Fine Sally- Adams (NC) 1980s REC 2000
[From Sheila Kay Adams, My Dearest Dear, Granny Dell Records 1220, 2000. Her version, which she said she learned from Cas Wallin (1903—1992) is quite different and is an adaptation, rather than a cover. To see the difference you can compare to Wallin's version, which follows. It's basically the melody of "Rye Whiskey" with different melody for the 3rd line in the quatrain.
I assume Adams learned this in the 1970s or 1980s but I'm not sure. Sharp collected several versions of this ballad in the area from Wallin relatives in 1916 and Cas surely learned a variant of these local versions when he was growing up so I put the date of Wallin's ballad at c. 1920 when Cas was seventeen.
Adams changes the text significantly and for good reason- Wallin's text is weak after the opening verses. The question is: where did she get the additional text? Was it from Sands or another Madison County singer? Probably not. I'm not suggesting that you don't fool with mother nature but some of the changes are not traditional.
Sheila Kay learned from her great-aunt Dellie Norton, cousin Cass Wallin, and other kinfolks in the Wallin, Chandler, Norton, Ramsey, and Ray families. She for the most part is authentic.
R. Matteson 2014]
Wallin family from Wiki:
Members of the Wallin family are either descendants of or married to descendants of Hugh Wallin (1829—1864), a Union Army recruiter assassinated by Confederate soldiers during the U.S. Civil War. Among the children of Hugh and his wife, Rosannah, were sons Mitchell Wallin (1854—1932) and Thomas Jefferson "Tom" Wallin (1857—1948).
One of the first places they visited was Madison County, where they arrived in late July 1916. Sharp met Mary Sands on July 31, and over the next few days collected 25 ballads from her, including "The Silkmerchant's Daughter," "Earl Brand," "The Daemon Lover," and "Sheffield Apprentice." On August 4, Sharp met Sands's half-brother, Mitchell Wallin, who gave Sharp ballads such as "Betsy" and "Early, Early in the Spring" and the fiddle tune "High March." Over subsequent weeks, Sharp collected dozens of ballads from the Wallins' neighbors, namely the Shelton, Gosnell, and Chandler families.
Sharp described Mitchell Wallin as a "bad singer" and a difficult fiddler to notate due to his penchant for improvisation, but considered his visit to Wallin and Sands "fruitful." Years later, Berzilla Wallin said many residents of Madison County were initially suspicious of Sharp, believing that his purpose in the area was to secretly map the region for the construction of a dam and reservoir (and thus require the evictions of hundreds of residents). Others thought Sharp was a German spy. Doug Wallin later said that his grandfather, Tom Wallin— who had become a devout Baptist and disapproved of singing any songs other than hymns— threatened to disown family members if they performed for Sharp. In spite of local skepticism, Madison County proved to be one of the more ballad-rich areas Sharp visited."
FINE SALLY- Adams; circa 1980
There was a rich lady, from London she came,
Fine Sally, fine Sally, fine Sally her name.
And she had more money than a king could possess.
Her neatness and her beauty was worth all the rest.
There was a young doctor who live-d nearby,
And it was on this young maid he casted his eye.
Controlled by her beauty, he held her most dear,
He courted her truly one day, plus one year.
One night as they pleasured he went to his knees
Crying, "Sally, oh Sally won't you marry me!"
She said, "I don't hate you Willie, nor no other man,
But to say that I love you is more than I can."
He clumb on his horse and away he did speed,
Sayin', "Sally, oh Sally, you'll pay for this deed!
I'll curse you Sally, all the rest of my days,
I'll never forgive you for your lyin' ways!"
Fine Sally took sick, and she know-ed not why,
Her chambers all thought that she surely would die,
They called for the doctor for want of a cure,
For her pain and her misery, they could not be endured.
He come up to her room, to her bed he drew nigh.
Her chambers they parted and moved to the side.
"Is that you, dear Willie, my sight it grows dim,
I fear for my present, and my future seems grim."
He said "Yes, I'm the doctor can cure or can kill,
But to say I forgive you is more than I will."
"Then damn your soul, Willie, you can be on your way,
For to beg you for mercy is not in my sway!"
From offen her fingers pulled diamonds ring three,
She says "Here is my token to remember poor me.
And as you dance on my grave sir, shed no tears for me,
But remember, you're dancing on Sally, your queen."
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FINE SALLY- Cass Wallin c. 1920
There was a young lady from London she came
Fine Sally, fine Sally, fine Sally was her name,
She had more money than a king could possess
And her beauties and her diamonds was worth all the rest.
There was a young doctor who lived close by
Upon this fair damsel he casted his eye.
Fine Sally, fine Sally, fine Sally says he
Why can't you please tell me why our love can't agree.
I don't hate you Billy, nor no other man
But to say that I love you is more than I can.
Fine Sally took sick and she knew not for why
She sent for this young man whom she had denied;
Says are you the doctor can kill or can cure
Are you the young man whom I have denied?
Yes I am the doctor can kill or can cure
But I will reward you for what's past and gone.
Let what's past and gone be forever forgotten
And spare me a while longer on this world to live.
I won't spare you Sally nor the endurance of my heart.
But I'll dance on your grave when you're laid in the earth.
It's off of her fingers pulled diamond rings three
Says take this and wear it and be no more seen
For the light of your colors [1] remember poor me
When you are through dancing on Sally your Queen.
1. See Sharp A from Mary Sands for an explanation of this use of "colors."