O Where Are You Going? I'm Going To Lynn- Gainer (West Virginia) 1924; 1975
[Printed in his 1975 book, Folk Songs from the West Virginia Hills, Gainer's version (according to Edmunds- 1985) was first collected in 1924 when he was a student at the University of West Virginia. Gainer's refrain is the same as Woofter's version called "Fradulent" by Lindfors in the 1968 JAFL. Other versions, including "The Cambric Shirt" from Flanders 1938 (below) has the exact same opening line: "Oh, where are you going?" "I'm going to Lynn." Gainers notes follow.
R. Matteson 2011]
In the old world ballad, of Child's work, the title of this ballad is "The Elfin Knight", but in the West Virginia versions the knight loses the character of the supernatural and is simply a young man who has a playful sort of game between himself and his former lover. He imposes certain impossible tasks upon her, and she in turn imposes even more impossible tasks upon him-
The preternatural world, of fairies and elves does not survive in the folklore of West Virginia because of the strong puritanical influence.
The fairies generally were a benevolent folk who helped man, but since good could come only from God, and fairies were not in the Bible, they could not exist. Therefore, the old-world ballads and stories of fairies did not survive in oral tradition, or were adapted to include only mortals.
Oh Where Are You Going? I'm Going To Lynn- Sung by Moses Ayers, Calhoun County 1924
Gainer says online: "The nonsense refrain means nothing of course, it is merely a clever singing device which is found in some of the ballads, especially the humorous ballads."
Listen: Oh Where Are You Going, performed by Patrick Gainer
"Oh, where are you going?" "I'm going to Lynn."
Follow ma la cus lonelee,
"Give my respects to a lady therein
Ma kee ta lo, kee ta lo, tam-pa-lo, tam-pa-lo,
Follow ma la cus-lone-lee.
I want her to make me a cambric shirt,
Follow ma la cus lonelee,
Without any thread or needle work
Ma kee ta lo, kee ta lo, tam-pa-lo, tam-pa-lo,
Follow ma la cus-lone-lee.
I want her to wash it in yonder hill
Follow ma la cus lonelee,
Where dew never was or rain never fell
Ma kee ta lo, kee ta lo, tam-pa-lo, tam-pa-lo,
Follow ma la cus lonelee.
"I want her to dry it on yonder bush,"
Follow ma la cus lonelee,
"Where tree never bloomed since Adam was born,"
Ma kee ta lo, kee ta lo, tam-pa-lo, tam-pa-lo,
Follow ma la cus lonelee."
"Now since you have asked these questions of me,"
Follow ma la cus lonelee,
"And now I will ask as man of thee,"
Ma kee ta lo, kee ta lo, tam-pa-lo, tam-pa-lo,
Follow ma la cus lonelee.
"I want you to buy me an acre of land,"
Follow ma la cus lonelee,
"Btween the salt sea and the salt land,"
Ma kee ta lo, kee ta lo, tam-pa-lo, tam-pa-lo,
Follow ma la cus lonelee.
"I want you to pick it with an old ox's horn,"
Follow ma la cus lonelee,
"And plant it ail over with one kernel of corn,"
Ma kee ta lo, kee ta lo, tam-pa-lo, tam-pa-lo,
Follow ma la cus lonelee.
"I want you to hoe it with a peacock's feather,"
Follow ma la cus lonelee,
"And thresh it all out with the sting of an adder,"
Ma kee ta lo, kee ta lo, tam-pa-lo, tam-pa-lo,
Follow ma la cus lonelee.
---------------------------
Bronson No. 47
T:The Cambric Shirt
T:The Elfin Knight
B:Bronson
C:Trad
O:Flanders, and others, I939, pp. 8-IO. Sung by Amy Perkins;
O:learned from Emery R. Fisher, Rutland, Vt. Transcribed
O:by George Brown. From The New Green Mountain Songster,
O:edited by Helen Hartness Flanders, Elizabeth Flanders
O:Ballard, George Brown, and Phillips Barry; copyright I939
O:by Helen Hartness Flanders.
N:Child 2
M:6/8
L:1/8
N:There are variant versions on stanzas 2, 4, and 5, and
N:stanza 12 is entirely different.
P:ABC ADC ABC AEC AFC (ABC)6 G (ABC)3 % playing order
K:Gmix % Hexatonic ( -7) Ionian/Mixolydian
[P:A] Id | ddd ddd | eBB d3 |
w:Oh, where are you go-ing? I'm go-ing to Lynn.
c2 B A2 A | BBB [P:B]|| G3 | B2 G B2 A/A/ |
w:Eve-ry globe goes mer-ry in time, Give my love to the
GBd [P:C]|| d2 d | eeg BGB | AGA G3 |]
w:la-dy with-in And tell her she's worth a true lov-er of mine.
[P:D] B3 | BGA B3 | d2 d [P:E] || G2 G | BGG B2 A | G2 B ||
w:time For to make me a fine time where wat-er ne'r stood nor rain ne-
[P:F] G3 | BGA B2 B | ddd [P:G] || Id | ddd d/d/dd | e2 B g3 |
w:time, One that had stood since Ad-am was Oh tell him to cart it on a cake of ice
c2 B A2 A | BBB G3 | B2 A BAA | G2 B d2 d | e2 d ccB | AGA G3 |]
w:Eve-ry globe goes mer-ry in time, Cart it in with a yoke of mice, And he shall be a true lov-er of mine.
W:
W:"Oh, where are you going?" "I'm going to Lynn."
W:Every globe goes merry in time,
W:"Give my love to the lady within
W:And tell her she's worth a true lover of mine.
W:
W:"Oh, tell her to buy her a yard of tow cloth,"
W:Every globe goes merry in time,
W:"For to make me a fine shirt,
W:And she shall be a true lover of mine.
W:
W:"Oh, tell her to stitch it without any needle,"
W:Every globe goes merry in time.
W:"Stitch it and sew it without any seam,
W:And she shall be a true lover of mine.
W:
W:"Oh, tell her to wash it in yonder dry well,"
W:Every globe goes merry in time,
W:"Where water ne'er stood nor rain ne'er fell,
W:And she shall be a true lover of mine.
W:
W:"Oh, tell her to hang it on yonder high thorn,"
W:Every globe goes merry in time,
W:"One that had stood since Adam was born,
W:And she shall be a true lover of mine.
W:
W:"Oh, tell her to iron it with a flat rock,"
W:Every globe goes merry in time,
W:"One that's ne'er cold and one that's ne'er hot,
W:And she shall be a true lover of mine.
W:
W:"Oh, tell this young lady when she's finished her work,"
W:Every globe goes merry in time,
W:"Come to me and I'll give her a kiss,
W:And she shall be a true lover of mine."
W:
W:Answer
W:
W:"Oh, where are you going?" "I'm going to Cape Ann."
W:Every globe goes merry in time.
W:"Give my love to this same young man,
W:And tell him he's worthy this true love of mine.
W:
W:"Oh, tell him to buy him an acre of land,"
W:Every globe goes merry in time,
W:" 'Twixt the sea shore and the sea sand,
W:And he shall be a true lover of mine.
W:
W:"Oh, tell him to plow it with an old horse's horn,"
W:Every globe goes merry in time,
W:"Sow it all over with one peppercorn,
W:And he shall be a true lover of mine.
W:
W:"Oh, tell him to reap it with a sickle of leather,"
W:Every globe goes merry in time,
W:"Bind it up with a peacock's feather,
W:And he shall be a true lover of mine.
W:
W:"Oh, tell him to cart it on a cake of ice,"
W:Every globe goes merry in time.
W:"Cart it in with a yoke of mice,
W:And he shall be a true lover of mine.
W:
W:"Oh, tell him to stack it in yonder high barn,"
W:Every globe goes merry in time,
W:"One that ne'er stood since Adam was born,
W:And he shall be a true lover of mine.
W:
W:"Oh, tell him to thresh it with his wooden leg,"
W:Every globe goes merry in time.
W:"Fan it up in the skin of an egg,
W:And he shall be a true lover of mine.
W:
W:"Oh, tell this young man when he's finished his work,"
W:Every globe goes merry in time,
W:"Come to me and I'll give him a kiss,
W:And he shall be a true lover of mine."