Lord Lovel- Stevenson (TN) c1900 McNeil II
McNeil from Southern Folk Ballads II, 1988. Some of his notes follow.
R. Matteson 2015]
Listed under the present title as number 75 in child's collection, this ballad has proven to be very popular in American tradition. To date it has been reported from Texas, Oklahoma, Utah, Alabama, New York, Maine, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Indiana, Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio, Vermont, Michigan, Mississippi, Kentucky, Florida, Pennsylvania, Nebraska, and Maryland. Yet, despite its great popularity, the ballad shows little variation either in story, tune, or titles.
Most of the titles are some variation of "Lord Lovel" or "Lady Nancy," such as "Nancy Bell and Lord Lovel." There are only two story types in American tradition and they are very similar. One is essentially that given in the present text. The second type is the same except that Lov-el returns after only two or three miles of ff,"el when a ring on his finger "busts off " and his nose begins to bleed. Lady Nancy's funeral bells are being sounded before he is halfway back. Lack of great variation is usually interpreted to mean that a song is from print sources.
Lord Lovel- Sung by Nancy McCuddy Stevenson; it was "learned from her parents around 1900." Collected by Marion Taylor from Nancy McCuddy Stevenson of St. Bethlehem, TN between 1953-1955.
Lord Lovel stood at the castle gate,
Combing his milk white steed,
When out came Lady Nancy Belle,
Bidding her lover good speed, speed, speed,
Bidding her lover good speed.
"Where are you going, Lord Lovel?" she said.
"Where are you going?" said she.
"I'm going away, my Nancy Belle,
Strange countries for to see, see, see,
Strange countries for to see."
"When will you be back, Lord Lovel?" said she.
"When will you be back?" said she.
"In a year or two or three at most,
I'll return to my Lady Nancee, cee, cee,
I'll return to my Lady Nancee."
He rode and rode his milk white steed,
Strange countries for to see,
'Till languishing thoughts came over his mind
Concerning his Lady Nancee, cee, cee,
Concerning his Lady Nancee.
He hadn't been gone but a year and a day
When he returned to London town,
And there he heard the church bells ring,
And the people all mourning around, 'round, 'round,
And.the people all mourning around.
"What is the matter?" Lord Lovel, he said,
"What is the matter?" said he,
"A great Lord's lady has died today,
And some called her Lady Nancee, cee, cee,
And some called her Lady Nancee."
He ordered the grave to be opened wide,
And the shroud to be laid aside,
And there he kissed her clay cold lips
'Till the tears come trickling down, down, down,
'Till the tears came trickling down.
Lady Nancy she died as you might say today,
Lord Lovel he died tomorrow,
Lady Nancy she died of pure pure love,
Lord Lovel he died of sorrow, sorrow, sorrow,
Lord Lovel he died of sorrow.
Lady Nancy was buried in St. Patrick's church,
Lord Lovel was buried in the choir,
And out of her bosom there grew a red rose,
And out of Lord Lovel's a briar, briar, briar,
And out of Lord Lovel's a briar.
They grew and they grew to the church steeple's top,
Until they could grow no higher
They twined themselves in a true lovers' knot
For all true lovers to admire, 'mire, 'mire,
For all true lovers to admire.