Mr. Woodburn's Courtship- Youngs (MI) 1934; Gardner A
[From Ballads and Songs of Southern Michigan, page 139; Emelyn Elizabeth Gardner, Geraldine Jencks Chickering - 1939, version A. Their notes follow.
R. Matteson 2014]
48. MR. WOODBURN'S COURTSHIP (Captain Wedderburn's Courtship, Child, No. 46) The Michigan texts are similar to Child A and B, although somewhat shorter. None of the Child texts has the story told in the first person throughout, as does For other English texts see Greig, pp. 33-36, and Ord, pp. 416-420. For American texts see Barry, Eckstorm, and Smyth, pp. 93-99; Mackenzie, pp. pp. 14-15; and Scarborough, pp. 230-231.
A. "Mr. Woodburn's Courtship"- Version A was sung in 1934 by Mrs. Eliza Youngs, Greenville, who learned the song from her mother.
1. A nobleman's fair daughter walked down a narrow lane;
She met with.Mr. Woodburn, a keeper of the game.
He said unto his servants, "If it wasn't for the law,
This maid I'd have within my bed, and she would lie at the wall."
2. "Get you gone, young man," she said, "and do not trouble me,
Before you lie one night with me, you must get me dishes three.
Three dishes you must get for me; suppose I eat them all,
Before you lie one night with me at either stock or wall.
3. "For my breakfast you must have a bird without a bone,
And for my dinner you must have cherries without a stone,
And for my supper you must have a bird without a gall,
Before you lie one night with me at either stock or wall."
4. "When the bird is in the egg, it really has no bone;
When cherries.are in blossom-, they really have no stone;
The dove she is a gentle bird, she flies without a gall;
So you and I in bed must lie, and you must lie at the wall."
5. "Get you gone, young man," she said, "and do not me perplex;
Before you lie one night with me, you must questions six,
Six questions you must answer me when I set forth them all
Before you lie one night with me at either stock or wail.
6. "What is rounder than a ring, what's higher than a tree?
What is worse than women, else what's deeper than the sea?
What bird sings best of three birds first, and where the dew does fall,
Before you lie one night with me at either stock or wall."
7. "The globe is rounder than the ring, heaven's higher than a tree.
The devil's worse than women, else hell's deeper than the sea,
The thrush sings best of three birds first, and there the dew does fall,
So you and I in bed must lie, and you must lie at the wall."
8. "Well, you must get me some winter fruit that in December grew,
You must get me a mantle that weft it ne'er went through,
You must get me a sparrow's horn, a priest unborn to join
Before you lie one night with me at either stock or wall."
9. "My father has some winter fruit that in December grew,
And my mother has a mantle that weft it ne'er went through.
A sparrow's horn is easy got, there's one on every claw;
Melchesik he was a priest unborn, so you must lie at the wall.
10. . . . .
. . . . . .
Seeing she was so clever, my heart she did enthrall,
I took her in my arms and rolled her from the wall."