Barbara Allen- (NC) c. 1930 Lunsford A
[No informant named. My date and designation: version A (there are 7 versions in this collection, one version by Beatrice Dorsey was obviously copied from print and will not be included). From the Southern Appalachian Archives, Liston B. Ramsey Center for Regional Studies, Mars Hill University; Bascom Lamar Lunsford Collection, Box 69, Folder B; School collection.
The School Collection is from students at local schools from c. 1925-1935. Minor editing for spelling, capitalization and punctuation.
R. Matteson 2015]
Barbara Allen
1) It was early, early in the month of May,
When all the flowers were blooming.
Sweet Willie on his death bed lay,
For the love of Barbara Allen.
2) He sent his servant to the town,
To the place where she was dwelling,
Lord Master's sick and very sick
and for your sake he's dying.
3) Slowly, slowly she gets up
And slowly she went to him
the words she said when she got there
young man you are dying.
4) Oh yes I'm sick I'm very sick
And I feel very much like dying,
But none the better will I ever be,
If I don't get Barbara Allen.
Yes you are sick and very sick,
and look very much like dying,
But none the better will you ever be
for you won't get Barbara Allen.
Do you remember in yonder town
The place where we were dwelling,
You drink and hail [a health] to the girls all there,
And slighted Barbara Allen?
Yes I remember in yonder town
The place where we were dwelling,
I drank and hail [a health] to the girls all there,
But I did it all for Barbara Allen.
He turned his pale face to the wall,
He turned his back upon her,
Adieu, Adieu, to all my friends,
Be kind to Barbara Allen.
Slowly, Slowly, she gets up
and, slowly she went from him,
She had not gone three quarters of a mile
until she heard those death bells ringing.
She looked to the East she looked to the west,
she saw the corpse coming,
Lay down lay down those corpse of clay
and let me look upon them.
The more she looked the more she wept,
till she bursted out to crying,
I could have saved that young man's life,
If I had done my duty.
Oh! Mam[1], Oh! Mam, go make my bed,
Go make it long and narrow,
Sweet Willie had died for me today
I'll die for him to-morrow.
Sweet Willie was buried in the new church yard,
And Barbara Allen beside him,
A red, red rose grew on poor Willie's grave,
And a briar on Barbara Allen's.
They grew, and grew to the highest steeple stand,
and they could not grow no higher
They twisted and tied in a true lovers knot
and the Rose grew around the briar.
1. Mammy = mother