US & Canada versions 7Ua. Young Ladies (Little Sparrow) Roud 451 ("Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies," "Warning,")
[The American versions differ from their British counterparts. "Swallow" in most cases has become "sparrow." Although the two core stanzas[1] (the identifying stanza, "Come all ye fair" and the "swallow/sparrow" stanza) are the same, the secondary stanzas are different: in North America some of the secondary stanzas are borrowed from the Wheel of Fortune broadside, other British broadsides and the traditional Love is Teasing and Died for Love songs. Other secondary stanzas are homemade adaptations of the "maid abandoned by a false lover" type which resemble their British counterparts but are different. The US "sparrow" stanzas, instead of the once British "swallow" stanzas, feature a dialogue: the first sparrow stanza begins: "If I were a little sparrow" while the second stanza answers, "But I'm not a little sparrow." This dialogue is not found in the second sparrow stanza of the British antecedent[2] which begins:
Whene'er he talk'd then I would flutter,
All on his Breast with my tender Wings,
This British love song had almost completely disappeared from the UK by the 1900s with only two traditional variants found in Scotland by Gavin Grieg about 1908. Since it was very popular in Appalachia at that time[3] it may be assumed that in the 1700s and early 1800s it was brought over to the Virginia Colony[4] and disseminated westward into the Southern Mountains from Virginia by the early English, Irish and Scottish settlers.
The primary British antecedent is "The Lady's Address to the Fair Maidens" a broadside printed in Newcastle, London and probably Scotland[5] in the later part of the 1700s. The earliest record is c. 1760 where it is found in "The Marybone concert: Being a choice collection of songs" which was "Printed and sold in Aldermary Church Yard, Bow Lane, London." Here are the core stanzas from "The Lady's Address":
1. Come hither, all you pretty maidens,
Take Warning how you love a Man,
Like a bright star in a Summer's Morning
When day appears they are gone.
7. I wish I was a pretty swallow,
That nimbly in the Air could fly,
Then my false-hearted love I'd follow,
Whene'er he talk'd I would lie by.
Stanza 1 is the identifying stanza or "warning" stanza- the maiden who has been abandoned by a false love is warning other maidens about the capricious nature of men. In some versions only the swallow/sparrow stanzas are given and stanza 7 is the second identifying stanza. The whole broadside is given below in the Appendix, Item 1. Besides the two core stanzas are these two secondary stanzas:
2. They'll talk and tell you pretty stories,
They'll vow and swear they love you true,
But it is all to blast your Glory
That's all the love they have for you.
8. Whene'er he talk'd then I would flutter,
All on his Breast with my tender Wings,
And ask him who it was that flatter'd,
And told so many deluding Things.
Stanzas two is fairly common (reworded) and eight is occasionally found but also reworded. Other US stanzas come from the second antecedent, The Wheel of Fortune a British broadside dating c. 1830 but probably much older.
Here are the relevant stanzas from "Wheel" sometimes found in "Young Ladies"-- the entire text is found in Appendix, Item 2.
3. I did not think he was going to leave me,
Till the next morning when he came in;
Then he sat down and began a-talking,
Then all my sorrows did begin.
6 But turn you round, you wheel of fortune,
It's turn you round and smile on me;
For young men's words they are quite uncertain,
Which sad experience teaches me.
7. If I had known before I had courted,
That love had been so ill to win,
I wad locked my heart in a chest of gold,
And pon'd it with a silver pin.
10. But time will soon put an end to all things,
And love will soon put an end to me;
But surely there is a place of torment,
To punish my lover for slighting me.
Several American versions of Young Ladies have as many as two stanzas borrowed from "Wheel of Fortune." Mellinger Henry collected a version of "Young Ladies," his E version, that clearly shows "Wheel" as the secondary antecedent. Here's the text:
"Come, Roll 'round the Wheel of Fortune." The song was recorded near Cumberland Gap, Tennessee, by Glada Gully, a student in Lincoln Memorial University.
1. Come, roll 'round your wheel of fortune,
Come, roll around once more for me;
A young man's love is quite uncertain,
My own experience teaches me.
2. Once I had a gay, young lover,
He was my joy; he was my pride;
But now he's going with another,
He's sitting by another's side.
3. 1 must confess I dearly love him;
I kept the secret in my breast;
I never knew an ill about him
Until I learned to love him best.
4. I never knew he was going to leave me
Until one night when he came in;
He sat down by me and told me,
'Twas when my trouble first began.
5. Had I the wings of a little sparrow,
I wouldn't pine nor would I die,
But I would follow my false-hearted lover
And tell him where he told a lie.
6. Had I the wings of a little swallow,
Or had I the wings of a turtle dove,
I'd fly away from this world of sorrow
Into some land of light and love.
7. Now, all you girls, take warning;
Be careful how you love young men,
For they are like the stars of morning,
As soon as daylight they are gone
Henry's version begins with the "Wheel" identifying stanza, rarely found in tradition. Henry's stanza 4 is also directly from "Wheel" showing it is the secondary antecedent of "Young Ladies. The core stanzas 5 and 8 are from the main antecedent, "The Lady's Address." Henry's second "sparrow" stanza (which curiously is "swallow") is the secondary swallow stanza found in the British broadside The Silver Pin[6]:
I wish I was a little swallow;
And my true love a turtle dove;
Then I would fly from this land of sorrow;
And rest upon some land of love.
These two baffling lines were collected by Mrs. Sutton from an informant in the NC mountains, appearing at the end of the Brown Collection's version C:
6 Of all the herbs that grow in the garden
Be sure to get the rue and thyme. . . .
The Brown editor suggested the lines were from the "Seeds of Love[7]" when they were. . . just part of stanza 9 of Wheel of Fortune:
9. Of all the flowers that grow in the garden,
Be sure you pull the rose and thyme,
This demonstrates the nature of 'Young Ladies," a love song assembled with floating stanzas from various British broadsides and floating traditional song stanzas from the related "Love is Teasing" (the Waly, Waly family[8]) also with the warning stanza and from the Died for Love songs with the theme of the "maid of sorrow abandoned by her false lover."
A second example that uses two stanzas of "Wheel" was sung by traditional singer Morgan Sexton who was born in 1911 on Long Branch Hollow near Linefork, in southeastern Kentucky and died there on January 30th, 1992. His version of "Little Sparrow," from his June Appal recording "Morgan Sexton- Shady Grove (JA00661)" is as follows[9]:
Little Sparrow
1. I wish I was a little sparrow
And I had wings and I could fly
I would fly away to a false-hearted lover
And there I'd stay until I died.
2. O if I was some little sparrow
And I had no wings and could not fly
I would set down in some grieving sorrow
Where you would laugh and I would cry.
3. There is a day a day a comin',
We shall not part or I shall see
I hope there is a place in the middle of torment
For that man is deceiving me.
4. If I knew him before I courted him
There is love hard to win
I would lock my heart in a box of golden
I would pin it down there with a silver pin.
Stanzas 1 and 2 are the "sparrow" stanzas (stanza 2 is corrupt) while Sexton's last two stanzas are 7 and 10 of Wheel of Fortune. In both of these examples two stanzas came from Wheel of Fortune. The last stanza is also found in the broadside "Silver Pin."
Since swallow is used in the British antecedent, versions in the US that have "swallow" instead of being changed to "sparrow," are older and more archaic. One such version, Sharp A, was sung Mrs. Rosie Hensley, Carmen, N.C., on August 8, 1916:
I wish I were a little swallow
And I had wings and I could fly;
Straight after my true love I would follow,
When they'd be talking I'd be by.
Stanza two of the c.1760 antecedent "The Lady's Address" is also common in the Appalachian version as stanza 2, Here's Sharp F sung by Mrs. Effie Mitchell of Burnsville, N.C.:
2. They'll tell to you some loving story
And make you think they love you true;
Straightway they'll go and court some other,
That is the love they have for you.
Now here's stanza 2 of "The Lady's Address":
2. They'll talk and tell you pretty stories,
They'll vow and swear they love you true,
But it is all to blast your Glory
That's all the love they have for you.
Invariably in the US versions the third line is changed, which is a good thing, since the broadside line three is weak and poorly written. Some of the inexplicable lines and words found in US versions can be traced back to the "Lady's Address" broadside. The version collected by Sharp in Tennessee from Liddie Blankenship in 1916 has these lines:
I'd light on his breast and flutter,
And tell him of deceiving me.
while the broadside has:
Whene'er he talk'd then I would flutter,
All on his Breast with my tender Wings,
Not identical but after two hundred years some interpolation can be expected. Or, consider this line from Jean Ritchie who insists this is the proper ending stanza which has this last line[10]: "Turn into a dark and deludinous day." Now let's compare that to the broadside's ending: "And told so many deluding Things." Not much of a match but there's a good chance we know from whence "deludinous" came. And, "deludinous" has my vote for the folk lyric adjective of the year!
The Died for Love stanzas are not common, although some some US stanzas seem to be re-written from Died for Love stanzas. The difference between the first "Alehouse" stanza of c.1775 and Stanza 2 of "Young Ladies" is largely one of semantics: her false-lover has taken another lover and that's "a grief to me"/"all that he cares for me." Here's one Died for Love example from Some Songs Traditional in the United States, an article by Tolman published in a 1916 JAF. He comments: "Why a faithless lover should be called a "true love," and why the devoted maiden should wish to fly away to him, are not made clear."
I. I wish I was a little sparrow;
I'd fly away from grief and sorrow;
I'd fly away like a turtle dove;
I'd fly away to my own true love.
2. 'Twas but last night he said to me:
"I'll take you o'er the dark blue sea."
But now he's gone, and left me alone,
A single maid without a home.
3. Oh grief, oh grief! I'll tell you why:
Because she has more gold than I;
He takes that other girl on his knee,
And tells her what he don't tell me.
4. I wish, I wish, but all in vain,
That my true love would come back again.
But then I know that will never be,
Till the green, green grass grows over me.
The first stanza can be recognized as found in the "swallow" variant "The Silver Pin." The second floating stanza is found in "Must I Go Bound?" from Newfoundland:
Last night my lover promised me
That he would take me across the deep blue sea.
But now he's gone an' left me alone,
I'm an orphan girl without any home.
The last two stanzas are from Died For Love and are rarely found in their original form in the US as they were presented by Tolman. Only one version collected in the 1930s by Amos Abrams in NC resembles this version[11]. A different traditional English stanza found in 'Young Ladies" is the ancient "Love is Teasing" stanza[12]. This example is from Cox A, collected in West Virginia about 1916:
8 Love is handsome, love is charming,
Love is beauty while it's new;
Love grows older, love grows colder,
Fades away like morning dew[13].
In addition to theses many sources that make up "Young Ladies" are:
1. stanzas from US versions of Awake Awake (Drowsy Sleeper, Brown D has the "sparrow" stanzas)
2. stanzas from a different song titled The False Young Man (The False True Lover), Roud 419.
In the first case here's one of several similar Madison County, NC versions:
LITTLE SPARROW[14]- as sung by Dellie Norton at her home in Sodom Laurel, Madison County, NC. in 1980
It's I wish I were some little sparrow,
I had wings and I could fly.
I'd fly away to my own true lover
And when she courted I'd be by.
But I ain't no little sparrow.
I have no wings nor I cain't fly.
So set right here in grief and sorrow,
I'll set right here until I die.
I'll go down to yonders river,
I'll spend my months, my weeks, my years.
I'd eat nothing but green willow
And I'd drink nothing but my tears.
The last stanza is taken from US versions of "Awake Awake." The Brown Collection's version D of Drowsy Sleeper has the two "sparrow" stanzas at the end[15]. In the second case involving stanzas of the False Young Man (Roud 419) is a version recorded by Pete Seeger on his Topic EP Pete and Five Strings, 1958:
COME ALL YE FAIR AND TENDER LADIES
Come all ye fair and tender ladies
Take warning how you court young men
They're like the stars of a summer's morning
First they appear, and then they're gone
If I had known before I courted
I never would have courted none
I'd'a locked my heart in a box of golden
And fastened it up with a silver pin
I wish I was a little swallow
And I had wings and I could fly
I'd fly away to my false true lover
And when he'd speak, I would deny
But I am not a little swallow
I have no wings, neither can I fly
So I'll sit down and weep in sorrow
And try to pass my troubles by
O don't you remember our days of courtin'
When your head lay upon my breast,
You could make me believe by the fallin' of your arm
That the sun rose in the west.
The last stanza is from False Young Man, Roud 419, a song I learned indirectly[16] from Lily Mae Ledford with a different title called, "White Oak Mountain."
These are some of the variable stanzas found in 'Young Ladies," one of the most endearing British love songs of the Appalachians. It is a complex song made up of floating stanzas from two main British antecedent broadsides, several related broadsides, the traditional "Love is Teasing" and "Died for Love" ballads as well as stanzas from other floating love songs and ballads.
R. Matteson 2017]
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Footnotes:
1. In this case the core stanzas and identifying stanza are the same. The "sparrow" stanza is the secondary identifying stanza.
2. The primary British antecedent is "The Lady's Address to the Fair Maidens" a broadside printed in Newcastle and London.
3. I haven't counted the number of versions Sharp collected in Appalachia between 1916 and 1918 but it look like there are over 30 versions published and in his MSS.
4. Although the Virginia Colony refers to pre-Revolutionary War Virginia (before 1776), the same area of the James River basin continued to be an area of British immigration after the War.
5. Since two traditional versions were collected in Scotland around 1907 a Scottish print of "The Lady's Address" is likely.
6. "The Silver Pin or the False-Hearted Young Girl" printed by Pitts, London is dated circa 1820, a different ballad with variation on "sparrow (swallow)" stanza. Has secondary variation of identifying stanza and has "silver pin" stanza.
7. I'm not implying that this text is not related to "Seeds of Love," in fact the whole stanza is. I'm implying that the source is Wheel of Fortune stanza 9:
Of all the flowers that grow in the garden,
Be sure you pull the rose and thyme,
For all others are quite out of fashion,
A false young man he has stole my thyme.
8. Although Waly, Waly dates back to c. 1726, the Love is Teasing stanza is older. The modified "Love is Teasing" stanza found in Waly, Waly is the connection with "Young Ladies" that Cox mentioned in 1925. It's found in Cox A, stanza 8.
9. The text was posted on Mudcat forum and I've not checked it- I assume it's correct.
10. Ritchie writes on Mudcat Forum in November 2002: I find it interesting that none of the variants given here contain what to me is the last verse, sort of a summing-up stanza:
Young man, ne'er cast your eye on beauty,
For beauty is a thing that will decay-
I've seen many a fair and bright sunny morning
Turn into a dark and deludinous day.
11. From Brown Collection, version F. 'A Wish.' From W. Amos Abrams of Boone.
12. Child dated this pre-1620 but there is evidence that it dates back to the first half of the 1500s.
13. Stanza 8 is from "Young Ladies," communicated by Mr. J. H. Shaffer, Newburg, Preston County, who obtained it from Mrs. A. R. Fike, Terra Alta-- Version A from Cox, "Folk Songs of the South" 1925.
14. Collected by Mike Yates and it appears on his Far in the Mountains CDs.
15. It ends with two stanzas from 'Little Sparrow':
'I wish I was a little sparrow,
One of them that could fly so high.
I'd fly and sit on my true love's dwelling,
And when she talked I'd be close by.
'Neither am I a little sparrow
And neither do I have wings to fly;
So I'll sit down and weep in sorrow,
I'll sing and pass my troubles by.'
16. As I recall I learned it from Cari Norris who was Lily Mae's granddaughter. It's possible it came from a recording- I still remember the song- or some of it :)
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[Only the following early versions have been put online- upcoming]
CONTENTS: (To access individual version click on title attached to this page on the left-hand column)
Fair and Pretty Ladies- Mrs G.A. Griffin (GA) 1877 Morris B
Say Oh! Beware- James Ashby (MO) 1877 Belden A
Warning- C. H. Williams (MO) 1906 Belden B
Little Sparrow- Two girls (KY) 1907 Sharp B
Little Sparrow- J. W. Miller (NC) 1907 Brown A
Little Sparrow- Myra Barnett (NC) c.1909 Brown B
Young Ladies- Mrs. A.R. Fike (WV) 1916 Cox A
Fair & Tender Ladies- Hensley (NC) 1916 Sharp A
Fair and Tender Ladies- anon (NC) c.1921 Brown C
The Warning- anon (NC) c. 1922 I. G. Greer
Little Swallow- anon (NC) c.1939 Abrams A
A Wish- anon (NC) c.1939 Amos Abrams
Young Ladies- Trivette (NC) 1939 Brown 5-A
Tender Ladies- Buchanan (NC) 1939 Brown 5C
Fair and Tender Ladies- Johnson (NC) 1940 Brown D
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Notes from "Ballads and Songs" edited by H.M. Belden, Missouri Folklore Society, 1940.
Little Sparrow
This is a fairly stable and apparently American compound of age-old elements. Commonly the forsaken girl begins 'Come all ye fair and tender ladies' and proceeds to compare the fickleness of men to the stars of a summer morning that 'first appear and then are gone' or to a day that starts fair and then turns to rain. Then she wishes she were a little sparrow (sometimes swallow) so that she could, fly to him and nestle against his breast and, unbeknown, hear what he says[1]. This sparrow motif has made its way into another song, the lament of a convict in the state prison (given by Sandburg, ASB 218-9, as known in Ohio), who if he had the wings of a sparrow would fly away to the arms of his mother and there lie down and die. Little Sparrow, under various titles and with considerable variation of texts but with one and generally both of the elements mentioned above, has been reported as traditional song in Virginia (SharpK II 136, J. Fischer & Bro.'s Choral Compositions 6737, SCSII 313), West Virginia (FSS 419-2I), Kentucky (LT 55-7, DD 82-3, FSKII 23-5, SharpK II729,132-5, FSSH 259-60), Tennessee (JAFL XIII, 101-2, ETWVMB 61, 98, SharpK II 128-30, FSSH 258-9,260-1), North Carolina (SharpK II 728, 130, 131, I34, FSSH 257-8), Georgia (JAFL XXIX 200), Mississippi (FSM 167; see also 151), and Indiana (JAFL XXIX 183-4, compounded with matter from The Butcher Boy). See also the last two stanzas of The Rambling Beauty C, above, and stanza 4 of The Blue-Eyed Boy A, below.
-----
No. 103
Come All You Young and Handsome Girls
Hexatonic. Mode 2, a.
Sung by Mrs. SARAH COUCH
Perry Co., Ky., August, 1908
32:
1. Come all ye young and hand-some girls,
Take warning of a friend,
And learn the ways of this wide world,
And on my word depend.
2 I know that the minds of girls are weak
And the minds of boys are strong,
And if you listen to their advice,
They will sure advise you wrong.
3 They will tell you that they love you dear,
And wish you safe frqm harm;
Before they will betray their thought,
They would give up their right arm.
4 When I was in my sixteenth year,
And Willie courted me,
He said if I would go with him
His loving wife I would be.
5 My heart it was confined to him,
I could not well say No;
I thought I knew him to be my friend,
And away with him I did go.
6 When I was far away from home,
It was my happiest life.
He said to me: You may go back home,
You cannot be my wife.
7 My father he was kind to me,
My mother she loved me dear.
You know you have persuaded me away;
How can you leave me here ?
8 Nellie, Nellie, my darling girl,
No fault I find with you;
I am bound to ramble all around;
Now I bid you adieu.
-----------------
No. 118
Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies
Cecil Sharp Manuscript Collection (at Clare College, Cambridge) (CJS2/10/3713)
Come All You Fair And Tender Ladies
First Line: Come all you fair and tender ladies
Performer: Ogle, Lilian
Date: 23 May 1917
Place: USA : Kentucky : Berea
Collector: Sharp, Cecil J.
Come all you young and tender ladies,
Take warning how you court young men.
They're like a star in a summer's morning;
They'll first appear and then they're gone.
-----------------------
Cecil Sharp Manuscript Collection (at Clare College, Cambridge) (CJS2/10/4030)
Come All You Fair And Tender Ladies
First Line: Come all you fair and tender ladies
Performer: Messer, Nancy
Date: 14 Sep 1917
Place: USA : Kentucky : Hazard
Collector: Sharp, Cecil J.
Come all you young and tender ladies,
be careful how you court young men.
They're like bright stars of a summer's morning;
They'll first appear and then they're gone.
---------------
Cecil Sharp Manuscript Collection (at Clare College, Cambridge) (CJS2/10/3707)
Come All You Fair And Tender Ladies
First Line: Come all you fair and tender ladies
Performer: Droghon, Fitzhugh
Date: 22 May 1917
Place: USA : Kentucky : Berea
Collector: Sharp, Cecil J.
Come all you young and tender ladies,
Take warning how you court young men.
They're like a star in the cloudy morning;
They'll first appear and then they're gone.
---------------
Cecil Sharp Manuscript Collection (at Clare College, Cambridge) (CJS2/10/4040)
Come All Ye Fair And Tender Ladies
First Line: Come all ye young and tender ladies
Performer: Pratt, Lucindy
Date: 20 Sep 1917
Place: USA : Kentucky : Hindman
Collector: Sharp, Cecil J
Come all ye young and tender ladies,
Take warning how you court young men.
Just like a bright star on a summer's morning;
They'll first appear and they are gone.
COME ALL YOU FAIR AND TENDER LADIES
SHARP EFFSSA - VERSION A
(Mrs. Rosie Hensley, Carmen, N.C., Aug 8, 1916)
O don't you remember on yon green mountain,
Where I and you first fell in love,
Where the little birds was sweetly singing
And even, too, the little doves?
Come all ye fair and tender ladies,
Be careful how you court young men;
They're like a star of a summer's morning,
They'll first appear and then they're gone.
They'll tell to you some pleasing story,
They'll declare to you they are your own;
Straightway they'll go and court some other
And leave you here in tears to mourn.
I wish I were a little swallow
And I had wings and I could fly;
Straight after my true love I would follow,
When they'd be talking I'd be by.
But I am no little swallow,
I have no wings, nor I can't fly,
And after my true love I can't follow,
And when they're talking I'll set and cry.
.....
.....
There's many a dark and rainy morning
Turns out to be a pretty day.
------------------
SHARP EFFSSA - VERSION C
(Mrs. Press Blankenship, Flag Pond, Tenn., Sept 1, 1916)
Come all you fair and tender ladies,
Be careful how you court young men.
They're like a star of a summer's morning,
They first appear and then they're gone.
They'll tell to you some pleasing story,
Declare to you they love you well,
Then go away and court them another,
And that's the love they have for you.
I once did meet a fair true lover,
A true one, too, I took him to be;
And then he went away and found him another,
And that's the love he had for me.
O that I were a pretty little swallow,
Or had I wings that I could fly,
Then away after my true love I'd follow,
I'd light upon his breast and flutter
And tell him of deceiving me.
I hope there is a day a-coming
When love shall put an end to me.
I hope there is a place of torment
To secure my love for deceiving me.
D
Pentatonic. Mode I.
Sung by Mrs. COATES
at Flag Pond, Tenn., Sept. ^, 1916
Come all you fair, young, ten - der la - dies, Take warn-ing how you court young
men.They're like a star in a sunlight morning; They'll first appear and then they're gone.
E.
Hexatonic. Mode 4, a.
Sung by Mrs. JANE GENTRY
at Hot Springs, N. C, Sept. 12, 1916
If I had a-known be - fore I'd a-court- ed I ne - ver
would have court - ed none; I'd have locked my heart in a box of golden, And a fastened it up with a silver pin.
SHARP EFFSSA - VERSION F
(Mrs. Effie Mitchell,Burnsville, N.C., Sept 12, 1918)
Come all you fair and tender ladies,
Be careful how you court young men;
They're like bright stars of a summer morning,
They'll first appear and then be gone.
They'll tell to you some loving story,
They'll declare their love is true;
Straightway they'll go and court some other,
And that's the love they have for you.
If I had known before I courted
That love had been so hard on me,
I'd have fastened my heart in golden boxes,
And have locked it up with a silver pin.
I wish I was some little sparrow,
And had wings, could fly so high;
I'd fly away to my false true lover,
And when he'd talk I would be nigh.
But as it is, I am no sparrow,
Neither have I wings to fly.
I'd sit down here in grief and sorrow,
Weep and pass my troubles by.
G. Delie Hughes at Cane River Burnsville NC Oct. 9, 1918
Come all you fair and tender ladies,
Be careful how you love young men;
They're like bright stars of a summer morning,
They'll first appear and then they're gone.
SHARP EFFSSA - VERSION H
(Mrs. Mollie Broghton,Barbourville, Knox Co., Ky., Aug 25, 1917)
Come all ye fair and tender ladies,
Take warning how you court young men;
They're like a bright star on a Sunday morning,
They first appear and it's gone again.
If I was a little sparrow,
And I had wings and could fly high,
Always I'd go to my false lover,
And when he'd talk I would be by.
I'd ask him who he's going to flatter,
And what poor girl he's going to see;
And on his breast I would flutter
With my tender little wings.
But as it is I ain't no sparrow,
I have no wings and can't fly high;
I'll stay at home in grief and sorrow;
I'll try to find some way to die.
SHARP EFFSSA - VERSION I
(Mr. Macdonald Franklin, Berea, Madison Co, Ky., May 26, 1917)
Come all ye fair and tender ladies,
Take warning how that you love young men;
They're like bright stars of a summer's morning.
They'll first appear and then they're gone.
They'll tell to you some loving story
And make you think they love you true;
Straightway they'll go and court some other.
That is the love they have for you.
I wish I never had a-courted.
If I'd a-known that love was hard to end,
I'd lock my heart in a box of golden
And fasten it up with a silver chain.
I wish I were a little sparrow,
Or some of those that fly so high.
I'd fly away to my false true lover,
And when he would talk I would be nigh.
But as it is I am no sparrow,
Nor none of those that fly so high;
I sit down here in grief and sorrow,
Try and pass all those my troubles by.
I hope there's a time a-coming
When my love I'm sure to see.
I hope there is a place of torment
To punish my love for denying me.
K. Sung by Mrs. NANCY MESSER
at Hazard, Perry Co., Ky., Sept. 14, 1917
Come all you fair and ten der la dies, Be care - ful
how you court young men; They're like bright stars of a sum-mer's
morn - ing, They'll first ap pear and then they're gone.
Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies
K.
Sung by Miss ABBY MOSELEY
at Berea College, Madison Co., Ky., May 24, 1917
Pentatonic. Mode 1.
Come all you fair and ten der la dies, Take warn - ing
ztn
how you court young men; They're like a star in «. sum - mer's
morn - ing, They'll first ap pear and then they're gone.
L. Sung by Mrs. HARRIET CONNOR
at Balsam, N. C, July 30, 1917
Pentatonic. Mode 3.
Come all ye fair and ten - der la dies, Take
warn-ing how you court young men; They're like a star on a sum-mer
morn - ing, They will ap pear and it's then be gone.
M. Sung by Mrs. LUCINDY PRATT
at Hindman, Knott Co., Ky., Sept. 20, 1917
Pentatonic. Mode 3.
Come all ye young and ten der la - dies, Takewarn-ing
how you court young men; Just like a bright star on a sum-mer's
morn-ing, They'll first ap pear and they are gone.
Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies
N. Sung by students
at Hindman School, Knott Co., Ky., Sept. 20, 1917 Pentatonic. Mode 3.
Come all ye fair andten-der la - dies, Take warn-ing how you court young
-m—mmen;
They're like a star on a bright summer morning, They'll first ap - pear and then they're gone.
O. Sung by Mr, FITZHUGH DROGHON
at Berea, Madison Co., Ky., May 22, 1917
Pentatonic. Mode 1.
Come all you fair and ten der la dies, Take warn - ing
-P-F
how you court young men; They're like a star in the clou - dy
morn ingy They'll first ap pear and then they're gone.
P. Sung by Miss LILIAN OGLE
at Berea College, Madison Co., Ky., May 23, 1917
Pentatonic. Mode 3.
Come all you fair and ten der la dies, Take warn - ing
how you court young men; They're like <x star in a sum-mer's morn - ing, They'll first ap pear
and then they're gone.
Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies
Q. Sung by Mr, BOB BRADLEY
at Blue Ridge Springs, Va., June 9, 1918
Hexatonic (no 3rd).
Come all you fair and ten - der la - dies, Take warn-ing by those false young
men; They are like bright stars of a sum- mer's morn -ing, They'll first ap
pear and then they're gone.
R. Sung by Mrs. LUCY O. WIMMER
Pentatonic. Mode 3. at St. Peter's Mission, Franklin Co., Va., Aug. 13, 1918
I wish I were a lit - tie spar-row, And had the wings to fly on high; I'd fly a way . from my true lov-er, And when he talked I would deny.
-----------
KENTUCKY MOUNTAIN SONGS
A Collection Of Traditional Folk Songs with Lyrics & Sheet Music
Collected & Arranged by LORAINE WYMAN and HOWARD BROCKWAY Published by Oliver Ditson Company, Boston circa 1919
Letcher County KY
COME ALL YOU YOUNG AND HANDSOME GIRLS
1. Come all you young and handsome girls,
Take warning of a friend,
And learn the ways of the wide world,
And on my words depend.
2. Oh, will you on my words depend,
And will you bear in mind,
Among a hundred men or more,
A friend is hard to find.
3 When I was in my sixteenth year,
Oh, Willy courted me,
He said if I would go with him,
His loving wife I'd be.
4 To him my heart had been confined,
I could not well say no,
I thought I knew he was my friend,
And away with him did go.
5 When we were far away from home,
That was my happiest life,
Until he said: "You may go home,
You cannot be my wife."
6. "My father he was kind to me,
My mother loved me dear,
You know that you persuaded me,
How can you leave me here?"
7 "O nature, nature, darling girl,
I find no fault in you,
But I am bound to ramble round,
I now bid you adieu!"
-------------
COME ALL YE FAIR AND TENDER LADIES
(learned from Pete Seeger album during the 1950s)
staff with melody
Come all ye fair and tender ladies
Take warning how you court young men
They're like the stars of a summer's morning
First they appear, and then they're gone
If I had known before I courted
I never would have courted none
I'd'a locked my heart in a box of golden
And fastened it up with a silver pin
I wish I was a little swallow
And I had wings and I could fly
I'd fly away to my false true lover
And when he'd speak, I would deny
But I am not a little swallow
I have no wings, neither can I fly
So I'll sit down and weep in sorrow
And try to pass my troubles by
O don't you remember our days of courtin'
When your head lay upon my breast,
You could make me believe by the fallin' of your arm
That the sun rose in the west
----------
Brown Collection Vol. 3, 1954
254 Little Sparrow
This lyric of the lovelorn is a favorite in the Southern mountains. See BSM 477 and add to the references there given Virginia (FSV 80-1). Florida (SFLQ viii 172-3), Missouri (OFS I 315-17), and Indiana (SFLQ in 205, BSI 328). It is often called 'Come all you fair and tender ladies,' from its opening line. It is distinguished from other songs of a like spirit, such as 'The Inconstant Lover,' by the image of the bird and, generally, by the likening of love to a fair dawn that turns into bad weather. One of the
following texts is marked by a trace — rare in American tradition —of the old English 'Seeds of Love' songs.
A. 'The Little Sparrow.' Contributed by J. W. Miller of Lincoln county as "sung by a woman in 1907."
1. Come all ye fairer tender ladies,
Take warning how you love young men;
For they're like a star in the summer morning.
They are here but soon are gone again.
2 For once I had an untrue lover
Which I claimed to be my own.
He went right away and loved another,
Leaving me to weep alone.
3 If I had known before I loxed him
That his love was false to me,
I would have locked my heart with a key of golden
And pinned it there with a silver pin.
4 Oh, if I were a little sparrow
And I had wings to fly,
I'd fly right away to my true love's window,
I'd listen what he told.
5 I hit then as it is I'm no little sparrow.
Neither have 1 wings to Hy.
So I'll sit right down in ni\- griel and sorrow,
ril sit here till 1 die.
B. 'Little Sparrow.' Reported by Mrs. Sutton from the singing of Myra Barnett, and therefore probably to he dated in the first decade of the present century, it is substantially like- A, yet differs in details interestingly.
1 Come all ye fair and tender ladies,
Be careful how you court young luen.
They're like bright stars in a summer morning,
Thev tirst are here and then they're gone.
2 They'll tell to yon some tender story,
Declare to you that they are true.
Then straightaway go and court some other.
And that's the love they have for you.
3 Oh. love is sweet and love is charming
And love is pleasant when it's new.
But love grows cold as love grows older,
And fades away like the mountain dew.
4 I wish that I'd a never seen him.
Or that I'd died when I was young.
To think a fair and handsome lady
Was stricken by his lying tongue!
5 I wish 1 was a little sparrow,
Had wings, and oh ! could fly so high.
I'd fly away to my false lover
And when he'd ask, I would deny.
6 Alas, I am no little sparrow,
No wings, and cannot fly so high.
I'll sit me down in grief and sorrow
And try to pass my trouble by.
C. 'Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies.' Another text contributed by Mrs. Sutton, obtained probably several years later than B. It seems to be incomplete, but is interesting by reason of its variations from B. especially its last two lines, which hark back to the old English love song 'Seeds of Love.'
1 Come all you fair and tender ladies.
Be careful how you court young men.
They are like bright stars of a summer's morning;
Thev first are here and then they're gone.
2 They'll tell to you some lovin' story,
Declare to you that they are true,
And then they'll go and court another
And that's the love they have for you.
3 I wish I was a little sparrow,
Had wings and could fly oh, so high.
I'd fly into my true love's dwellin'
And as he called I'd he close by.
4 But as it is I am no sparrow.
Neither have wings can fly so high,
I'll sit me down in grief and sorrow
And try to pass my trouhle hy.
5 If I had a known before I courted
That love would a been so hard to gain
I'd a put my heart in golden boxes
And a locked it with a silver chain.
6 Of all the herbs that grow in the garden
Be sure to get the rue and thyme. . . .
D. 'Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies.' As sung by Obadiah Johnson of Crossnore, Avery county, in July 1940. With the tune. There are two copies of his text, the longer of which, six stanzas, ends somewhat truculently:
I hope there is a day a-coming
When my lover I shall see.
I hope there is a place of torment
To punish my love for denying me.
E. 'Come All Ye Extanded Fair Ladies.' From Macie Morgan, Stanly county. A very much confused text, metrically and otherwise, but it does not contain any elements not found in A or B.
F. 'A Wish.' From W. Amos Abrams of Boone; not dated, but probably some time in the 1930s. One of the composites so often found in folk lyric. The second, third, and fifth stanzas belong to "The Butcher Boy,' the first stanza is from 'Little Sparrow.'
1 I wish I was a little sparrow ;
I'd fly away from sin and sorrow,
I'd fly away like a turtle dove,
I'd fly in the arms of my true love.
2 In yonder lands there is a home,
They say that's where my true love's gone.
But there's a girl sits on his knee.
Oh, don't you know that's grief to me ?
3 It's grief to me, I'll tell my why,
Because she has more gold than I.
But her gold will melt, her silver fly;
She'll see the day she's poor as I.
4 Oh. 1 wish. I wish, but I wish in vain,
That he'd come hack to me again.
But now he['s| gone, left me alone.
Poor orphan girl without a home.
5 Go dig my grave both wide and deep.
Place a marble stone at my head and feet
And on my breast place a turtle dove
To testify that I died of love.
* Texts of 'The Butcher Boy' show that this line should run 'It's grief to me. I'll tell you why.'
-----------------
Eastern Tennessee and Western Virginia Mountain Ballads- Cambiaire, 1934
32. O, WALY, WALY [Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies]
Come, all you fair and tender ladies,
Be careful how you love young men.
They're like the stars on a bright summer morning,
They first appear and they're gone again.
They'll tell to you some pleasing story,
They'll vow to you their love is true.
Straightway they'll go and court another,
And that is the love they have for you.
Once I had an old true lover
Indeed I thought he was my own;
But he's gone away to court another,
And left me here to weep and mourn.
I wish I had a-known before I'd courted
That love would have gone so hard with me.
I'd have locked my heart in a golden locket,
And have thrown away the silver key.
If I were some little sparrow,
Had wings and could fly so high,
I'd fly straight to my old true lover
And i would talk and he should cry.
But as I am no little sparrow,
Have no wings and cannot fly,
I'll sit down in grief and sorrow,
And sing to pass my troubles by.
I know there is a day a-coming,
When love will make an end of me.
I hope there is no torment burning
To punish my love for deserting me.
["Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies" is not a version of "O Waly Waly."
--------------------------------
Karl Dallas commented in the sleeve notes:
Sharp printed 18 versions of this beautiful song [in English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians], including a version from one of his best sources, Mrs. Jane Gentry of Hot Springs, North Carolina. Compare Pete's very free interpretation with sister Peggy's more rhythmic performance.
wish I was some little sparrow, If I'd a-known before I courted, That I had wings and I could fly; I never would have courted none; I'd fly away to my false true lover, I'd have locked my heart in a box of golden, And when he's talking I'd be nigh
The Land of Saddle-bags: A Study of the Mountain People of Appalachia
https://books.google.com/books?isbn=081312798X
James Watt Raine - 1924 - Preview - More editions
1. Come all ye fair and tender ladies,
Take warning how you court young men,
They're like a star in the summer morning.
They'll first appear and then they're gone.
2. They'll tell to you some loving story
And make you think that they love you true;
Straightway they'll go and court some other,
Oh, that is the love they have for you.
Seven Kentucky Mountain Songs
G. Schirmer, 1929
Come all ye fair and tender ladies
Take warnin' how you court young men,
They be like stars on a
----------------------
---------------
mudcat.org: Lyr Req: Red Rosey Bush
mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=32845
Apr 6, 2001 - 18 posts - 11 authors
I wish I was a little swallow, etc. I wish I was a ripe red apple, I wish I was once a sailing, I wish I had a glass of brandy, I wish I was on some
YOU FAIR AND PRETTY LADIES
folk song
(MG)
Text & tune: Traditional. This version, sung by Mrs.
Linnie Bullard, of Pineville, Missouri, appears in
Vance Randolph’s
Ozark Folksongs,
1946-50.
Come all you fair an’ pretty ladies,
Take warnin’ how you court young men,
For they are like a bright
star of a Summer evenin’,
They first appear an’ then they’re gone.
They’ll tell to you some lovely story,
Declare to you that they are most true,
Then straightway they go an’ love another,
That shows the love they have for you.
I myself once had a lover,
One that I thought was almost true,
Straightway he went an’ loved another,
That showed the love that he had for me.
I wish to God I had never saw him,
Or in my cradle I had died,
To think such a nice gal as I am
Has fell in love an’ then been denied.
I wish I was a little swallow,
Or some of those that fly so high,
Straightway I’d foller my true lover,
An’ as he talked I would deny.
I’d ask him who he was a-flatterin’,
Or who he aimed for to deceive,
An’ in his bosom I would flutter
with my little bendin’ wings.
But as I am no little swallow,
Or none of those that fly so high,
Here I must stay in grief an’ sorrow
An’ pass my hard perfections by.
The University of Missouri Studies - Volume 15, Issue 1 - Page 120
stanza in Awake Awake- Belden
1940 - Snippet view - More editions
'Go fetch to me yonders pen and paper That I may set down and write a while ; 'I wish I was a little swallow Or else some lonesome turkle dove ; I would fly away over hills of sorrow And light on some land of love. '
Text & tune: Traditional. This version, sung by Mr. Charles Ingenthron, of Walnut Shade, Missouri, appears in Vance Randolph’s
Ozark Folksongs, 1946-50.
One morning, one morning, one morning in Spring,
The birds in the desert so loudly did sing,
I met a fair damsel in the desert alone,
Oh she says I’m a poor lost girl, and a long ways from home.
I stepped up to her, her features to see,
And making so freely her pardon I asked,
And making so freely in the desert alone,
Oh she says I’m a poor lost girl, and a long ways from home.
I left my old father and all his commands,
I left my old mother a-wringing her hands,
I left my friends and relations a-mourning too,
Oh she says I’m a poor lost girl, and a long ways from home.
I’ll build me a castle on yon mound high
Where the wild geese may see me as they’re roving by,
Where the turtle-dove may hear
me and help me to mourn,
Oh she says I’m a poor lost girl, and a long ways from home.
Come all ye fair maidens, take warning from me,
Don’t place your affections
on a green willow tree,
For the leaves they will wither
and the limbs they will die,
Oh then you’re forsaken and you’ll know not for why.
-----------------------
Tune Req: fair and tender ladies
From: kytrad (Jean Ritchie) - PM
Date: 27 Nov 02 - 04:52 PM
Re-reading this thread, I find it interesting that none of the variants given here contain what to me is the last verse, sort of a summing-up stanza:
Young man, ne'er cast your eye on beauty,
For beauty is a thing that will decay-
I've seen many a fair and bright sunny morning
Turn into a dark and deludinous day.
US & Canada versions 7Ua. Young Ladies (Little Sparrow)
Some folks around home didn't like this ending and changed the verse's poetry to, "I've seen many dark and stormy morning turn into a bright sunshiny day." Which does not illustrate the meaning in the FIRST two lines, but I guess no one was thinking of that! Being a literate family, we stayed with the "dark and deludinous" line.
---------------------
Cecil Sharp Manuscript Collection (at Clare College, Cambridge) (CJS2/10/3713)
Come All You Fair And Tender Ladies
First Line: Come all you fair and tender ladies
Performer: Ogle, Lilian
Date: 23 May 1917
Place: USA : Kentucky : Berea
Collector: Sharp, Cecil J.
Come all you young and tender ladies,
Take warning how you court young men.
They're like a star in a summer's morning;
They'll first appear and then they're gone.
-----------------------
Cecil Sharp Manuscript Collection (at Clare College, Cambridge) (CJS2/10/4030)
Come All You Fair And Tender Ladies
First Line: Come all you fair and tender ladies
Performer: Messer, Nancy
Date: 14 Sep 1917
Place: USA : Kentucky : Hazard
Collector: Sharp, Cecil J.
Come all you young and tender ladies,
be careful how you court young men.
They're like bright stars of a summer's morning;
They'll first appear and then they're gone.
---------------
Cecil Sharp Manuscript Collection (at Clare College, Cambridge) (CJS2/10/3707)
Come All You Fair And Tender Ladies
First Line: Come all you fair and tender ladies
Performer: Droghon, Fitzhugh
Date: 22 May 1917
Place: USA : Kentucky : Berea
Collector: Sharp, Cecil J.
Come all you young and tender ladies,
Take warning how you court young men.
They're like a star in the cloudy morning;
They'll first appear and then they're gone.
---------------
Cecil Sharp Manuscript Collection (at Clare College, Cambridge) (CJS2/10/4040)
Come All Ye Fair And Tender Ladies
First Line: Come all ye young and tender ladies
Performer: Pratt, Lucindy
Date: 20 Sep 1917
Place: USA : Kentucky : Hindman
Collector: Sharp, Cecil J
Come all ye young and tender ladies,
Take warning how you court young men.
Just like a bright star on a summer's morning;
They'll first appear and they are gone.
COME ALL YOU FAIR AND TENDER LADIES
SHARP EFFSSA - VERSION A
(Mrs. Rosie Hensley, Carmen, N.C., Aug 8, 1916)
O don't you remember on yon green mountain,
Where I and you first fell in love,
Where the little birds was sweetly singing
And even, too, the little doves?
Come all ye fair and tender ladies,
Be careful how you court young men;
They're like a star of a summer's morning,
They'll first appear and then they're gone.
They'll tell to you some pleasing story,
They'll declare to you they are your own;
Straightway they'll go and court some other
And leave you here in tears to mourn.
I wish I were a little swallow
And I had wings and I could fly;
Straight after my true love I would follow,
When they'd be talking I'd be by.
But I am no little swallow,
I have no wings, nor I can't fly,
And after my true love I can't follow,
And when they're talking I'll set and cry.
.....
.....
There's many a dark and rainy morning
Turns out to be a pretty day.
SHARP EFFSSA - VERSION B
(two girls, Knott Co., Ky., nd)
Come all you young and tender ladies,
Take warning how you court young men.
They're like a bright star in a cloudy morning;
They'll first appear and then they're gone.
They'll tell to you some lovely story
And tell you their love is true,
Straightway to some other girl and court her,
And that's the love they have for you.
I wish I were a little sparrow,
Had sparrow's wings and I could fly;
I would fly away to my false true-love,
And while he would talk I would deny.
But I am not a little sparrow,
Got no wings, nor I can't fly;
I will sit right down in grief and sorrow
And try to pass my troubles by.
If I had knowed before I courted
That love had been so hard to win,
I'd locked my heart with the keys of golden,
And pinned it down with a silver pin.
---
MS version
Cecil Sharp Manuscript Collection (at VWML) (CJS1/11/88)
I Wish I were Some Little Sparrow (False True Lover)
First Line: Come all you young and tender ladies
Performer: [Two girls]
Date: 26 Dec 1907
Place: USA : Kentucky : Knott County
Collector: Campbell, Olive Dame
Come all you young and tender ladies,
Take warning how you court young men.
They're like a bright star in a cloudy morning;
They'll first appear and then they're gone.
They'll tell to you some lovely story
And tell you their love is true,
Straightway to some other girl and court her,
And that's the love they have for you.
The ripest apple soon are rotten,
The truest love is soonest cold;
A young man's vows are soon forgotten,
Pray my pretty little miss don't be too bold!
I wish I were a little sparrow,
Had sparrow's wings and I could fly;
I would fly away to my false true-love,
And while he would talk I would deny.
But I am not a little sparrow,
Got no wings, nor I can't fly;
I will sit right down in grief and sorrow
And try to pass my troubles by.
I wish I was in yonders garden
Gathering flowers of every kind
I hope there's a place in Heaven
For me and that true-love of mine.
If I had knowed before I courted
That love had been so hard to win,
I'd locked my heart with the keys of golden,
And pinned it down with a silver pin.
SHARP EFFSSA - VERSION C
(Mrs. Press Blankenship, Flag Pond, Tenn., Sept 1, 1916)
Come all you fair and tender ladies,
Be careful how you court young men.
They're like a star of a summer's morning,
They first appear and then they're gone.
They'll tell to you some pleasing story,
Declare to you they love you well,
Then go away and court them another,
And that's the love they have for you.
I once did meet a fair true lover,
A true one, too, I took him to be;
And then he went away and found him another,
And that's the love he had for me.
O that I were a pretty little swallow,
Or had I wings that I could fly,
Then away after my true love I'd follow,
I'd light upon his breast and flutter
And tell him of deceiving me.
I hope there is a day a-coming
When love shall put an end to me.
I hope there is a place of torment
To secure my love for deceiving me.
SHARP EFFSSA - VERSION F
(Mrs. Effie Mitchell,Burnsville, N.C., Sept 12, 1918)
Come all you fair and tender ladies,
Be careful how you court young men;
They're like bright stars of a summer morning,
They'll first appear and then be gone.
They'll tell to you some loving story,
They'll declare their love is true;
Straightway they'll go and court some other,
And that's the love they have for you.
If I had known before I courted
That love had been so hard on me,
I'd have fastened my heart in golden boxes,
And have locked it up with a silver pin.
I wish I was some little sparrow,
And had wings, could fly so high;
I'd fly away to my false true lover,
And when he'd talk I would be nigh.
But as it is, I am no sparrow,
Neither have I wings to fly.
I'd sit down here in grief and sorrow,
Weep and pass my troubles by.
SHARP EFFSSA - VERSION H
(Mrs. Mollie Broghton,Barbourville, Knox Co., Ky., Aug 25, 1917)
Come all ye fair and tender ladies,
Take warning how you court young men;
They're like a bright star on a Sunday morning,
They first appear and it's gone again.
If I was a little sparrow,
And I had wings and could fly high,
Always I'd go to my false lover,
And when he'd talk I would be by.
I'd ask him who he's going to flatter,
And what poor girl he's going to see;
And on his breast I would flutter
With my tender little wings.
But as it is I ain't no sparrow,
I have no wings and can't fly high;
I'll stay at home in grief and sorrow;
I'll try to find some way to die.
SHARP EFFSSA - VERSION I
(Mr. Macdonald Franklin, Berea, Madison Co, Ky., May 26, 1917)
Come all ye fair and tender ladies,
Take warning how that you love young men;
They're like bright stars of a summer's morning.
They'll first appear and then they're gone.
They'll tell to you some loving story
And make you think they love you true;
Straightway they'll go and court some other.
That is the love they have for you.
I wish I never had a-courted.
If I'd a-known that love was hard to end,
I'd lock my heart in a box of golden
And fasten it up with a silver chain.
I wish I were a little sparrow,
Or some of those that fly so high.
I'd fly away to my false true lover,
And when he would talk I would be nigh.
But as it is I am no sparrow,
Nor none of those that fly so high;
I sit down here in grief and sorrow,
Try and pass all those my troubles by.
I hope there's a time a-coming
When my love I'm sure to see.
I hope there is a place of torment
To punish my love for denying me.
John Harrington Cox 'Folk-Songs of the South' Pelican Publishing Company 1998 reprint of 1925 edition - and the text in Alan Lomax's 'Folk Songs of North America'.
YOUNG LADIES [Cox A text]
Come all ye fair and handsome ladies
Take warning how you court young men
For they're like a bright star on a summer's morning
They first appear and then they're gone
They'll tell to you some flattering story
And swear to God that they love you well
And away they'll go and court some other
And leave you here in grief to dwell
I wish to God I never had seen him
Or in his cradle he had died
For to think so fair and handsome lady
Was one in love and be denied
I wish I was in some tall mountain
Where the ivy rock is black as ink
I would write a letter to my false lover
Whose cheeks are like the morning pink
I wish I was some little sparrow
And one of them that could fly so high
I would fly away to my true love's dwelling
And when he would speak I would be close by
O I would flutter in his bosom
With my little [ex]tended wings
I would ask him, I would ask him
Whose tender heart he had tried to stain
My troubles now are just beginning
My troubles like some mountain tall
O I'll sit down in grief and sorrow
And there I'll talk my troubles o'er
Love is handsome, love is charming
Love is beauty while it's new
Love grows older, love grows colder
Fades away like morning dew
Communicated to Cox by Mr J.H. Shaffer, Newburg, Preston County who obtained it from Mrs A.R. Fike, Terra Alta.
[No Local Title] [Cox B text]
Come all ye fair and tender ladies
Be careful how you trust young men
For they are like a star on a summer's morning
They disappear and then are gone
They tell to you some tattling stories
And then declare they love you well
This is the way they go and love some other
And leave you in this world to mourn
O love is handsome, love is charming
And love is pretty while it lasts
But love grows cold as loves grows older
And fades away like morning dew
I wish to God I never had seen him
Or in my cradle I had died
To think a fair and handsome lady
Was stricken with love and then denied
I wish I were on some tall mountain
Where the marble stones are black as ink
I'd write a letter to my false lover
Whose cheeks are like the morning pink
If I were just a little sparrow
Or some of those that fly so high
I'd fly away to my false lover
And he'd speak I would deny
But I am none of those little sparrows
Or none of those that fly so high
So I'll sit down in grief and sorrow
And pass all my troubles by
Communicated to Cox by Mr Guy Overholt, Erwin, Preston County, who obtained it from Mr Ralph Buckley, Buckeye, Pocahontas County.
FAIR AND TENDER LADIES
Come all you fair and tender ladies
Be careful how you court young men
They're like a star in a summer's morning
First appear and then they're gone
They'll tell to you some loving story
They'll tell to you some far-flung lie
And then they'll go and court another
And for that other one pass you by
If I a-knowed before I courted
That love, it was such a killin' crime
I'd a-locked my heart in a box of golden
And tied it up with a silver line
I wish I was some little sparrow
That I had wings could fly so high
I'd fly away to my false true lover
And when he's talkin' I'd be by
But as I am no little sparrow
And have no wings so I can't fly
I'll go away to some lonesome valley
And weep and pass my troubles by
Collected and adapted by Alan and Elizabeth Lomax. Alan Lomax 'The Folk Songs of North America' Doubleday 1960, p 205. Lomax gives references to Belden p 477 (who says this is an American compound of old lyric elements), Brown III, p 290, Randolph I, 315, and Sharp II, p 128.
Duncan Emrich ['American Folk Poetry: An Anthology' Little, Brown and Co, Boston 1974, p76] gives a ballad under the 'Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies' title that is related more to parental interference ballads such as 'Silver Dagger', 'Silk Merchant's Daughter' etc. It is a bloody little piece collected by Harvey H. Fuson from Lizzie Dills and printed in his 'Ballads of the Kentucky Highlands' 1931, p71. Emrich also references Laws G21. The boy's parents prevent him courting a girl beneath his station and the young girl stabs herself. The final 2 stanzas give the flavour of the piece:
She walled her dying eyes up toward him
'Oh, at last, at last, you have come to me
You are all the one could have killed or cured me
At last, too late, you have come to me!
You are all the one could have killed or cured me
At last, too late, you have come to me'
'Prepare to meet me on Mount Zion,
Up there, where true lovers never part!'
And then he drew the bloody dagger
And pierced it through his tender heart
Says: 'Let this be a faithful warning
For those who keep true lovers apart'
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In "Far in the Mountains : Volumes 3 & 4 of Mike Yates' 1979-83 Appalachian Collection", to be found here, Dellie Norton sings an interesting version of this song, or at least a song related to "Fair and Tender Ladies". From the liner notes available at the above site:
"8. LITTLE SPARROW (Roud 451)
(Sung by Dellie Norton at her home in Sodom Laurel, Madison County, NC. 29.8.80)
It's I wish I were some little sparrow,
I had wings and I could fly.
I'd fly away to my own true lover
And when she courted I'd be by.
But I ain't no little sparrow.
I have no wings nor I cain't fly.
So set right here in grief and sorrow,
I'll set right here until I die.
I'll go down to yonders river,
I'll spend my months, my weeks, my years.
I'd eat nothing but green willow
And I'd drink nothing but my tears.
Roscoe Holcomb, the Kentucky banjo-player and singer, called this Willow Tree (Smithsonian Folkways SF CD 40104), whilst other Appalachian singers have used these verses as 'floaters', to add to songs such as Awake, Awake and The Silver Dagger. Another Kentucky version, this time by Morgan Sexton, was once available on his June Appal LP 0066."
WILLOW TREE
If I was some little swallow
Had little wings and I could fly
I'd [lie/light?] in the arms of my own true lover
And if any courting her, I'd be by
If I were some little sparrow
Had little wings and I could fly
I would lie by the side of my own true lover
And there I'd sit till the day I die
I'd [light up in ? ] some weeping willow
For weeks and weeks, for months and years
I wouldn't eat nothing but weeping willow
And what I'd drink would be my tears
In his note to 'Willow Tree', John Cohen says Dillard Chandler sang the 'willow' stanza in 'Awake, Awake' on his Folkways album 'Old Love Songs and Ballads'.
As Malcolm says above, "Later 19th century would seem a reasonable guess". The song as it it today was probably first printed by Sharp, but seems to be older. The second version (text only) in Beldon, Ballads and Songs Collected by the Misssouri Folk-Lore Society (1940) is titled "Warning", which is from "C.H. Williams, Bollinger County, 1906, who says: 'I was very young when I learned this and don't remember who I heard sing it first.'" (p. 478):
WARNING
Come all ye fair and tender ladies,
Take warning how you love young men;
They are like the star of a summer's morning,
First appear and then they are gone again.
Once I thought I had a lover,
Indeed I thought he was my own;
Straightway he went and courted another
And left me here to grieve and moan.
I wish I were some little sparrow,
One of those would fly so high;
I'd fly away to my false lover
And when he talked I'd be close by;
All in his breast I would flutter
With my little tender wings
Ask him whom he meant to flatter,
Whom he intended to deceive.
But as it it, I'm no sparrow,
Neither wings to fly so high.
I'll sit me down in grief and sorrow,
Sing, and pass my trouble by.
There are two versions in Alton C. Morris, Folksongs of Florida (1950, 1978, pp. 366-368). One is "Fair and Tender Ladies" (with music): "Recorded from the singing of Mrs. C.S. McClellan, High Springs, who learned the song from her mother [age or birth not given], a native Floridian who spent most of her life in the vicinity of Lawtey." The other is "Come All You Fair and Pretty Ladies": "Recorded from the singing of Mrs. G.A. Griffin, Newberry, who learned the song from her father, Mr. John R. Hart [age or birth not given], Dooly County, Georgia, when she was a young girl living near Adel, Georgia."
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Folksongs of Florida, 1950
"FAIR AND TENDER LADIES." Recorded from the singing of Mrs. C. S. McClellan, High Springs, who learned the song from her mother, a native Floridian who spent most of her life in the vicinity of Lawley.
Come all you fair and tender ladies;
Take warning how you love young men;
They're like a star of a summer morning;
Th.y first are here and then are gone.
They'll tell to you some loving story,
And make you think that they love you well,
And away they'll go and court some other,
And leave you there in grief to dwell.
I wish to God I'd never seen him,
Or in his cradle he had died;
For to think so fair and handsome a lady
Was stricken in love and then denied.
I wish I was in some tall mountain,
'Where the ivy rock is black as ink;
I would write a letter to my false true lover,
Whose cheeks are like the morning pink.
I wish I were some little sparrow,
And I had wings and I could fly;
I'd fly away to my false true lover,
And when he'd talk I'd be nearby.
And I would flutter in his bosom
With my extended wings;
I would ask him, I would ask him,
Whose tender heart he had tried to slay.
Love is handsome, love is charming;
And love is pretty while it is new;
But love grows cold as love grows older,
And fades away like the morning dew.
_________________________________________
Appendix:
Item 1: "The Lady's Address to the Fair Maidens" c.1760 print
1. Come hither, all you pretty maidens,
Take Warning how you love a Man,
Like a bright star in a Summer's Morning
When day appears they are gone.
2. They'll talk and tell you pretty stories,
They'll vow and swear they love you true,
But it is all to blast your Glory
That's all the love they have for you.
3. It's I myself had once a Sweetheart,
He swore he lov'd me as his Life;
But that was only his false intention,
Ne'er to make me his lawful wife.
4. I was in his Eye a precious Jewel,
So tender was his love for me,
He swore his heart did burn like fuel
Whenever he my face did see.
5. But now, alas! that is all over,
He little thinks of what us past;
In Cupid's chains we were bound together,
There to remain while life did last.
6. May the heaven's bless that happy woman,
Who does enjoy my jewel bright;
His Wit and Beauty are more than common,
On him I place my chief Delight.
7. I wish I was a pretty swallow,
That nimbly in the Air could fly,
Then my false-hearted love I'd follow,
Whene'er he talk'd I would lie by.
8. Whene'er he talk'd then I would flutter,
All on his Breast with my tender Wings,
And ask him who it was that flatter'd,
And told so many deluding Things.
------------------------
Item 2: One of the important broadsides supplying stanzas to "Young Ladies" is the secondary antecedent, "Wheel of Fortune." 'Wheel," which also provided secondary stanzas for the UK versions of Love is Teasing, is a 9 or 10 stanza broadside printed about 1830-1855 in England and Scotland. Even though several of the stanzas are not usually found in 'Young Ladies," here are the full 10 stanzas:
Wheel of Fortune
1. When I was young I was much beloved
By all the young men in the country;
When I was blooming all in my blossom,
A false young lover deceived me.
2. He has tried his whole endeavor,
He has tried all his power and skill,
He has spoiled all my good behaviour,
He has broken my fortune against my will.
3. I did not think he was going to leave me,
Till the next morning when he came in;
Then he sat down and began a-talking,
Then all my sorrows did begin.
4. I left my father, I left my mother;
I left my sister and brothers too;
And all my friends and old aquaintance,
I left them all to go with you.
5. For after evening there comes a morning,
And after morning a bonny day,
And after one lover there comes another,
And it's ill to hold them that must away.
6. But turn you round, you wheel of fortune,
It's turn you round and smile on me;
For young men's words they are quite uncertain,
Which sad experience teaches me.
7. If I had known before I had courted,
That love had been so ill to win,
I wad locked my heart in a chest of gold,
And pon'd it with a silver pin.
8. Then fare-ye-weel, ye false-hearted young man,
It's fare-ye-weel, since we must part;
If you are the man that has broke my fortune,
You're not the man that shall break my heart.
9. Of all the flowers that grow in the garden,
Be sure you pull the rose and thyme,
For all others are quite out of fashion,
A false young man he has stole my thyme.
10. But time will soon put an end to all things,
And love will soon put an end to me;
But surely there is a place of torment,
To punish my lover for slighting me.
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Item 3 Drowsy Sleeper; Brown Collection (2 stanzas of Little Sparrow)
D. 'Oh, You Drowsy Sleeper.' Secured from James York of Olin, Iredell county, in 1939. Slightly longer than the preceding versions. The first two stanzas are:
'Wake up, wake up, you drowsy sleeper,
Wake up, wake up; 'tis almost day.
How can you lie there and slumber
When your true love is a-going away?'
'Who is this at my side window
A-calling of my name so sweet?'
'It's a young man that you are loving.
One word with thee I wish to speak.'
Then follows the dialogue, in which it appears that the mother (who is mentioned first) holds in her hands "a letter To read to her children in distress" and the father a weapon wherewith
"To slay the young
man that I love best."
It ends with two stanzas from 'Little Sparrow* :
'I wish I was a little sparrow.
One of them that could i\y so high.
I'd fly and sit on my true love's dwelling.
And when she talked I'd be close by.
'Neither am I a little sparrow
And neither do I have wings to fly ;
So I'll sit down and weep in sorrow,
I'll sing and pass my troubles by.'
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More Songs and Ballads from the Southern Appalachians
Author(s): Isabel Nanton Rawn and Charles Peabody
Source:
The Journal of American Folklore,
Vol. 29, No. 112 (Apr. - Jun., 1916), pp. 198-202
Published by: American Folklore Society
-------------
200 Journal of American Folk-Lore.
IV.
Come all you fair and tender ladies,1
Take warning how you like young men,
They will tell you some lovely story,
Declare they love you true.
Straightway they will go and love another,-
That's the love they have for you.
I wish I were a little sparrow
And had wings to fly and fly
Over, and when he talked I would be nigh.
But as I am no little sparrow
And got no wings to fly,
I wish I were instead a rabbit
To pass my troubles by.
1 For such "Come all ye's" compare Perrow (this Journal, 1915, p. I6o) and Child
(Fair Flower of Northumberland, I, p. II4, 35; and Tam Lin, II, p. 349, G. I); also a
fragment remembered by me, sung by an Adirondack guide about 1880:--
"Come all ye fair maidens, a warning take by me,
And never build your nests within a hollow tree."