Lord Orland's Wife- Smith (KY) 1916 Wyman; Kittredge- Version 1
[From: Ballads and Songs by G. L. Kittredge; The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 30, No. 117 (Jul. - Sep., 1917), pp. 283-369. His notes follow.
Sharp D is from the same informant dated, 1909. It was not collected by Sharp but supplied from an unknown source. Melodically the versions are similar but textually they are radically different, suggesting either 1) the text was taken down wrong, 2) Smith changed it by 1916 or 3) it's from another informant. Sharp collected this ballad from Smith in 1917- the melody and first stanza of text are in Sharp's MS (see Bronson TTCB, II, 1962).
R. Matteson 2015]
LITTLE MUSGRAVE AND LADY BARNARD (Child, No. 81).
This famous ballad, one of the finest that exist, is well preserved in America. This Journal has printed a version from Nova Scotia, collected by Professor W. R. Mackenzie of Washington University, St. Louis (23 :371-374; 25 : 182-183: "Little Matha Grove"). Texts are reported from Kentucky by Shearin and Coombs[sic] (p. 8, "Lord Vanner's [or Lord Daniel's] Wife "),[1] from Virginia by Professor C. Alphonso Smith (Bulletin, No. 3, p. 4), from North Carolina by Professor F. C. Brown (p. 9, cf. JAFL 28 :201), from South Carolina by Professor Reed Smith (JAFL 28 : 201), and a fragment from West Virginia by Professor J. H. Cox (46 : 22, 64).
I. Lord Orland's Wife.
Collected by Miss Loraine Wyman, 1916, as sung by Hillard Smith, Carr Creek, Knott County, Kentucky.
I. The first came in was a gay ladye;
The next came in was a girl;
The third came in was Lord Orland's wife,
The fairest of them all.
2. Little Mathew Grew was standing by;
She placed her eyes on him:
"Go up with me, Little Mathew Grew,
This livelong night we'll spend."
3. "I can tell by the ring that's on your finger
You are Lord Orland's wife."
"But if I am Lord Orland's wife,
Lord Orland is not at home."
4. The little footpage was standing by,
Heard all that she did say:
"Your husband sure will hear these words
Before the break of day."
5. He had sixteen miles to go,
And ten of them he run;
He run till he came to the broken bridge,
He smote his breast and swum.
6. He ran till he came to Lord Orland's hall,
He ran till he came to the gate,
He rattled those bells and he rung:
"Awake, Lord Orland, awake!"
7. "What's the matter, what's the matter, little footpage?
What's the news you bring to me?"
"Little Mathew Grew's in the bed with your wife;
It's as true as anything can be."
8. "If this be a lie," Lord Orland he said,
"That you have brought to me,
I'll build a scaffold on the king's highway,
And hanged you shall be."
9. "If this be a lie I bring to you,
Which you're taking it to be,
You need not build a scaffold on the king's highway,
But hang me to a tree."
10. At first they fell to hugging and kissing,
At last they fell to sleep;
All on the next morn when they awoke,
Lord Orland stood at their bed feet.
11. "0 how do you like my curtains fine?
O how do you like my sheets?
O how do you like my gay ladye,
That lies in your arms asleep?"
12. "Very well I like your curtains fine,
Very well I like your sheets;
Much better I like your gay ladye,
That lies in my arms and sleeps."
13. "Get up, get up, little Mathew Grew,
And prove your words to be true.
I'll never have it for to say
A naked man I slew."
14. The first lick struck little Mathew Grew struck,
Which caused an awful wound;
The next lick struck Lord Orland struck,
And laid him on the ground.
15. "O how do you like my curtains fine?
O how do you like my sheets?
O how do you like little Mathew Grew,
That lies on the ground and sleeps?"
16. "Very well I like your curtains fine,
Very well I like your sheets;
Much better I like little Mathew Grew,
That lies on the ground and sleeps."
1. Compare Shearin, Modern Language Review, 6 : 514; Sewanee Review, July, 19II.