Hembrick Town- Bennett (NL) 1958 Peacock
[From Peacock, Kenneth, 1965, "Songs of the Newfoundland Outports," Nat. Mus. Canada, Bull. 197, vol. 1, pp. 200-201. His notes follow,
R. Matteson 2013, 2016]
Peacock: "In his note on Katherine Jaffray, Professor Child quotes from a variant recited by an Irish girl then living in Massachusetts. This Newfoundland variant is much closer to the Irish variant than it is to any of the other variants listed by Child. A similar version has also been noted in 1932 from an Irish immigrant living in Vermont."
Hembrick Town- With music; from Clarence Bennett, St. Paul's, 1958.
There is a man in Hembrick town, a man of high degree,
He courted a country girl and a comely girl was she;
He got consent from all of her friends, her father and mother likewise,
But still she cries, "I am undone," as the tears rolled from her eyes.
She wrote to him a letter and she signed it with her hand;
'I'm going to get married now unto some other man.'
The very first line he looked up and he smiled and this did say;
"I'll 'prive you of your bride," he said, "all on your wedding day."
He wrote her back an answer to be sure to dress in green;
'A suit of the same I will put on, to your wedding I'll be seen,
A suit of the same I will put on, to your wedding I'll appear,
I'll wed with you, mu heart's delight, in spite of all in there.'
He then looked east, he then looked west, he gazed all o'er the land,
Until he spied 'bout eight-score men out of the British band;
He then mounted on his milk-white steed and a single man rod' he,
Away from Hembrick town he is gone and his company dressed in green.
"You're welcome in," said a good old man, "where have you been all day?
Or what may be these eight-score men that passed along this way?"
He laughed at him, he scoffed at him, and this to him did say,
"That might have been some fairy troops had passed along this way."
She then poured out a glass of wine with a toast go merrily 'round,
How happy, happy is the man, the man to enjoy his crown;
How happy, happy is the man, the man to enjoy his bride,
When another young man that loves her so well would take her from his side.
Oh up then speaks this young bridegroom and a well-speaking man was he.
"If it is for fighting you came here I am the boy for thee."
"It's not for fighting but for friendship for to show,
So give me one kiss from your bonny bright bride and away from you I'll go."
He took her by the slender waist and around the grass-green sleeves,
And out of the wedding house he did go and his company asked no leave.
The bells did ring, sweet music played, and most gladly to be seen,
And away for Hembrick town he is gone and his company dressed in green.
X:1
T:Hembrick Town
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L:1/8
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w:There_
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(dB) A (G2 d) (d2 B)|\
w:is_ a man_ in_
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(cB) A (GF) G|A F E D2 E|
w:Hem - brick town,_ a man of a high de-
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w:gree,_ He
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(dB) A (G2 d) (d2 B)|\
w:court - ed of_ a_
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w:coun - try girl and a
A2 F D2 B,|(C3 C2) B|\
w:come-ly girl was she;_ He
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w:got_ con-sent_ from_
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c B A (GF) G|A A F D D B,|(C3 C2) B,|
w:all of her friends,_ her fa-ther and mo-ther like-wise,_ But
D2 D c2 E|(=FE) F G E D|(CD) D G2 ^F|(G3 G2)|]
w:still she cries, "I am_ un-done," as the tears_ rolled from her eyes.