Young Behan- Harmon (Tennessee) 1928 Henry A
[From Mellinger Henry's Ballads and Songs of the Southern Highlands; 1938, version A. Cf. Brown E.
In my opinion, this is the Harmon/Hicks version (see: North Carolina Folklore Journal- Volumes 34-37, Page 23, 1987) which is likely very old; at first dating back to the late 1700s in North Carolina; then to the 1800s through Goulder Harmon (old Counce's son) and his son Sam Harmon (b. 1869) who moved to Tennessee; then to the 1900s through Sam's daughter and was collected by Henry in 1928. The Harmons are related (two intermarriages) to the Samuel Hicks family (Samuel b. circa 1695) moved from Tuckahoe Creek (Goochland County, VA) into North Carolina around 1760s, with David (Samuel's son) and his son "Big Sammy" settling in Valle Cruses (Beech Mountain) around 1770.
Edith Walker collected a version (no informant is named in Brown E but the informant was Aunt Betty Hicks, Nora's mother) which was recorded by Abrams (1940) from the singing of Nora Hicks and her daughter Addie. This version is very close to the version below from the Harmons. Another variant of the Hick/Harmon version was collected by Frank Warner from Roby Monroe Hicks (Nathan Hicks' uncle, I've made a recording using Nathan's dulcimer which my grandfather bought) and appears on her Bright Smile Haunts Me Still, Vol. 1. See also fragment from Jane Hicks Gentry collected by Sharp.
R. Matteson 2012, 2014]
4. YOUNG BEICHAN.
Child, No. 53
A. "Young Behan." Obtained from Miss Laura Harmon, Cade's Cove, Blount County, Tennessee, August, 1928, who learned it from her father, Samuel Harmon. See Cox, No. 8; Campbell and Sharp, No. 12; Pound, No. 14; Mackenzie, The Quest of the Ballad, 115; Kittredge, Journal XXX, 294; Cf. also Raine, The Land of the Saddle Bags, og9; Reed Smith, South Carolina Ballads, 104.
1. Young Behan from Glasgow('s) gone,
All these fine Turkish for to view.
They bored a hole through his right shoulder,
And through and through they drew a key,[1]
And plunged him in to the dungeon dark
Where the light of day he no more could see.
2. The gaoler [2] had a beautiful daughter -
Oh, a beautiful daughter was she.
She now to the gaol window is gone
To call young Behan, to hear his voice.
3. "Have you any houses and lands?
Have you any buildings free?
Or what would you give to a pretty girl,
To set you at your liberty?"
4. "The Glasgow town, it is all mine,
Besides the castles two or three;
And them I'll give to a pretty girl,
That will set me at my liberty."
5. "Give to me your faith and troth
And your right hand you will marry me,
And pay down ninety thousand pounds
And I'll set you at your liberty."
6. She took him by his pale white hand
And led him up the marble walk
Where the sugar, bread, and wine so red
Was all to comfort his fair body.
7. They made a league between them both
For seven long years and one day.
"And if you don't come within that time,
The blame all on you I will lay."
8. The seven long years has just been gone
This lady a-thinking the time great long.
"I'll go search for my young Behan;
I know no where or within what land."
9. Her father built her a little ship
And set it on the raging sea;
And in that ship put gold enough
To bear her own sweet company.
10. She floated low, she floated high;
Some turf of (and) stone she chanced did spy,
As she went cracking her pretty white fingers
As the lords and knights went talking by.
11. She went to young Behan's gate
And dingled at the ring.
"Wait a while," the porter said,
"I'll quickly rise and let you in."
12. "Is this young Behan's hall,
Or is it his knight within ?"
13. On her fingers she wore rings,
And on her middle finger three.
She twisted a ring from a middle finger
And gave the porter for his fee.
14. "Here is a lady at your gate,
As fair as your two eyes ever did see."
"I'll lay my like," Lord Behan says,
"Miss Susie Price's come over the seas."
15. He kicked a table with his foot,
And drew it down on his knee,
And made cup, pans, and silver cans -
All into flinders[3] they did fly.
16. "Have you wedded any other woman?
I am sure I've wedded no other man.
Come, pay me down ninety thousand pounds,
And I'll go home to my native land."
17. "No, love, don't talk so;
It's whether you marry, or let it be,
I'll wed you to my older brother
If with him content you'd be,"
18. "I wish you luck with your older brother,
But I don't want no such a man.
Come, pay me down my portion small
And I'll return to the Turkish land."
19. "No, love, don't talk so;
Whether you marry him, or let that be,
I'll marry you to my younger brother
If with him content you'd he."
20. "I wish you luck with your younger brother,
But I don't want no such a man.
Come pay me down ninety thousand pounds
And I'll go home to my native land."
21. "No, love, don't talk so;
It's whether you marry him or let that be.
I'll wed you to my own self,
If with me content you'd be."
22. Up spoke his new bride -
Oh, but she spoke desperately:
"You've married as fair a lady
As ever your two eyes did see."
23. "Yes, you are fair and very fair,
And fair as ever need to be.
If you were nine times fairer than ever you was
You wouldn't be as fair by one-tenth degree."
24. Up spoke his new bride's mother -
Oh, but she spoke angrily:
"Did you ever hear or know the like before -
To wed a damsel in the morning soon
And to wed to another just after noon."
25. "You may have your brown girl.
I am sure she is none the worse by me.
Before I'd hear of my darling complain
I'd like all this town in exchange."
26. He took her by her lily white hand
And led her up a marble stair.
He changed her name from Miss Susie Price[4]
And called her the Queen of Glasgow Geen (Green).[5]
1. "tree" not key- however all the Hick/Harmon versions have "key" proving they they came from a singular source.
2. jailor
3. "flinders" is the correct Scot word for splinters. It's also "splinters" from the table breaking, or, the splinters were from a sword that was broken in three pieces.
4. Probably for "Susan/Susie Pye"
5. Henry has written (green) but it's surely Queen of Glasgow Jane (Jane is pronounced "Jean") Cf. Child I.