Lord Thomas and Fair Ellender- Harmon (TN) 1928
[From Ballads and Songs of the Southern Highlands by Mellinger E. Henry; The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 42, No. 165 (Jul. - Sep., 1929), pp. 254-300. Henry's notes follow.
Sam Harmon (b. 1869) is the grandson of Council Harmon and is part of the Hicks/Harmon family dates back to the late 1700s in North Carolina. In the 1800s Sam's father Goulder moved to Tennessee.
R. Matteson 2012, 2014]
5. LORD THOMAS AND FAIR ANNET.
Child, No. 73.
"Lord Thomas and Fair Ellender." Sung by "Uncle" Sam Harmon, Cade's Cove, Blount County, Tennessee, August, 1928. He learned it from his grandfather in Watauga County, North Carolina, who had learned it in England before emigrating to North Carolina. See Cox's head-note to No. Io for American texts. Add Raine, Land of the Saddle Bags, 112; Hudson, Journal XXXIX, 94; Reed Smith South Carolina Ballads, 109.
1. "Come tell to me, dear mother," he says,
"Come tell to me your desire:
It's whether I marry fair Ellender or no,
Or bring you the brown girl home,
Or bring you the brown girl home."
2. "The brown girl she has houses and lands,
Fair Ellender, she has none."
"For a blessing, my own dear son,
Go bring the brown girl home,
Go bring the brown girl home."
3. He dressed his pavage all in green;
Hisself he dressed in white;
And every town that he rode through,
They tuk him to be some knight,
They tuk him to be some knight.
4. He rode till he came to fair Ellender's gate.
He dingled low at the ring;
None is so ready as Ellender herself
To rise and welcome him in,
To rise and welcome him in.
5. "What news, what news," fair Ellender says,
"What news you brung to me?"
"No news, no news," Lord Thomas, he says,
Only come to my wedding,
Only come to my wedding."
6. "Bad news, bad news," Fair Ellender says,
"Bad news, you brung to me.
For I thought to be the bride myself
And you the bridegroom to be,
And you the bridegroom to be."
7. "Come tell to me, dear mother," she says,
"Come tell to me your desire:
As to whether I go to Lord Thomas's wedding,
Or dine at home with thee,
Or dine at home with thee."
8. "Great many of your friends will be there;
And great many more of your foes:
And for a blessing, my own dear child,
Come dine at home with me,
Come dine at home with me."
9. "Great many of my friends will be there;
Great many more of my foes;
And let me be dead or alive,
To Lord Thomas's wedding I go,
To Lord Thomas's wedding I go."
10. She dressed her pavage[1] all in white;
Herself she dressed in green;
And every town that she rode through,
They tuk her for to be some queen,
They tuk her for to be some queen.
11. She rode till she came to Lord Thomas's gate,
She dingled low at the ring;
And none is so ready as Thomas himself
To rise and welcome her in,
To rise and welcome her in.
12. "Is this your young bride?" fair Ellender says,
"She looks so wonderfulest brown;
For you might have had as fair a lady
As ever the sun shone on,
As ever the sun shone on."
13. "Hold your tongue," Lord Thomas, he says;
"Throw none of your flouts on me;
I love the end of your little finger
Better than the brown girl's whole body,
Better than the brown girl's whole body."
14. The brown girl had a little pen-knife -
Was brazed in metal so free.
She pierced fair Ellender to the heart;
She gave her a dead-lie blow,
She gave her a dead-lie blow.
15. He tuk her by her lily-white hand,
And led her through chambers three,
And led her to his own bedside,
And pulled her down on his knee,
And pulled her down on his knee.
16. "What's the matter, what's the matter?" Lord Thomas says,
"You look so wonderfulest pale.
You use to look as red as a rose;
But now your color doth fail,
But now your color doth fail."
17. "Are you blind, are you blind, Lord Thomas," she says,
"Or can't you very well see ?
Or don't you see my own heart's blood
Come trickerling down my knee,
Come trickerling down my knee."
18. "I am not blind," Lord Thomas, he says,
"And I can very well see.
And now I see your own heart's blood
Come trickerling down thy knee,
Come trickerling down thy knee."
19. Lord Thomas had a two-edged sword --
Was brazed in metal so free.
He tuk and cut off the brown girl's head
And stove it against a tree,
And stove it against a tree.
20. "Go dig a grave," Lord Thomas, he says,
"And dig it both wide and deep,
And lay fair Ellender in my arms,
And the brown girl at my feet,
And the brown girl at my feet."
21. He turned the point of the sword against his heart,
The butt against the wall;
And these are the last words Lord Thomas did say
Before his dead body did fall,
Before his dead body did fall.
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