Lord Thomas- Cargill (KY) pre1945 Cowan REC
[From Folk-Legacy recording. Their notes follow. This version is taken from Acie Cargill of Kentucky, who learned it from his grandmother, Hattie Mae Tyler Cargill (1897–1945). His grandfather was fiddler Asa Cargill (1890-1937) of The Cargill Brothers String Band.
This is an unusual rendition of the ballad, in waltz time with stanza lines grouped in three.
R. Matteson 2014]
Acie Cargill: My grandma, Hattie Mae Tyler Cargill (1897 – 1945) , was the last of the Tyler ballad singing family from Kentucky. The Tylers were very private people and kept their music in the family. They had their own way of tuning all the instruments and their own ways of playing them, and they only allowed family members to know those techniques.
When I was very young, my grandma used to sing to me and make me repeat the words and melodies back to her many times until I had them perfect. I guess I was the one who was chosen to preserve her tradition. I learned to accompany her on a
small homemade fretless instrument that I now know was a primitive dulcimer. In this way, my ear was trained in the various scales that she sang in. She played a specially tuned parlor guitar in a strange style with the thumb playing the bass notes and with the index finger being thrust downward all the way to full extension, and she was very accurate with the noting, as I remember.
Lord Thomas and Fair Ellender- From Acie Cargill, as sung by Debra Cowan.
Lord Thomas . . . so dear
And he loved fair Ellender
But she had no land nor home.
Now tell me true my dearest mother,
Should I marry Ellender
Or should I bring the Brown girl home.
Take the brown girl by your hand
For she has house and land,
And Fair Ellender has none.
My son to you I will advise,
And you've always thought me wise,
Yes, bring the brown girl home.
I only loved Fair Ellender,
Her skin, it was so fair
As ever the sun did shine on.
I'll take the brown girl by her hand
For she has house and land,
Yes, I'll bring he bring girl home.
And then he rode to Ellender,
She said, "What joy to see you sir,
[text upcoming]