How Come this Blood?- Callahan (SC) 1932 Scarborough A and B versions
[My title. From Scarborough, "A Song Catcher" 1937, p. 404(A); text, pp. 181-82; dated 1932 by Bronson, his No. 5- he mistakenly lists this in NC but its SC. Scarbough gives two version as sung differently by the same informant but only give one music version. The texts are identical except for B she sings, "Oh dear love" instead of "Oh dear son."
R. Matteson 2014]
How Come this Blood?- from Scarborough, A and B versions, as sung by Clara Callahan, near Saluda, N.C., c. 1932.
How come that blood on your shirt sleeve?
My son[1], come tell to me.
It is the blood of the old greyhound
That chased the fox for me.
It does look too pale for the old greyhound
That chased the fox for thee, thee, thee,
That chased the fox for thee.
How come that blood on your shirt sleeve?
My son, come tell to me.
It is the blood of the old gray mare
That ploughed the field for me.
It does look too pale for the old gray mare
That ploughed the field for thee, thee, thee,
That ploughed the field for thee.
How came the blood on your shirt sleeve?
My son, come tell to me.
It is the blood of my brother-in-law
That went away with me, me, met
That went away with me.
4. And it's what did you fall out about,
My son, come tell to me.
About a little bit of a bush
That soon would have made a tree, tree' tree,
That soon would have made a tree.
5. And it's what will you do now, my son[1]?
My son, come tell to me.
I'll set my foot in yonder ship
And I'll sail across yonder sea, sea, sea,
And I'll sail across the sea.
6. And it's when will you be back, my son[1]?
My son, come tell to me.
When the sun sets yonder in the sycamore tree, tree, tree,
And that will never be.
1. B version has "love" for son throughout