Our Young Son John- Smith (VA) pre1975 Gainer
[From Folk songs from the West Virginia Hills; Patrick Gainer, 1975. His notes follow. Gainer, Woofter, The Smith brothers, and Niles all have a reputation as ballad re-creators. This seems like a re-creation, the textual reasons are myriad.
R. Matteson 2014]
OUR YOUNG SON JOHN
(CHILD 49, "THE TWA BROTHERS")
This ballad tells the story of two brothers going to school, and, one of them is killed. In one account the death was the result of an accident when they were playfully wrestling and one brother fell on a knife which he was carrying in his pocket. In another version there was a quarrel, and one brother stabbed the other in anger. In this West Virginia version the death is the result of an accident. sung by verna Smith, Braxton County.
1. A Monday morning a-going to school.
A Friday coming home,
The boys were all playing ball,
And the girls were rolling stones.
2 They wrassled up, they wrassled down,
And Johnnie fell to the ground,
And out of his pocket there fell a knife
That fatally wounded his side.
3 "O brother dear, take off my shirt,
And tear it from gore to gore,
And place it on my bleeding side
That it may not bleed no more."
4 His brother, his brother took off his shirt,
And tore it from gore to gore,
And placed it on his bleeding side,
And still it bled the more.
5 "O brother, take me on your back,
And carry me to the churchyard.
Go dig my grave both wide and deep
And easily lay me down."
6 "But what will I tell my papa dear,
When he calls for his young son John?"
'Just tell him I'm in those merry green woods
A-training those hounds to run."
7 "And what will I tell our mama dear,
When she calls for her young son John?"
Just tell her I'm in the high churchyard,
A-learning to read for her."
8 "And what will I tell your sweetheart dear,
When she asks for her sweetheart John?"
"Pray tell her that I'm asleep, asleep,
Pray tell her that I'm asleep."
9 Then his brother dug his grave for him,
And dug it both wide and deep;
He laid his Bible at his head,
And his hymn book at his feet.