[Lady Margret] Young Hunting- Keeton (VA) 1916 Sharp D; Davis CC; Adams
[Title from Davis 1933 replacing Sharp's generic title. From English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, I, 1917 (Sharp/Campbell) and 1932 (Sharp/Karpeles). Notes from the 1932 edition follow. Also a 1933 recording in Davis More Traditional Ballads, 1960.
An identical text of the first verse was collected in 1919 in the same area in Virginia and appears as the Davis F text. This version has the same 5 line verse except the first verse has a repeated section (the last three lines) with different text. Below is Sheila Adams version which is a compilation of Sharp's different versions A-D.
R. Matteson 2012, 2014]
Notes from the 1932 Edition: No. 18. Young Hunting.
Texts without tunes: — Child's English and Scottish Popular Ballads, No. 68. Cox's Folk Songs of the South, p. 42 (see also further references). Journal of American Folk-Lore, XX. 252.
Texts with tunes: — Child, v. 416. Reed Smith's South Carolina Ballads, p. 107. Journal of American Folk-Lore, xviii. 295 (tune only); XXX. 289. British Ballads from Maine, p. 122. Davis's Traditional Ballads of Virginia, pp. 182 and 566. Sandburg's American Songbag, p. 64. Compare And you shall have the cheers of the cheer cold girl' of D. 4 with 'Ye shall hae cheer, an charcoal clear' in Child's version K 4. Tune H, with text of version G, is published with pianoforte accompaniment in Folk Songs of English Origin, 1st Series.
D. [Lady Margret] Young Hunting- Mrs. Orilla Keeton (VA) 1916 Sharp D
1. As Lady Margaret was going to bed,
She heard the sound of a musical horn,
Which made her heart feel glad and sad,
To think that it was her Brother John, Brother John,
Coming in from his wild hunt.
But who should it be but her true love Henery
Returning from his king, king,
Returning from his king.
2 O light, O light, love Henery,
And stay all night with me,
And you shall have the cheers of the cheer (or cheery) cold girl,
The best I can give you, you,
The best I can give you.
3 I will not light and I shall not light
To stay all night with thee,
For there's a pretty girl in Merry Green Lea
I love far better than thee, thee,
I love far better than thee.
4 He bended over her soft pillow
And gave her a kiss so sweet,
But with a penknife in her right hand,
She wounded him in full deep. [similarly]
5 Woe be, woe be, Lady Marg'ret, he cried,
Woe be, woe be to thee,
For don't you see my own heart's blood
Come twinkling down my knee?
6 She called unto a maid of hers:
Keep a secret, keep a secret on me.
All these fine robes on my body
Shall always be to thee.
7 One takened him by his long yellow hair
And the other one by his feet,
And they threw him into the well waters
Which was so cool and deep.
8 Lie there, lie there, love Henery,
Till the flesh rots off your bones,
And that pretty girl in Merry Green Lea
Thinks long of your coming home.
9 Up spoke, up spoke a pretty little parrot
Exceeding on a willow tree:
There never was a girl in Merry Green Lea
He loved so well as thee.
10 Come down, come down, my pretty little parrot,
And sit upon my knee,
And you shall have a cage of a pure, pure gold
Instead of the willow tree.
11. I won't come down, nor I shan't come down
To sit upon your knee,
For you have murdered your true love Henery,
More sooner you would kill me.
12 If I had my arrow in my hand,
My bow on tuneful string,
I'd shoot a dart that would win your heart,
So you could no longer sing.
13 If you had your arrow in your hand,
Your bow on tuneful string,
I'd take a flight and fly, fly away
And tune my voice to sing.
____________________________
From Davis- More Traditional Ballads of Virginia 1960:
CC. "Lady Margaret." Phonograph record (aluminum) made by A. K. Davis, Jr. Sung by Mrs. Orilla Keeton, of Mt. Fair, Va. Albemarle County" March 10, 1933. Text transcribed by M. J. Bruccoli. Tune noted by E. C. Mead, who describes this as "a very beautiful tune with a rhythmic freedom that almost defies scansion. For example: 1/2 plus 5/8 plus 2/2 or 1/2 plus 4/3 plus 2/2."
A comparison of the present notation made from the 1933 recording and the notation made by Cecil J. Sharp from life in 1916 and published in TBVa will reveal various significant changes which have occurred in Mrs. Keeton's tune in the intervening seventeen years. Similar variants are present in the two texts. (Cf. TBVa. D, pp. 187-88, 567.) Again, it is possible to check
the life of a ballad in the keeping of a given singer over a seventeen-year period. In this case, one can only conclude that the ballad has been preserved with great fidelity.
1. As Lady Margret she was going to bed
She heard the sound of a musical horn,
Which made her heart feel glad and sad
To think that it was her brother, brother John
Returning from his king,
But who should it be but her true-love Henery
Corning in from his wild hunting.
2. "O light, O light, love Henery,
To stay all night with me,
And you shall have the cheers of the cheery cold girl,
The best I can give thee."
3. "I will not light nor I shall not light
To stay all night with thee,
For there's a pretty girl in Merry Green Lee[1]
I love far better than thee."
4. He bended over her soft pillow
To give her a kiss so sweet,
But with a penknife in her right hand
She wounded him down so deep.
5. "Woe be, woe be, Lady Margaret," he cried,
"Woe be, woe be to thee,
For don't you see my own heart's blood
Come twinkling down my knee?"
_____________________________
Young Hunting- as sung by Sheila Kay Adams; transcribed from the My Dearest Dear CD, which was issued in 2000; Notes say these lyrics are taken from Sharp's English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians.
Come in, come in, my old true love
And spend this night with me
For I have a bed, it's a very fine bed
I'll give it up for thee, thee
I'll give it up for thee
It's I can't come in, no, I ain't comin' in
To spend this night with thee
For I have a wife in the Old Scotland
This night she waits for me, me
This night she waits for me
It's she drawed out her little penknife
It a-being both keen and sharp
She step-ped up to her own true love
And stabbed him through his heart, heart
She stabbed him through his heart
Woe be, woe be, Lady Margaret – he cried
Woe be, woe be to thee
For there ain't no wife in the whole country
That I loved any better than thee, thee
That I loved any better than thee
Be still, be still, my old true love
One hour or two or three
And I will send for a doctor near
To save the life of thee, thee
To save the life of thee
It's I can't live, nor I won't live
From the wound you've given me
No doctor's hand, only God's own hand
Could save my life for me, me
Could save my life for me
It's she cried out to a servant maid:
This thing I promise thee
If you'll help me on this dark night
My gown I'll give to thee, thee
My gown I'll give to thee
It's she took a-hold of his long yellow hair
And the other took up his feet
The throwed him into the old dry-well
Which was so cold and deep, deep
Which was so cold and deep
Lay there, lay there, my own false love
Till the flesh rots off'n your bones
And the little ol' wife in the Old Scotland
Shall mourn for your return, -turn
Shall mourn for your return
Up spoke, up spoke a pretty little bird
All from the willow tree
There weren't no girl in the Old Scotland
That he loved any better than thee, thee
That he loved any better than thee
Fly down, fly down, my pretty little dove
And perch upon my knee
I'll give you a cage of the purest gold
Sure beats that willow tree, tree
Sure beats that willow tree
I won't come down, no, I ain't comin' down
To perch upon thy knee
For you just murdered your own true love
The same you'd serve to me, me
The same you'd serve to me
It's I'll go and get my arrow and my bow
My arrow and my string
An' I'll shoot you through your tender little heart
You never more shall sing, sing
You never more shall sing
While you go to get your arrow and your bow
Your arrow and your string
I'll fly away on my two little wings
Forever more I'll sing, sing
Forever more I'll sing