Doctor- Harmon (TN) 1930 Henry
[From Folk Songs from the Southern Highlands; Mellinger Henry; 1933. His brief notes follow. The Harmon family are descendents of Council Harmon originally from North Carolina.
This ballad is not to be confused with the popular ballad, Child No. 73 Lord Thomas and Fair Annet, which is commonly known in the US, and Canada as "The Brown Girl."
US and Canada versions are based on the hundreds of late 18th century English broadsides sometimes titled "The Sailor from Dover" or "Sally and her Truelove Billy."
Child's B version of 295, "The Brown, Brown Girl" collected by Rev. S. Baring-Gould, introduced stanzas from the "Sally and her Truelove Billy" songs. In his article "Folk Song Tradition, Revival and Re-Creation" Steve Gardham has shown that Baring-Gould's ballad is a re-creation of two ballads and not traditional.
To put it simply, the versions are not closely related to "The Brown Girl" but are part of the "The Sailor from Dover" and "Sally and her Truelove Billy" song group. In the US and Canada some common titles are "Pretty Sally," "Sally," and "A Rich Irish Lady." They have been put here following Bronson and others who have attached them to Child 295, not because they belong here.
R. Matteson 2014]
BROWN GIRL
(Child, No. 295) See Campbell and Sharp, No. 36; Barry, Journal, XXVII, 73.
"Doctor." Recorded by Mrs. Henry from the singing of Mrs. Samuel Harmon, Cade's Cove, Blount County, Tennessee, August, 1930.
1. There was a ship captain
That sailed on the sea;
He called on Miss Betsy;
Pretty Polly did say:
"You go to that sea captain
And grant me love or ruined I'll be."
2. As Miss Betsy started
Pretty Polly did beery:
"Make haste, pretty Betsy,
Or I will die."
3. She came to the sea captain
And said unto him:
"Are you the young man
You love so well?"
4. He said unto her:
"Am I the doctor
That can kill or cure?"
5. "You go to that young man,
Tell he come unto me,
And grant me his love
Or ruined I will be."
6. "Am I the doctor
You sent for her
Or am I the young man
Who you love so dear?"
7. "You are the doctor
That can kill or cure;
Without your assistance
I am ruined I am sure."