Barbry Allen- Tom Ashley (NC) 1966 Burton/Manning
[From Folklore: Folksongs I by Burton and Manning, 1967. Ashley was 71 and near the end of his brilliant career when this was collected.
R. Matteson 2015]
BARBRY ALLEN (Child 84). Sung by Clarence Tom Ashley, April 2, 1966. Clarence Tom Ashley (1895-1967), banjo frailer and "song-ballet" singer of the finest sort, learned his art from oral tradition and perpetuated it authentically.
tonality: pentatonic III; range: octave + m3
l. One day, one day in the month of May
When all green buds were swelling,
A young man from the western came[1]
Fell in love with Barbry Allen.
2. Oh yes, a man from a yonder town
When all green buds were swelling,
A young man from the western came,
Felt in love with Barbry Allen.
3. So slowly, slowly she got up
And slowly walked a-nigh him:
And all she said as she stood there,
"Young man I think you're dying."
4. "Oh yes, I'm sick and very cold,
And death is on me dwelling.
No better, no better will I ever be
If I can't have Barbry Allen."
5. As she was walking through the town,
She heard them death bells ringing:
And as they rang they seemed to say;
"Hard-hearted Barbry Allen."
6 As she was going through the field,
She saw his cold corpse coming:
"O lay you down you cold corpse of clay,
And let me look upon him."
7. "Oh Mommy, oh Mommy, go make my bed;
Make it both deep and narrow.
Sweet William died for me today;
I shall die for him tomorrow."
8. Sweet William was buried in the new church yard,
And her a few days after.
And out his breast they sprung a red rose
end out of hers a brier.
9. They grew and they grew to the top of the church
Till they could not grow no higher;
They lapped and they tied in a truelove's knot
And the rose wrapped round the brier.