed, the brown complexion of the girl is not mentioned, and "Are you the doctor?" lines are almost always present. Normally, it ends with the death of the girl, but a great many minor variations occur in the plot. Texts with a happy ending, like A and B below, have been found in New England (Phillips Barry, British Ballads from Maine, 438) and in Michigan (Evelyn E. Gardner and Geraldine J. Chickering, Ballad's and Songs of Southern Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1939, 150). They seem to derive from the printed versions that relate to the Boston broadside reproduction in Barry, op. cit., 424, although that text is not particularly close to any of the ones mentioned above.
The song is also frequently found containing material common with other ballads, such as "Glenlogie" (Child 238); "Barbara Allen" (Child 84); "The Death of Queen Jane" (Child 170); "Clerk Saunders" (Child 69); "The Unquiet Grave." (Child 78); "Sweet William's Ghost" (Child 77); and "Lord Thomas and Fair Annet" (Child 73). See Coffin, 159-61, for discussion and an American bibliography. Dean-Smith, 56, and Belden, 111, give English references. Laws, ABBB, 252-3, treats the entire tradition and includes a great many Anglo-American citations.
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Ballads and Songs of Southern Michigan- Gardner and Chickering; 1939
The date of the manuscript was "written from 1841, or perhaps before, until the time of the Civil War at least" (p. 489)
FAIR LADY OF LONDON
(Secondary form, Child, No 295)
This song is somewhat similar to Child, No. 295, B (V, 166-168). For a discussion of the relationship between the two forms see Davis, pp. 537-543- F°r the only other versions noted which end happily, as does the Michigan text, see Barry, Eckstorm, and Smyth, pp. 418-425, A and E. For other texts and references see Cox, pp. 366-370. See also Hudson, pp. 26-37, and Sharp, I, 295-304. For a combination of this song with "The Death of Queen lane" see Davis, pp. 419-420, 537-543*
The present version is from the Gernsey manuscript.
1 In London's fair city a lady did dwell;
For wealth and for beauty there's none could excel.
Fair Sally, fair Sally, fair Sally, by name,
And many rich suitors unto Sally came.
2 A fair Irish laddie from fair Ireland came A-courting fair Sally for to be his dame. Her riches so great, and her portion so high That on this young man she could not cast an eye.
3 "O Sally, O Sally, O Sally," said he,
"I'm sorry that your love and mine can't agree; I make no great doubt but my ruin you'll prove, And all your great hatred will turn into love."
4 "No hatred for you, sir, or no other man; But as for to love you, it's more than I can.
So drop your intention and end your discourse, For I never will have you unless I am forced."
5 "O Sally, O Sally, O Sally," said he,
"Before six months roll round it's you will love me."
"I never will love you as long as I've breath,
And I'll dance on your grave whilst you moulder in earth."
6 Then after six months was over and past, We hear of this lady's misfortune at last.
She sent for this young man she had treated with scorn; She was pierced in her heart with a very sad moan.
7 "O am I your doctor? You sent for me, so The reason of this I long for to know." "Yes, you are my doctor, can kill or can cure; Without your assistance, I'm ruined I'm sure."
8 "O Sally, O Sally, O Sally," said he,
"O don't you remember how you slighted me?
You would speak so disdainful and treat me with scorn,
And now I'll reward you for time past and gone."
9 "For time past and gone, love, forget and forgive, And grant me awhile longer in this world to live." "I'll never forgive you as long as I've breath,
And I'll dance on your grave whilst you moulder in earth."
10 "O Jemmie, O Jemmie, O Jemmie," said she, "I'll freely forgive you, although you won't me." Then off from her fingers pulled diamond rings three, Saying, "Take them and wear them while dancing on my
grave."
11 "O Sally, O Sally, O Sally," said he,
"I'll freely forgive you if you'll forgive me. Come, cheer up, my jewel, and we will agree, And we will be married and merry we'll be."
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The Dusenbury Songs: being the seventy traditional songs ...
Emma Dusenbury - 19?? -
SALLY
There was a rich lady, from London she came;
A lady of beauty, and Sally by name.
A young man he courted her for a number of years,
And to this young lady he pressed all his cares.
Her riches being great and her honor being high,
And towards this young man she scarcely cast an eye;
Her riches being greater than a king could possess,
Her form and her beauty above all the rest.
"O Sally, O Sally, O Sally," says he,
"I'm
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Moore- English and Scottish Ballads
"The Brown Girl" :*il::;:,rer ballads,,st'r,,,
writes child (v, 1 66), "it is not deliberately and mechanically patched together . . . and in point of the proud and unrelenting character of the Brown Girl it is original." The ballad is very well known in Oklahoma.
For references, see Barry, Eckstorm, and Smyth, 429-25; Belden, 111-
18; Brewster 164-65; Chappell, 74-75; Child, V, 166-68; cox, 366-70;
------------------------
THE RICH LADY
(PRETTY SALLY OF LONDON; A BRAVE IRISH LADY)
Sung by: Ollie Gilbert
Recorded in Mountain View, AR by George Fisher
Click here to listen to the original recording
There was a rich lady; from Ireland she came,
A beautiful damsel, Pretty Sally by name.
She was taken on her deathbed to die,
Sent for the young man that she once did deny.
As he came near her, and approached her bedside,
Says, “Here is a boy that I once did deny,
But now that he’s left me, I’ll die for his sake.”
She threw her arms around him; he felt her heart break.
“Oh Sally, oh Sally, oh Sally,” said he,
“Oh, don’t you remember when I first courted thee?
I asked you some questions; you answered in scorn.
Now I’m a-gonna warn you of things past and gone.”
“Oh Willie, oh Willie, forget and forgive,
And let me a while longer here on earth to live.”
“Oh, no I won’t, Sally, but rejoice the day.
When you’re dead, Sally, I’ll dance on your grave.”
She pulled off rings and diamonds with gold,
Saying, “Take this and wear it in remembrance of me.”
”Oh, yes I will, Sally, rejoicing I’ll be,
Think of the rich lady who once died for me.”
Also found in Randolph, Vol. I, #40, “Pretty Sally of London”; Belden, p. 111, “A Brave Irish Lady.”
All Songs Recorded by John Quincy Wolf, Jr., unless otherwise noted
The John Quincy Wolf Folklore Collection
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THE RICH LADY
(PRETTY SALLY OF LONDON;
A BRAVE IRISH LADY)
Sung by: Mr. and Mrs. Berry Sutterfield
Click here to listen to the original recording
There was a rich lady--
From Ireland she came--
A beautiful damsel
Called Sally by name.
There was a poor young man
Whom we all do know.
To reward his fine lady,
But his courtship did go.
Her mind being so lovely,
And her portion so high,
Upon this poor young man,
She scarce cast an eye.
"Oh Sally, oh Sally,
Oh Sally," says he.
"I'm sorry that your love
And mine can't agree,
And if you won't marry me,
Your ruin I'll prove.
I hope that your hatred
Will all turn to love."
"I can't say that I hate you,
Nor no other man,
But as far as to love you,
It's more than I can.
You as well to retire,
And end your discourse,
For I never will marry you
Unless I am forced."
Six months had not come,
Nor six months had not passed,
When I heard all this rich girl's
Misfortune at last.
She was all tangled in love,
And she could not tell why.
She had sent for this young man
That she once did deny.
Just like a young doctor
To her bedside did ride.
"Is the pain in your head, love,
Or is the pain in your side?"
"Oh, no, sir, it's neither,
I'll tell you the rest.
The pain that's now killing me
Lies deep in my breast."
"Oh, am I a doctor
That you sent for tonight,
Or am I the young man
That you once did deny?"
"Oh, yes, sir, you're the doctor,
Can kill or can cure.
Without your assistance
I'm ruined, I'm sure."
"Oh Sally, oh Sally,
Oh Sally," says he.
"Don't you remember
When you once slighted me?
When you denied me
You denied me with scorn,
And now I'll reward you
For a thing past and gone."
"For a thing past and gone, love,
I hope you'll forgive,
And grant me some longer
A time for to live . . ."
---------------
THE RICH LADY
(PRETTY SALLY OF LONDON;
A BRAVE IRISH LADY)
Sung by: Mr. and Mrs. Berry Sutterfield
Recorded in Big Flat, AR 8/20/59
Click here to listen to the original recording
"Oh, no, I won't, Sally,
While I draw my breath,
But I'll dance on your grave
When you're cold in the earth."
She pulled from her fingers
Gold, diamonds, rings three,
Saying, "Wear these rings, William,
While you're dancing on me."
"Oh, yes, I will, Sally;
Rejoicing I'll be,
When I think of the rich girl
Who once died for me."
"Farewell to my father
And all my best friends.
Farewell to sweet William--
God make him repent.
I can freely forgive him,
Although he won't me.
My follies ten thousand
Times over I see."
Now Sally is dead,
As we may all suppose,
And with her best friend
She left her fine clothes.
She took up her lodging
In the banks of cold clay.
Her red rosy lips
Are a-moldering away.
Also found in Randolph, Vol. I, #40, "Pretty Sally of London"; Belden, p. 111, "A Brave Irish Lady."
All Songs Recorded by John Quincy Wolf, Jr., unless otherwise noted
Complete text
There was a rich lady; from Ireland she came,
A beautiful damsel, called Sally by name.
Her riches were more than the king can possess.
Her beautiful features were more than the rest.
There was a poor young man whom we all do know,
To reward this fine lady, but his courtships did go.
Her mind being so lovely, and her portion so high,
Upon this poor young man she scarce cast an eye.
"Oh Sally, oh Sally, oh Sally," says he,
"I'm sorry that your love and mine can't agree,
And if you won't marry me, your ruin I'll prove.
I hope that your hatred will all turn to love."
"I can't say that I hate you, nor no other man,
But as far as to love you, it's more than I can.
You'd as well to retire, and end your discourse,
For I never will marry you unless I am forced."
Six months had not come, nor six months had not passed,
When I heard of this rich girl's misfortunes at last.
She was all tangled in love, and she could not tell why.
She had sent for this young man that she once did deny.
Just like a young doctor, to her bedside did ride.
"Is the pain in your head, love, or is the pain in your side?"
"Oh no, sir, it's neither. I'll tell you the rest.
The pain that's now killing me lies deep in my breast."
"Oh, am I the doctor that you sent for tonight?
Or am I the young man that you once did deny?"
"Oh yes, sir, you're the doctor can kill or can cure.
Without your assistance, I'm ruined, I'm sure."
"Oh Sally, oh Sally, oh Sally," said he,
"Don't you remember when you once slighted me?
When you denied me, you denied me with scorn,
And now I'll reward you for things past and gone."
"For things past and gone, love, I hope you'll forgive,
And grant me some longer a time for to live."
"Oh no, I won't, Sally, while I draw my breath,
But I'll dance on your grave
when you're cold in the earth."
She pulled from her fingers gold diamond rings three,
Saying, "Wear these rings, William,
while you're dancing on me."
"Oh, yes, I will, Sally; rejoicing I'll be
When I think of the rich girl who once died for me."
"Farewell to my father and all my best friends;
Farewell to Sweet William; God make him repent.
I can freely forgive him, although he won't me;
My follies ten thousand times over I see."
Now Sally is dead, as we may all suppose,
And with her best friends she's left her fine clothes.
She took up her lodgings in a bank of cold clay;
Her red rosy lips are a-moldering away.
The John Quincy Wolf Folklore Collection
----------------
Pretty Sally
http://maxhunter.missouristate.edu/songinformation.aspx?ID=1063
Cat. #1063 (MFH #551) - As sung by Raymond Sanders, Mountain View, Arkansas on May 12, 1970
VERSE 1
A youth 'scorted Sally
From London she came
A beautiful damsel
Called Sally, by name
He beauty was more than
A king could express
An' her riches were more than
It's worth, at its best
VERSE 2
There was a young boy, an' a squire
Worth ten thousand a year
An' to go tidy
His course he did steer
But her being wealthy
Her character high
O, on this young man, she
Would scarce cast an' eye
VERSE 3
O Sally, O Sally
O Sally, said he
I'm afraid that your beauty
My ruin will be
And if all of your hatred
Would turn onto love
O, I would marry you
By th powers above
VERSE 4
I've no hatred for you
Nor no other man
But to say that I love you
That's more than I can
I will have you to write
An' to have your discourse
But I never shall marry you
Endless I am forced
VERSE 5
Before three weeks had
Done come an' passed,
This beautiful damsel
Fell sick at th last
She sent for this young man
He came to her bed
Sayin, where does your pain lie
In it's side or your head
VERSE 6
O, no lovin' sweetheart
You haven't guessed right
For th pain that torments me
Lies deep, in my heart
An' you 'er th doctor
Can kill or can cure
An' without your assistance
I will die, I'm quite sure
VERSE 7
O, Molly, O Molly
You're marvelous, said he
O, don't you remember
How you slighted, poor me
I asked you to marry me
You denied me with scorn
I intend to reward you
For things, past an' gone
VERSE 8
O, things past an' gone, love
Forget an' forgive
An' spare me some longer
On earth for to live
I'll never forgive you
Is near in your breath
An' I'll dance over you when
When you're laid in th earth
VERSE 9
She took off her finger rings
Diamonds some three
Says, take them an wear them
While you dance over me
I will fly from my cover
No more to be seen
Just remember your Polly
My king an' your queen
------------------
Tolman JOAFL; THE IRISH LADY.
I have an Indiana text, "learned more than sixty years ago." Professor Kittredge points out that my copy agrees very closely
with "Sally," printed by Mr. Barry in this Journal, XXVII (914), 73-74. [1]
1 [This is "Sally and her Truelove Billy," known in broadsides (Harvard, 25242.17, vol. vii, no. 55; 25242.25, p. 87, Pitts; 25242.27, p. 281). It is also printed by Christie, Traditional Ballad Airs, ii, 240-241 ("The Bold Sailor "); by Ashton, Real Sailor Songs, no. 70 (" Sally and Billy "); and by Gavin Greig, Folk-Song of the North-East, Peterhead, no. lxxix ("The Sailor from Dover").