Lord Thomas & Fair Ellen- Ports (OH-TN) 1939 Eddy A
[From Ballads and Songs from Ohio by Mary Eddy; 1939. Most of these versions are considerably older than 1939. Betweem 7 and 8 the stanza where the brown girls stabs Fair Ellen- is missing.
R. Matteson 2014]
A. Lord Thomas & Fair Ellen- Mrs. Brady Ports (Perryville, OH) 1939 Eddy A. Mrs. Ports spent her girlhood in the mountains of Tennessee, and it was there she learned this song.
1. He dressed himself in the finest of clothes,
And wore a gay gold ring,
And everyone throughout that day[1],
Took him to be the king.
2. He rode till he came to Fair Ellen's door,
And knocked until it rang,
No one was so ready as fair Ellen herself,
Was to rise and let him in.
3. "What news, what news, Lord Thomas, I say,
What news have you brung to me?"
"I've come to invite you to my weddin',
Tomorrow's my weddin' day."
4. "I'll venture life and I'll venture death,
And then to your weddin' I'll come."
She dressed herself in the finest of silk,
And wore a ring of gold.
5. She rode till she came to Lord Thomas's door,
And knock-ed till it rang;
No one was so ready as Lord Thomas himself
To rise and let her in.
6. He took her by the lily-white hand,
And led her through the hall;
He took her round the waist so small,
And sit her above them all.
7. "Is this your bride, Lord Thomas, I say,
I think she's very brown;
You could have married as fair a young lady
As ever the sun shone on."
8. Up stepped Lord Thomas with a sword in his hand,
[And led her to the door,] [2]
He chopped the head of the brown girl off,
And the body it fell to the floor.
9. "Go, dig my grave both wide and deep,
[Go dig it wide and deep,][3]
And bury fair Ellen in my arms,
And the body of the brown girl at my feet."
1 town
2. my addition
3. Ibid