8B. The Courting Case (The Courting Cage); Roud 361; "The Drunkard's Courtship" (Chappell/Foss); "The Gambling Suitor" (Shifflett from Clayton & Ritchie); "Kind Sir, I See You've Come Again"; "Kind Miss" "O Miss, I Have A Very Fine Farm," "If You Will Only Be My Bride," "The Wooing," "Gordonsville"
A. "The Wooing" sung in 1934 by Mr. E. W. Harns, Greenville, who learned the song in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, about 1860. From Ballads & Songs of Southern Michigan, 1939, version A.
B. "The Courting Cage" sung Mrs. Judy Jane Whitaker of Anderson, Missouri learned from her mother about 1865. From Randolph, Ozark Folk Songs, (1946) collected May 10, 1928.
C. "Madam, I Have a Very Fine Cow." My date. No informant or place named. From I.G. Greer Folksong Collection; Lyric Variant 01(handwritten) and 02 (typed).
D. "Courting Case." Sung by Mrs. Fanny Coffey at White Rock, Nelson Co., Va., May 8th, 1918.
E. "Gordonville." Sung by Mrs. Lawson Gray, of Montvale, VA on June 6, 1918.
F. "I See You Come Again." Sung by Mary Gibson, of Marion, North Carolina on Sept. 9, 1918.
G. "If You Will Only Be My Bride." Contributed by J. B. Midgett of Wanchese, Roanoke Island, probably in 1920. With the tune. From Brown Collection vol. III, 1952, version B.
H. "Gordonsville" unknown singer published November 16, 1922 in the The Union Republican from Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
I. "Kind Sir, I See You've Come Again." Taken from Miss Jewel Robhins of Pekin, Montgomery County, in 1922. From Brown Collection vol. III, 1952, version A.
J. "Kind Sir" Mr. Austen (VA) before 1931 from Dorothy Scarborough "A Song Catcher" 1938.
K. "Bachelor's Song." Duet sung by Jamie Williams and Emmaline Gullett of Ashland, Kentucky, 1933. Collector: Jean Thomas. From: Thomas & Leeder, Singin' Gatherin' pp. 4-5, 1939.
L. "Madam, I Have a Very Fine Field," voice performance by A R Blake at White River Jun (Vt.). recorded 1935. Two stanza fragment. From a digitized archival cassette in the Helen Hartness Flanders Ballad Collection at Middlebury College Special Collections.
M. "O Madam, I Have a Fine Little Horse" sung by Mrs. Flora Stafford Swetnam of Vaiden, MS before 1936. From Hudson Folksongs of Mississippi.
N. "Madam, I Have a Very Fine Horse." From copy of Mr. W. S. Harrison, Fayette, MS who obtained it from the singing of Mr. T. D. Clark, Louisville. From Hudson, "Folksongs of Mississippi," 1936.
O. "Madam, I Have A Very Fine Farm" sung by by Theophilus G.Hoskins, from Leslie Co., Hyden, Kentucky. LOC, publication date 10-03-1937; as recorded by Alan Lomax.
P. "Madam, I Have a Very Fine Farm," sung by Vernon "Shorty" Allen at Shafter (California) FSA Camp, August 4, 1940. From Voices from the Dust Bowl: The Charles L. Todd and Robert Sonkin Migrant Worker Collection, 1940 to 1941 (533).
Q. "Kind Sir, I see you've come Again," sung by Texas Gladden of Salem, Virginia 1941. Recorded by Alan Lomax.
R. "The Drunkard's Courtship." Sung by Mrs. Zona Baker of Zack, Arkansas, in July, 1942. From The Native American Influence in Folk Songs of North Arkansas, by Theodore Garrison; The Arkansas Historical Quarterly, Vol. 6, No. 2 (Summer, 1947), pp. 165-179.
S. "I'll Have No Drunkard to Please," sung by Mrs. Myrtle Love Hester of Florence, Alabama on 8 June, 1947. Collector: Byron Arnold. From: Halli, An Alabama Songbook (2004) pp.128-129.
T. "Kind Madam." Sung Mrs. Frances Oxford of Spring Valley, Arkansas on March 9, 1951. Ozark Folk Song Collection; Reel 100, Item 3. Collected by Irene Carlisle and Mrs. Rachel Henry. Transcribed by Mary C. Parler.
U. "The Gambling Suitor." Sung by Miss Ella Shifflett who lives on a mountain in Greene County, VA. No date given. From Richard Chase, "American Folk Tales and Songs," 1956; recorded on Tradition, TLP 1011 by Jean Ritchie & Paul Clayton.
V. "Sir, I See You Comin' Again" from the singing of Marybird McAllister, Brown's Cove, Virginia, 11-5-58. Collected by Roger Abrahams, and George Foss. From Anglo-American Folksong Style.
W. "Courting Song" sung by Otis Williams, Wesley, Arkansas in 1958. From Max Hunter Folk Song Collection, no date given. Cat. #1429 (MFH #473).
X. "O Miss, I Have a Very Fine Farm," sung by Mrs. Lizzie Maguire, Fayettville, Arkansas on June 23, 1959. From Max Hunter Folk Song Collection; Cat. #0360 (MFH #473).
Y. "The Lovers' Quarrel." Collected by Cansler in Dallas County from a man known since childhood. Adapted and arranged by Loman D. Cansler; recorded in 1959. From the recording Missouri Folk Songs by Cansler on Smithsonian Folkways PH5324.
Z. "Courtin' Song" vocal duet sung by Pleaz & Olive Mobley of Clay County, KY about 1960 released on Folkways FA 2358 of 'American Folk Song Festival' performance.
AA. "Drunkard's Courtship." Recorded from Horton Barker of Virginia for Folkways in Beech Creek, North Carolina, by Sandy Paton, 1962.
BB. "Miss, I Have a Very Fine Horse," from the singing of Deana Crumpler and Susan Harriet Snyder of Columbia, South Carolina on May 14, 1963. Collected by Mrs. Robert Snyder; published by McNeil, "Southern Folk Ballads," 1987, Volume 1, page 12.
CC. "Madam, I Have Come to Court," sung by LaRena Clark of Toronto, Ontario in 1964 (Aug). Collected by Edith Fowke and published in her "Ring around the Moon," 1977 p. 120-121.
DD. "The Courting Case," sung by Lena Armstrong and Etta Jones on Beech Mountain Vol II, 1965. From: The Traditional Music of Beech Mountain, recording.
EE. "Courtin' Song." Sung by Margaret and Harold Winters, October 1966; from Folksongs I, Burton & Manning, 1967.
["The Courting Case" also "The Courting Cage" is a courting song that begins similarly to "Madam I Have Come to Court You" and seems to be based on "Madam" but the suitor offers instead of "gold and silver"-- a farm and farm animals. In the ensuing dialogue the lady reveals that she knows the suitor is a ne'er-do-well man who gambles and drinks. After the suitor fails to win over the lady he responds bitterly[1]:
When you get old and the weather gets cold
I hope to God you'll freeze [as sung by Fanny Coffey, Virginia, 1918].
This humorous song has many titles but is generally known by two: "The Courting Case" by Sharp, while Randolph and Brown call it, "The Courting Cage." Both "Courting Case" and "Courting Cage" are mondegreens[2]. Several suggestions as to the meaning have been offered with no satisfactory solution[3]. In my opinion it could be a mishearing of "a-courting come." However, in Randolph's version[4], the "cage" is a physical object:
Madam I have a courtin' cage
It stands in yonder town,
And my estate I'll give to you,
If it be ten thousand pounds,
If it be ten thousand pounds.
Sharp's master title is taken from an 1918 version by Fanny Coffey[5] with a similar stanza:
O madam, I am a courting case,
For you I've lain in woon[6],
For you I'd give up all my store,
If it was ten thousand pounds.
The use of the denomination of currency as "pounds" in these two versions and others is evidence of the songs British or early American origin. Yet so far, no British antecedent or similar version has been found. Lacking evidence of the ballad's pedigree, "The Courting Case" is currently categorized as "early American origin" even though its suspected British roots may someday be revealed. The unique variants with the words "Courting Case" and "Courting Cage" have been only found in Virginia and Missouri suggesting these titles are an aberration-- not the norm. Since the texts from Canada to New England, to Michigan, to the Appalachians are remarkably consistent, it implies an earlier origin from print. This missing print version would have been influenced by "Madam, I Have Come To Court You" and published either in the UK or the US before or by the early 1800s. No print version, however, has been found.
The mystery of the origin combined with the enigmatic titles, "the courting cage" and "courting case" have piqued an interest in this little ballad. Vance Randolph, for one, vainly searched for the meaning of "courting cage" and even enlisted the aid of fellow collector Dorothy Scarborough who published Randolph's version in her "A Songcatcher"-- published posthumously in 1938. The Traditional Ballad Index has speculated that lyric was a "courting cake" while Randolph[7] writes that a Professor Almack of Stanford University says it's "a court engaged." The truth may never be learned until an antecedent is discovered either in the US or UK which discloses the original text.
It's interesting to note that at least two versions refer to the wooed lady as a "hard case" in one of the latter stanzas:
"Miss I find you a very hard case,
Perhaps too hard to please, [McNeil, 1963]
"NOW, madam, you're a hard old case,
And just a little too hard to please; [Horton Barker, VA 1962]
The possible implication being the "case" was somehow transferred or similarly used in the opening stanza. Courting "case" would be some archaic use of the noun, "case" where case= wooer. One version[8] by Pleaz Mobley of Kentucky has "I am a courtin' man" in which "man" replaces "case." A number of versions with different titles have been collected in the North America where it is also found in Canada, Michigan, the Midwest, Southwest, the Appalachians and even New England and California. Other titles include: "The Drunkard's Courtship," "The Gamboling Suitor," "Courting Cage," "Oh, Miss, I Have a Very Fine Farm," "Root, Poor Hoggie," "Kind Miss" and "The Wooing." A version from Ontario[9] has the "Madam" opening line and is titled "Madam I Have Come to Court." Lomax says in the note to "The Gambling Suitor" that it was "From the singing of Jean Ritchie and Paul Clayton, as published in American Folk Tales and [Folk] Songs, compiled by Richard Chase..." (The Folk Songs of North America, p. 104). Chase, however, writes of the source as: "This song came from Miss Ella Shiflett, who lived on a mountain in Greene County, Virginia" (p. 146). Here's the text to "Courting case," a version collected by Cecil Sharp in his Virginia collecting jaunt of 1918:
THE COURTING CASE. Sung by Mrs. Fanny Coffey at White Rock, Nelson Co., Va., May 8th, 1918.
O madam, I am a courting case,
For you I've lain in woon,
For you I'd give up all my store,
If it was ten thousand pounds. (bis)
O yes, you are a courting case
Like many I have seen,
But if you think you're courting me,
I think you're very green.
O madam, I've a very fine farm,
Full sixty acres wide,
And it shall be at your command
If you will be my bride.
O yes, you have a very fine farm
And a piece of woods to boot,
But when I get in that fine farm
I'll hang you on a root.
O madam, I've a very fine house
And it's plastered white inside,
And it shall be at your command
If you will be my bride.
O yes, you have a very fine house
And it's plastered white inside,
But when I get in that fine house
I'll soon shut you outside.
O madam, you're a silly jade
And very hard to please;
When you get old and the weather gets cold
I hope to God you'll freeze.
While I am young with a flattering tongue
I keep myself from harm.
When I get old and the weather gets cold
My clothes will keep me warm.
From this version Sharp created a master title of Courting Case and named all the versions he collected, Courting Case, even though the words "courting case" did not appear in them. The earliest extant version, "The Wooing," was sung in 1934 by Mr. E. W. Harns, Greenville, who learned the song in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, about 1860. Here's the text from Ballads & Songs of Southern Michigan, 1939, version A[10]:
1 "Madam, I have come to marry you
And settle in this town;
My whole estate is worth
Ten thousand pounds.
Which I will will to you,
If you will be my bride."
2 "O that's enough for me,
I don't desire you."
3 "O madam, I have a very fine house,
All neat and rectified,
Which you may have at your command
If you'll but be my bride."
4 "I know you have a very fine house
Besides a clever barn,
But you're too old to think to hold
A bird with a single yarn."
5 "O madam, I have a very fine horse,
Whose face is like the tide,
Which you may have at your command
If you'll but be my bride."
6 "I know you have a very fine horse,
Which you keep in yonders barn,
But his master likes a glass of wine
For fear his horse might learn."
7 "O madam, I have a very fine field,
Full fifty acres wide,
Which you may have at your command
If you'll but be my bride."
8 "I know you have a very fine field
And a pasture at the foot,
And if I had you, I'd turn you in,
For I'm sure a hog would root."
9 "O madam, you are a scornful dame
And very hard to please,
And when you get old and pinched with cold,
I swear I hope you'll freeze."
10 "And when I get old and pinched with cold,
'Twon't be you'll keep me warm;
I'll be single and be free
And stay as I was born."
Stanza 4 of this early version is unique. It shows the wooer to be an older man who's courting a young maid. This echoes the theme of "Madam, I am Come to Court You" as well as the other American courting relative "Quaker's Wooing." The other early version of Courting Case is Randolph's "The Courting Cage" which he collected in Missouri in 1928 but was learned about 1865:
"The Courting Cage"
Madam I have a courtin' cage
It stands in yonder town,
And my estate I'll give to you,
If it be ten thousand pounds,
If it be ten thousand pounds.
I know you have a courtin' cage
It stands in yonder town,
And your estate I do not want,
If it be ten thousand pounds,
If it be ten thousand pounds.
O madam, I've a very fine house
Just newly erectified,
And you shall have it at your command
Whenever you'll be my bride
Whenever you'll be my bride.
I know you have a very fine house
Likewise a fine yard,
But who would stay at home with me,
When you're out playing cards
When you're out playing cards.
Madam, I do not do that way,
I do not think it right.
If you'll consent to marry me
I'll stay home every night
I'll stay home every night.
Madam, I have a very fine horse,
He paces like the tide,
An' you may have him at your command,
Whenever you'll be my bride,
Whenever you'll be my bride.
I know you have a very fine horse,
He stands in yonder barn,
His master likes a glass of wine,
I fear the horse might learn,
I fear the horse might learn.
Madam, I have a very fine farm,
Full sixty acres wide,
An' you may have it at your command,
Whenever you'll be my bride,
Whenever you'll be my bride.
I know you have a very fine farm,
A pasture at the foot,
If you'll get me you'll turn me out,
I know a hog will root,
I know a hog will root.
Madam, I think you're a silly jade
Perhaps too hard to please;
When you git old an' chill with cold,
I swear I hope you'll freeze,
I swear I hope you'll freeze.
Your sassy wishes I disregard,
You caint do me no harm
When I git old an' chill with cold,
It won't be you that'll keep me warm,
It won't be you that'll keep me warm!
Randolph, of course, knew of Sharp's versions titled "Courting Case" published in the 1932 edition of EFSSA. His version was first printed by Scarborough in 1938. The most unusual version is this modern analogue from Douglas Gilbert in "Lost Chords: The Diverting Story of American Popular Songs" published by Doubleday, Doran and Company, Incorporated, 1942. No information was provided about this song which appears in the chapter on "The Hearth — and the Tavern":
"The Girl Who Never Would Wed"
I courted a round-bottomed lass one spring
The birds were mating free,
The sheep and the goats
Were feeling their oats—
But she would have none of me.
When summer came and fields were filled
With scent of new mown hay,
The weather was hot, but she was not,
For still she said me nay,
For still she said me nay.
The summer went and autumn came,
And when the nights were chill,
We sat beside the fire in
Her house behind the hill.
'Twas then I said,
Two in a bed
Could warm and cozy be.
I pinched her rump, but up she jumped—
Says she, young man you're too free,
Says she, young man you're too free.
When winter came said I, why do
You choose to sleep alone;
And in single bed
Lay like one dead
As cold as any stone?
I offered her my house and lands
And all my worldly self
With arms so strong to keep her warm-
Says she, keep your arms to yourself.
For years and years I roamed about
And when I had my fill,
I found this girl a woman grown,
But she refused me still.
So when you are old and gray,
And shattery in the knees,
When the wintry blast wintry blast rolls round your rump,
I hope by Jesus you freeze,
I hope by Jesus you freeze.
This modern recreation, clearly based on Courting Cage, may have been penned by the author, Douglas Gilbert. Unfortunately I have no information of its pedigree. The last line is part of the standard penultimate stanza where the rejected wooer lashes out at his intended. This stanza in particular has also been found in a few versions of "Madam, I Have Come to Court You" as in this Michigan version[11]:
B. The Spanish Maiden- sung in 1931 by Mr. Clarence C. Chickering, Belding, MI.
1 Yonder stands a handsome maiden;
Who she is, I do not know;
But I'll go court her for a beauty
And let her answer yes or no.
Whack for the law I-do I-doddy,
Whack for the law I-do I-day.
2 "My fair maiden, I've come a-courtin'
Some kind favor for to win;
If you'll only entertain me,
I'm quite sure I'll come again.
3 "Madam, I have ships on the ocean,
Madam, I have houses and land;
Madam, I have gold and silver,
And all shall be at your command."
4 "What care I for your ships on the ocean?
What care I for your houses and land?
What care I for your gold and silver?
All care I is a handsome young man."
5 "Madam, you are very saucy;
Madam, you are hard to please.
When you grow old, and the weather grows cold,
I hope to God that you will freeze."
I've included the complete text to show how the "freeze" stanza was added to this version of "Madam" which Gardner and Chickering presumably titled, "Spanish Lady" after Cox's 1925 version. This baffling title ("Spanish lady" is not even mentioned in the text) is another example of the complete confusion among most collectors regarding "Madam" and its relatives-- of which this study, "Courting Case," is my appendix. The relationship of "Courting Case" and "Madam" is similar to the relationship of "Quaker's Courtship" and "Madam." Both "Courting Case" and "Quaker's Courtship" are clearly similar to, or based on, "Madam," but both have different courting dialogues. Both are found exclusively in the North America[12] and both probably originated in the late 1700s or early 1800s[13].
Another example of "Courting Case" combined with stanzas of Madam is found in the first stanzas of "Courting Song" sung by Otis Williams Wesley of Arkansas in 1958. The first two stanzas are Madam" and the third stanza begins 'Courting Case." I give the first three stanzas only:
Madam, I have come a-courting,
And some favors for to gain.
If you will entertain me very kindly,
I soon will come again, again,
I soon will come again.
Yes, I know you've come a-courting,
And some favors for to gain.
I'll entertain you very kindly,
If you'll never come again, again,
If you'll never come again.
Madam, I have a very fine field,
Fourteen acres wide;
And it shall be at your command
If you will be my bride, bride,
If you will be my bride.
"The Courting Case" was known in Appalachia and particularly in an area of Virginia. In 1918 Sharp found a number of versions in the Shenandoah Valley area of Virginia that is well-known for its archaic ballads and songs. The area was described by collector George Foss: "White Hall to Bacon Hollow is a stretch of twisting country road, Virginia route 810, crossing the line between Albemarle and Greene Counties. Heading west from Charlottesville toward Staunton across the mountains in the valley of Virginia and the Shenandoah River. . ." Sharp collected three full versions and Foss one as late as the 1960s. The informants, from families like the Morris or Shiffett families, provided the first early collected evidence of the "Courting Case" in Appalachia. The ballads were often brought from the British Isles by settlers arriving in the Virginia colony whose governing body was established in the 1630s. The consistency of Sharp's Virginia versions, as well as, other versions in remote areas (Michigan, Ontario), clearly point to a print version from the British Isles as the origin. This notion was mentioned by other collectors like Hudson who said[14],
"I include it hypothetically in the class of imported ballads and songs because the technique and the language of the A text
strongly suggest British origin."
A good example from the fertile Virginia area was sung by Jean Ritchie & Paul Clayton and titled "The Gambling Suitor." It was arranged by Clayton whose source was Miss Ella Shifflett who lives on a mountain in Greene County, VA. The text is from Richard Chase's "American Folk Tales and Songs,"-- the recording is on Tradition TLP 1011:
Sir, I see you come again
Pray tell me why it's so;
When I left you in Barbourville,
I told you to come no more
I told you to come no more.
Miss, I have a very fine house,
Newly built with pine,
And you may have it at your command
If you will be my bride
If you will be my bride.
Sir, I know it's a very fine house,
Also a very fine yard
But who will stay at home with me
When you're out playing cards,
When you're out playing cards?
I never played a cards in all my life,
I never thought it right;
If you'll consent to marry me
I'll stay out n'ary one night.
Miss, I have a very fine farm,
It's sixty acres wide,
And you shall have it at your command
If you will be my bride
If you will be my bride.
Sir, I know it's a very fine farm,
Full of very fine fruit,
As you come in I'll drive you out,
For you know a hog must root,
For you know a hog must root.
Miss, I have a very fine horse,
He paces like the tide,
And you may have him at your command,
Whenever you wish to ride,
Whenever you wish to ride.
Sir, I know he's a very fine horse,
Also a very fine barn,
But his master drinks and gambles so,
I'm afraid his horse will learn,
I'm afraid his horse will learn.
Madam he is a very fine horse,
He pulls my buggy well,
I'll drink my fill and throw my cards,
And you may go to-- Baltimore,
And you may go to-- Baltimore.
Baltimore is substituted for "Hell" which the listener anticipates after the rhyme, "well." A similar version[15] was collected from Shorty Allen in a migrant camp in California. Several other versions use the word "hell" instead of a substitute word. The town or city mentioned, Barbourville, is usually Gordonsville but has several other similar names (Gardensville). Since the original print of Courting Case has not been discovered, the first extant published version appears to have been Thursday, November 16, 1922 on page 7 of the The Union Republican from Winston-Salem, North Carolina:
GORDONSVILLE.
"Oh sir, I see you've come again
I'll tell you why it's so,
When I left you at Gordonsville,
I told you to come no more."
"Oh, madam, I have a very fine house,
'Tis newly rectified,
Which you-can have at your command,
If you'll be my bride."
"Oh sir, I know your very fine house,
And also a very fine yard,
But who will stay with me at night,
When you're playing of cards?"
"Oh, madam, I never played a card,
I never thought 'twas right,
If you will consent o be my bride
I won't stay out at night."
Oh, sir, I know what that is,
'Tis just to take me in,
When you get me at your command.
You'll drink and gamble again."
"Oh, madam, I have a very fine field,
'Tis sixty acres wide,
Which you can have at your command
If you'll be my bride."
"Oh, sir, I know your very fine field,
And also very fine fruit,
But when I come in and turn you out,
You know a hog will root.
"Oh, madam. I have a very fine horse,
He paces like a tide.
Which you can have at your command,
If you will be my bride."
O sir, I know your vary fine horse,
He stands in yonder barn,
He knows his master will get drunk,
And fear that he might learn.
"Oh, madam, 1 see you're some jade maid,
And somewhat hard to please,
And some of these cold winter nights,
I hope to gracious you'll freeze.
"Oh, sir, I see you're some old batch[elor],
And aomewhat getting gray,
And some of these cold winter nights,
I hope you'll blow away.
"Oh, madam, you keep your cold black eye,
I'll keep my horse and land
If you won't consent to be my bride,
You'll choose another man.
When I am old, and chilled with cold,
I'll build me a fire and warm.
I've always found it my best plan,
To let those boys alone.
This version has the standard city "Gordonsville" as the title. It was sent in by a reader and should be considred an oral version similar to all the others.
A version titled, "Madam I Have Come to Court" was collected from LaRena Clark of Ontario Canada in 1964 by Edith Fowke. Clark's versions are primarily from her grandparents and date back to the 1930s when she was a girl. This version has the identical first line of "Madam" once again showing Courting Case was based on an early print version of "Madam." It begins:
"Madam I have come to court you,
To marry in this town,
I'll give you my whole estate,
It's worth ten thousand, yes,
It's worth ten thousand pounds."
Oh kind sir, you come to court you,
To marry in this town,
I don't want your whole estate,
It's worth ten thousand, yes,
It's worth ten thousand pounds."
This central Canada version is not much different than the versions from Appalachia, New England or the mid-West. Since the last line is often repeated it sometimes uses the five-line Lord Lovel form (with the fourth line is extended). An example of a version with the Lord Lovel form was taken from Mrs. Swetnam in Mississippi before 1936 which she learned many years earlier in Kentucky. Only the first stanza is given to show the form[15]:
1. "O madam, I have a fine little horse,
Can pace just like the tide,
And it shall be at your command,
If you will be bride, bride
If you will be bride."
A modern ending (discussed briefly earlier) that dates back to c. 1930s is found in "Sir, I See You Comin' Again" from the singing of Marybird McAllister, Brown's Cove, Virginia, 11-5-58:
Miss, I have a very fine mule,
He pulls my buggy well.
I'll drink my drugs and throw my cards,
And you can go to hell, to hell,
And you can go to hell.
Once again the Lord Lovel form is used. Other singers like Shorty Allen who didn't want to sing the word "hell" used this ending:
Madam, I have a [very fine] mule,
And he works my buggy well,
I'll drink my wine and throw my cards
And you can go to-- hallelujah!
In at least one version from the Kentucky mountains, the lady and her wooer overcome their differences[16]:
He: "O madam you're a foolish jade
And very hard to please,
When you get old and the weather gets cold,
I hope to the Lord you freeze,
I hope to the Lord you freeze."
She: "Well I am young with a flattering tongue,
I'll keep myself from harm
When I get old and the weather gets cold,
My clothes will keep me warm,
My clothes will keep me warm."
Together: Now we are old and the days are gold,
We live down on the farm,
He: "I love her," she: "And I love him,"
Together: "We keep each other warm,
"We keep each other warm."
Conclusions
"The Courting Case" or "The Courting Cage" is a dialogue courting song that begins with an opening line and theme similar to "Madam, I Have Come to Court You." The humorous ballad is probably derived from Madam and originated as an early unknown print version in the UK or US which has disappeared. It was well-known in Virginia in the Albemarle and Greene County areas where it was collected by Cecil Sharp, Richard Chase, Paul Clayton, Dorothy Scarborough, Horton Barker, George Foss and others. The ballad has been found in Appalachia, Canada, New England, Michigan, the Midwest and Southwest (especially Arkansas) and California.
Hopefully, someday soon the mystery of the "Courting Cage" will be revealed.
R. Matteson 2017]
______________________________________________
Footnotes:
1. "Courting Case." Sung by Mrs. Fanny Coffey at White Rock, Nelson Co., Va., May 8th, 1918. Collected Sharp, EFSSA version A.
2. A mondegreen is a misheard lyric, common in oral transmission.
3. A solution may be found if and when an original print version is discovered. The Traditional Ballad Index has speculated that original lyric was a "courting cake" while Randolph writes that a Professor Almack of Stanford University says it was "a court engaged."
4. "The Courting Cage" sung Mrs. Judy Jane Whitaker of Anderson, Missouri learned from her mother about 1865. From Randolph, Ozark Folk Songs, (1946) collected May 10, 1928.
5. Sharp's master title "Courting Case," is taken from a single version sung by Mrs. Fanny Coffey at White Rock, Nelson Co., Va., May 8th, 1918. Collected by Sharp, and published in EFSSA (1932 edition) version A.
6. Probably: wooin'.
7. See in Vance Randolph's notes in Ozark Folksongs (c. 1948) Vol. III.
8. The version is "Courtin' Song" a vocal duet sung by Pleaz & Olive Mobley of Clay County, KY about 1960 released on Folkways FA 2358 'American Folk Song Festival,'
9. "Madam I Have Come to Court" sung by LaRena Clark of Toronto, Ontario in 1964 (Aug) was collected by Edith Fowke and published in her "Ring around the Moon," 1977, p. 120-121.
10. "The Wooing," sung in 1934 by Mr. E. W. Harns, Greenville, who learned the song in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, about 1860. From Gardner and Chickering's "Ballads & Songs of Southern Michigan," 1939, version A.
11. Ibid, version B
12. Only one version of either "Courting Case" and "Quaker's Courtship" has been found in Britain and that was "Quaker Song" by Baring-Gould whose collected oeuvre is suspect. Certainly both dialogue courting songs could and possibly did originate in the British Isles-- although the evidence is wanting.
13. Logically, the early date should be in the 1700s in North America and the mid-1700s is possible.
14. From Arthur P. Hudson's notes in his "Folksongs of Mississippi," 1936.
15. "O Madam, I Have a Fine Little Horse" sung by Mrs. Flora Stafford Swetnam of Vaiden, MS before 1936. Mrs. Swetnam may have learned the text in Kentucky. From Hudson, "Folksongs of Mississippi," 1936.
16. "Courtin' Song" vocal duet sung by Pleaz & Olive Mobley of Clay County, KY about 1960 released on Folkways FA 2358 of 'American Folk Song Festival' performance.
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