George Collins- Ward (NC) 1966 Burton/Manning
[From: Burton and Manning II, 1969.
R. Matteson 2015]
George Collins- Sung by Tab Ward of Beech Mountain, NC; April 29, 1966. Learned from his grandmother.
1 George Collins rode home one cold winter night,
George Collins rode home so fine;
George Collins rode home one cold winter night
And taken sick and died.
2 Oh, Mary was sittin' over in yander town
A-sewin' her silk so fine,
And when she heared that George was dead,
She laid her fine silk beside.
3 She follered him up, she follered him down,
She follered him to the grave;
She fell down upon her bended knees,
She screamed, she hollered, she prayed.
4 "Oh, Mary, oh, Mary, what makes you weep so?
There are plenty of men besides George."
"Oh, Mother, oh, Mother, he has got my heart,
And now he's dead and gone."
5 "Set down the casket, open up the lid,
Lay back the linen so fine.
Oh, let me kiss his cold clay lips;
I'm sure he never kissed mine."
6. "Oh, don't you see that turtle dove
A-flyin' to pine to pine,
A-mournin' for the loss of his own truelove
Just like I mourn for mine?"