Awake, Arise, You Drowsy Sleeper- Coffee (IL-WS) 1946 Stratman-Thomas
[Transcriptions and lyrics from the Helene Stratman-Thomas Collection. Also at bottom of this page is a second transcription from Duncan Emrich 'American Folk Poetry: An Anthology' Little, Brown and Company 1974, p 83-- transcription of 'Awake, Arise, You Drowsy Sleeper' recorded by Aubrey and Phyllis Pinkerton from the singing of Lester A. Coffee, Harvard, Illinois, 1946. Library of Congress record LP55.
R. Matteson 2016]
Awake, Arise, You Drowsy Sleeper - As sung by Lester A. Coffee of Harvard, IL on 08-20-1946.
Verse 1.
“Awake, arise, you drowsy sleeper,
Awake, arise, ‘tis almost day,
And open wide your bedroom window,
Hear what your true-love has to say.”
Verse 2.
“Oh Mary dear, go ask your father,
Whether you my bride may be,
And if he says no, love, come and tell me,
It’s the very last time I’ll trouble thee.”
Verse 3.
“I dare not go to ask my father,
For he lies on his couch of rest,
And by his side he keeps a weapon,
To slay the one that I love best.”
Verse 4.
“Oh Mary dear, go ask your mother,
Whether you my bride may be,
And if she says no, love, come and tell me,
It’s the very last time I’ll trouble thee.”
Verse 5.
“I dare not go to ask my mother,
To let her know my love is near,
But dearest dear, go court some other,”
She gently whispered in my ear.
Verse 6.
“Oh Mary dear, oh dearest Mary,
It is for you my heart will break.
From North to South to Pennsylvania,
I’ll roam the ocean for your sake.”
Verse 7.
“And now I’ll go down by some silent river,
And there I’ll spend my days and years,
And there I’ll plant a weeping willow;
Beneath its shade I’ll shed my tears.”
Verse 8.
“Come back, come back, my wounded lover,
Come back, come back to me, I pray,
And I’ll forsake both father, mother,
And with you I’ll run away.”
**************************************************************************
Critical Commentary: Transcriptions by Peters, p. 159, and HST. HST notes:
In the Professional Papers series:
Version A
Sung by Lester A. Coffee, age 75, at Harvar
d, Illinois, 1946. Recorded by Aubrey Snyder and Phyllis Pinkerton.
English, Scottish and Irish origins have been claimed for this ballad.
To Mr. Coffee, it was “just another old song I learned as a boy in Pittsville, Wisconsin.” The ballad has circulated widely throughout the United States and is found in folk song collections under various titles – “Who is that under my bedroom window”, “Oh Mary dear, go ask your mother”, “Drowsy sleeper”, “Who is tapping at my window?” and others. Some versions contain the tragic ending of the ballad “The Silver Dagger”, in which the girl and her lover commit suicide with the silver weapon.
Editor’s notes:
Scarborough writes that because this song is Irish, it was not in Child’s collection (Scarborough 139). McNeil disagrees: “it is generally accepted that ‘The Drowsy Sleeper’ originated as a British broadside ballad,” though it is “frequently confused with ‘The Silver Dagger,’ a similar ballad of American origin” (McNeil 73). However, McNeil acknowledges that some details of
“The Silver Dagger” in Sharp’s collection (vol. II, p. 229) are British (McNeil 73). Current versions vary widely in both text and tune.
Alternate titles/related songs: “Arise, Arise,” “Katy Dear,” “Willie Darling,” “Molly Dear,” “Go ask your Mother,” “Drowsy Sleepers,” “The Silver Dagger,” “The Bloody Dagger,” “Little Willie,” “Who is that Under My Bedroom Window?,” “Who is Tapping at My Window?,” “Awake! Awake!”
Sources:
Asch, Moses, editor.
124 Folk Songs, As Recorded on Folkways Records by Famous Folk Song Singers. New York: Robbins Music Corporation, 1965. “Arise, Arise.”
Campbell, Olive Dame and Cecil J. Sharp, collectors.
English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians: Comprising 122 Songs and Ballads, and 323 Tunes. New York: G. P.
Putnam’s Sons, 1917. “Awake! Awake!”
Gardner, Emelyn Elizabeth, and Geraldine Jencks Chickering, collectors and editors.
Ballads and Songs of Southern Michigan. Hatboro, Pa.: Folklore Associates, 1967. Reprinted from original, c1939.
McNeil, W.K., ed. Southern Folk Ballads. Vol. 1. The American Folklore Series, ed. W.K. McNeil. Little Rock: August House Publishers, 1987. “The Drowsy Sleeper.”
Peters, Harry B., ed.
Folk Songs out of Wisconsin: An Illustrated Compendium of Words and Music. Madison, WI: The State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1977.
Randolph, Vance, collector and editor.
Ozark Folksongs. Vol. I. Columbia, Mo.: State Historical Society of Missouri, 1946-50.
Scarborough, Dorothy.
A Song Catcher in Southern Mountains; American Folk Songs of British Ancestry. New York, Columbia University Press, 1937.
Sharp, Cecil J., collector.
English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians. London: Oxford University Press, 1932. “Awake! Awake!”
K.G.
______________________________
AWAKE, ARISE, YOU DROWSY SLEEPER
'Awake, arise, you drowsy sleeper
Awake, arise, 'tis almost day
And open wide your bedroom window
Hear what your true love has to say'
'Oh, Mary dear, go ask your father
Whether you my bride may be
And if he says no, love, come and tell me
It's the very last time I'll trouble thee'
'I dare not go to ask my father
For he lies on his couch of rest
And by his side he keeps a weapon
To slay the one that I love best'
'Oh, Mary dear, go ask your mother
Whether you my bride may be
And if says no, love, come and tell me
It's the very last time I'll trouble thee'
'I dare not go to ask my mother
To let her know my love is near
But, dearest dear, go court some other',
She gently whispered in my ear
'Oh, Mary dear, oh dearest Mary,
It is for you my heart will break
From North to South to Pennsylvania
I'll roam the ocean for your sake'
'And now I'll go down by some silent river
And there I'll spend my days and years,
And there I'll plant a weeping willow
Beneath its shade I'll shed my tears'
'Come back, come back, my wounded lover
Come back, come back to me, I pray
And I'll forsake both father, mother
And with you I'll run away.'
Source: Duncan Emrich 'American Folk Poetry: An Anthology' Little, Brown and Company 1974, p83. Transcription of 'Awake, Arise, You Drowsy Sleeper' recorded by Aubrey and Phyllis Pinkerton from the singing of Lester A. Coffee, Harvard, Illinois, 1946. Library of Congress record LP55.