Lady Margret- Morris (VA) pre1936 Scarborough
[From Scarborough's "A Song Catcher in the Southern Mountains," finished in 1936; published in 1937. Polly Morris, of the well-known Morris family, was also collected by Winston Wilkinson. The version he collected is below.
I've corrected minor spelling errors. Scarborough stanza 5 is misplaced.
R. Matteson 2014]
Lady Margret- Morris (VA) pre1936 Scarborough
1 Sweet William, he rose one May morning,
And dressed himself in blue;
Oh come tell unto me that long, lost love,
Between Lady Marget and you.
2 Of I know nothing of Lady Margret,
Lady Margret know nothing of me,
Before tomorrow morning before eight o'clock
Lady Margret a bride shall be.[1]
3 Lady Margret was setting in the High window
a-combing her long yellow hair.
Oh who should she spy by Sweet William and his bride
in the church yard as they rode by.
4 Oh down she threw her ivory comb
and down she threw her hair,
And down she fell out of that hill window
And never was no more seen there.
5 Such dreams, such dreams I do not like,
Such dreams they may be true.
I dream that my Hall was full of white shrouds[2]
And my bed a flowing with tears.
6 By the day being gone and the night coming on
and the most of the people were asleep,
Oh who should he spy but Lady Margret's ghost
a standing at his bed feet.
7. Oh how do you like your bed, said she?
Oh how do you like your sheets?
Oh how do you like your new wedded wife
that's lying in your arms asleep?
8 Very well, very well, I like my bed,
Still better I like my sheet,
But the best of all is that gay Lady
that's a standing at my bed feet.
9 He mounted on his milk white steed
Ride as fast as he could ride
He rode till he came to Lady Margret's hall
So loud he knocked and called.
10 Is Lady Margret in her kitchen, said he,
or is she in her hall,
or is she in her parlor room
among the merry lads all?
11 She's neither in her kitchen, said he,
nor she's neither in her hall.
She's lying in her coffin that's made with a lead
and her face turned to the wall.
12 Tear down, tear down them milk-white sheets,
tear down them two by three,
And let me get a kiss from her pail white lips,
for it's often she's kissed me.
13 Once he kissed her pail white cheeks
And twice he kissed her chin
Three times he kissed her clay-cold tip.
and pierced his heart within.
14 By the night being gone and the day coming on
And the most of the people were awake
Sweet William he said he was troubled in his head
From the dreams he dream last night.
15 Lady Margret died on Whisen[3] Monday,
Sweet William he died tomorrow;
Lady Margret died for pure, pure love,
Sweet William he died for sorrow.
Lady Margret was buried on one side of the church
Sweet William on the other,
Lady Margret's grave sprung a red, red rose,
Sweet William's sprung a brier.
They grew tell they grew to the top of the church
But could not grow no higher,
They locked and tide in a true lovers knot,
a red rose and a briar.
1. Evidently an error in names [Scarborough didn't have enough texts to view- It should read: Lady Margret a bride shall see.]
2. usually "wild swine"
3 (From wiki) Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday (also known as Monday of the Holy Spirit) is the holiday celebrated the day after Pentecost, a movable feast in the Christian calendar. It is movable because it is determined by the date of Easter.
Whit Monday gets its English name for following "Whitsun", the day that became one of the three baptismal seasons. The origin of the name "Whit Sunday" is generally attributed to the white garments formerly worn by those newly baptized on this feast.
_____________________
21. [Fair Margaret and Sweet William]
Wilkinson MSS., 1935-36, p.59(C). Sung by Miss Polly Morris, Pirkey, Va., April 23, 1936; The same singer contributed this rune and text, with inconsequential variations, to Dorothy Scarborough's collcction. Cf. List of Variants, a.
1. Sweet William he rose one May morning,
And dressed himself in blue.
O come tell unto me that long lost love
Between Lady Marg'ret and you.
2. O I know nothing of Lady Marg'ret,
Lady Marg'ret knows nothing of me.
Before tomorrow morning, before eight o'clock,
Lady Marg'ret my bride shall see.
3. Lady Marg'ret was sitting in her high window,
A-combing of her hair.
Who should she spy but Sweet William and his bride,
In the church yard as they rode by.
4. O down she threw her ivory comb,
And back she threw her hair.
And down she fell out of the high window,
And never was no more seen there.
5. By the day a-being gone, and the night a-coming on,
And the most of the people was asleep,
O who should he spy but Lady Marg'ret's ghost
A-standing at his bed feet.
6. O how do you like your bed? said she,
O how do you like your sheet?
Or how do you like your new wedded wife
That's a-lying in your arms asleep?
7. Very well, very well, I like my bed,
Still better I like my sheet.
But the best of it all is that gay, gay lady
That's a-standing at my bed feet.
8. By the night a-being gone and the day coming on,
And the most of the people was awake,
Sweet William he said he was troubled in his mind
From the dreams that he dreamed last night.
9. Such dreams, such dreams, I do not like,
Such dreams, they may be true.
I dreamed that my hall was full of white shrouds,
And my bride's bed a-flowing with tears.
10 He mounted on his milk-white steed,
And rode as fast as he could ride.
He rode till he came to Lady Marg'ret's hall,
So loud he rapped and called.
11. O is she in her kitchen, said he,
Or is she in her hall?
Or is she in her parlor room,
Among the merry lads all?
12. She's neither in her kitchen, said he.
Nor she's neither in her hall.
She a-lying in her coffin that's made of the lead,
And her pale face is turned to the wall.
13. Tear down, tear down, those milk-white sheets,
Tear down them two by three.
And let me get a kiss from her cold clay lips
For oft times she's kissed me.
14. Once he kissed her pale white cheeks,
And twice he kissed-her chin.
And three times he kissed her cold clay lips
And pierced his heart within.
15. Lady Marg'ret died on a Whitsun Monday,
Sweet William he died tomorrow.
Lady Marg'ret she died for pure, pure love,
Srveet William he died for sorrow.
16. Lady Marg'ret was buried on the side of the church,
Sweet William on the other.
Lady Margret's grave sprung a red, red rose,
Sweet William's sprung a briar.
17. They grew and they grew to the top of the church,
And they couldn't grow no higher.
They locked and they tied in a truelover's knot,
A rose and a briar.