[William] Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight- Sung by Mrs. Moore, Rabun Gap, Ga., May 1, 1910; Collected by Rawn from Olive Dame Campbell. Sharp C (1932 edition)
[My title. This version was not collected by Sharp but was sent to him from Mrs. Campbell's collection which was a collaboration with other members of the Council of Southern Mountain Workers, in this case it was Isabel Rawn of the Martha Berry School of Georgia, who was not credited in either the 1917 or the 1932 edition of EFSSA. (ref. In the world of my ancestors: The Olive Dame Campbell Collection of Appalachian folk song, 1908-1916; Turner).
This version was version D in the 1917 edition.
R. Matteson 2014]
No. 3. Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight. [Sharp/Karpeles notes; 1932]
Texts without tunes:—Child's English and Scottish Popular Ballads, No. 4. Gavin Greig's Folk-Song of the North-East, ii. art. 106. C. S. Burne's Shropshire Folk-Lore, p. 548. A. Williams's Folk Songs of the Upper Thames, p. 159, Reed Smith's South Carolina Ballads, p. 97. Journal of American Folk-Lore, xix. 232; xxii. 65; xxiii. 375; xxiv. 344; xxvii. 90; xxviii. 148; xxxv. 338.
Texts with tunes—Journal of the Folk-Song Society, i. 246 ; ii. 282 ; iv. 116. English County Songs, p. 164. Kidson's Traditional Tunes, pp. 27 and 172, Northumbrian Minstrelsy, p. 48. Folk Songs from Somerset, No. 84 (published also in English Folk Songs, Selected Edition, vol. i, p. 29, and One Hundred English Folk-Songs, p. 29). A. E. Gillington's Eight Hampshire Folk Songs, p. 4. Gavin Greig's Last Leaves, p. 2. Wyman and Brockway's Lonesome Tunes, p. 82. J. H. Cox's Folk Songs of the South, pp. 3 and 521 (see further references). Mackenzie's Ballads and Sea Songs from Nova Scotia, No. 1. D. Scarborough's On the Trail of Negro Folk Songs, p. 43. Journal of American Folk-Lore, xviii. 132; xxii. 76 (tune only) and 374; xxiv. 333. British Ballads from Maine, p. 14. Davis's Traditional Ballads of Virginia, pp. 62 and 549. Sandburg's American Songbag,
p. 60.
' My Colleen' in version A may, or may not be, a corruption of the May Colvin, Colven, or Collins, of other versions.
LADY ISABEL AND THE ELF KNIGHT
William- Sung by Mrs. Moore, Rabun Gap, Ga., May 1, 1910; Collected by Isabel Rawn, sent in by Olive Dame Campbell; EFSSA; Sharp C (1932 edition).
There was a proper tall young man,
And William was his name;
He came away over the raging sea,
He came a-courting me, O me,
He came a-courting me.
He followed me up, he followed me down,
He followed me in my room.
I had no wings for to fly away,
No tongue to say him nay.
He took part of my father's gold,
Half of my mother's fee;
He took two of my father's stable steeds,
For there stood thirty and three.
The lady rode the milk-white steed,
The gentleman rode the grey.
They rode all down by the north green land
All on one summer's day.
Light off, light off, my pretty fair miss,
I tell you now my mind.
Six pretty fair maids I've drownded here,
The seventh one you shall be.
Hush up, hush up, you old vilyun,
That hain't what you promised me.
You promised to carry me over the raging sea,
And then for to marry me.
Turn your back and trim those nettles
That grow so near the brim;
They'll tangle in my golden hair
And tear my lily-white skin.
He turned his back to trim those nettles
That growed so near the brim
This young lady with her skilfulness
She tripped her false love in.
Lie there, lie there, you old vilyun,
Lie there in the place for me.
You have nothing so fine nor costly
But to rot in the salt water sea.
First she rode the milk-white steed
And then she rode the grey.
She returned back to her father's house
Three long hours before it was day.
----------------------------
Bronson No. 9 [ABCNotation.com]
T:Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight
C:Trad
B:Bronson
O:Sharp MSS., 3140/?. Also in Sharp and Karpeles, "English Folk
O:Songs from thc Southern Appalachians",1932, I, pp. 7(C)-8.
O:Sung by Mrs. Moore, Rabun Gap, Ga., May I, 19IO. Collected by
O:Olive Dame Campbell.
N:Dot missing from the d in measure 1 in Bronson
M:3/2
L:1/8
K:G
D2 | (3G2 A2 B2 d6 (3efe | d2 d2 G6 G2 |
w:There was_ a pro-per__ tall young man, And
[M:2/2] c3 d e2 c2 | d6 d2 | d3 B/A/ G2 (3GBA | [M:3/2] G2 G2 D6 D2 |
w:Will-iam was his name; He came a_way ov-er the rag-ing sea, He
G2 AB d6 BA | G2 G2 D6 D2 | G2 AB d6 BA | G6 |]
w:came a_court-ing_ me, O me, He came a_court-ing_ me.
W:
W:There was a proper tall young man,
W:And William was his name;
W:He came away over the raging sea,
W:He came a-courting me, O me,
W:He came a-courting me.
W:
W:He followed me up, he followed me down,
W:He followed me in my room.
W:I had no wings for to fly away,
W:No tongue to say him nay.
W:
W:He took part of my father's gold,
W:Half of my mother's fee;
W:He took two of my father's stable steeds,
W:For there stood thirty and three.
W:
W:The lady rode the milk-white steed,
W:The gentleman rode the grey.
W:They rode all down by the north green land
W:All on one sumrner's day.
W:
W:Light off, light off, my pretty fair miss,
W:I tell you now my mind.
W:Six pretty fair maids I've drownded here,
W:The seventh one you shall be.
W:
W:Hush up, hush up, you old vilyun,
W:That hain't what you promised me.
W:You promised to carry me over the raging sea,
W:And then for to marry me.
W:
W:Turn your back and trim those nettles
W:That grow so near the brim;
W:They'll tangle in my golden hair
W:And tear my lily-white skin.
W:
W:He turned his back to trim those nettles
W:That growed so near the brim
W:This young lady with her skilfulness
W:She tripped her false love in.
W:
W:Lie there, lie there, you old vilyun,
W:Lie there in the place for me.
W:You have nothing so fine nor costly
W:But to rot in the salt water sea.
W:
W:First she rode the milk-white steed
W:And then she rode the grey.
W:She returned back to her father's house
W:Three long hours before it was day.