Lexington Murder- Fields Ward (VA) 1937 REC
[Our Singing Country by Alan Lomax, 1941.
R. Matteson 2016]
THE LEXINGTON MURDER
a. No. 1369. Ace. on guitar and sung by Fields Ward, Galax, Va., 1937. See: Sh, 1:4025 Cox, p. 905 39:1255 Be, p. 133. Ward comments: "I guess she was in a family way and he didn't want to marry her."
1. My tender parents who brought me here
Provided for me well.
And in the city of Lexington
They put me in the mill.
2 'Twas there I spied a fair young miss,
She had dark rolling eyes,
I asked her if she would marry me,
And she believed my lies.
3 Three weeks ago last Saturday night,
Of course it was the day,
The devil put it in my heart
To take her sweet life away.
4 I went down to her sister's house
At eight o'clock last night;
And she, the poor girl, seemed to think
At her I had a slight[1].
5 I asked her if she would take a walk
A little way with me,
That we might have a little talk
About our wedding day.
6 We walked along both side by side
Till we come to a silent place
I took a stick from off the fence
And struck her in the face.
7 She fell down on her bended knee
And loud for mercy did cry,
"For heaven's sake, don't murder me,
I'm unprepared to die."
8 I heeded not her mercy cry,
But struck her all the more,
Till I saw the innocent blood
That I could never restore.
9 I run my hands in her coal-black hair,
I swung her round and round;
I threw her in a clear water stream
That flowed through Lexington.
10 As I went down to my workshop,
I met my servant, John;
He asked me why I looked so pale
And yet so very worn[2].
11 "And what is the cause of all that blood
Upon your hands and clothes?"
The answer was that I replied,
" 'Twas the bleeding of my nose."
12 I lit my candle and went to my room
And thought that I would rest,
It seemed to me that flames of fire
Were burning in my breast.
13 Young men, young men, take warning from me?
And if your sweetheart's true,
Don't ever let the devil get
The upper hand on you.
1. spite
2. wan