Pretty Cold Rain- Hicks (NC) c.1940 Brown D
[Evidently the informant's title or possibly Walker's. It's likely that "cold rain" has evolved from a name such as Brown C's "Clovanne." It's usually the girl's name which came from the generic slang words for the Irish word, cailin, meaning "girl" "girlfriend" or "lover." (Barry 1909). This is version D from Brown Collection of NC Folklore Vol. 2. This ballad version is old-- the date should be older but there's no telling how old this version is (when Hick's born in 1886 learned it from her grandmother, Mrs. Fannie Hicks and when Fannie learned it). There are 7 versions of text A-G plus six additional versions with music in Vol. 4. Surprisingly, Brown D does not name Hicks as the informant, though Walker wrote her name on the MS.
The collector, Edith Cavell Walker [Madison], 1919-1994 was in her 20s when this was collected and likely a student or recent graduate of Appalachian State. She was the daughter of Boyd Thomas Walker and granddaughter of Jo Etta Shull Thomas. In the early 1940s Walker performed folk song variants recorded by Dr. Abrams. These songs are part of the Dr. W. Amos Abrams Collection and can be heard online.
Notes from the Brown Collection follow, a transcription is at the bottom of this page.
R. Matteson Jr. 2014]
OLDER BALLADS MOSTLY BRITISH
Lady Isabel and the Elf-Knight (Child 4)
For the history of this ballad in many lands and tongues, see Child's headnote in English and Scottish Popular Ballads and Grundtvig's in Danmarks gamle Folkeviser, and for its occurrence since Child's time in the British Isles and in America, see BSM 5-6 — and add to the references there given Arkansas (OFS I 47), Florida (FSF 237-41), and Missouri (OFS I 45-6). It is a favorite among the ballad singers of North Carolina; Mrs. Sutton reports that it was sung by Mrs. Hall in Buncombe county, by Mrs. Gordon in Henderson county, by Mrs. Brown in Avery county, and others. Mrs. Steely records three texts, with tunes, found in the Ebenezer community in Wake county. The name of the heroine varies. Most often it is Polly. The names Clovanne (in version C) and Cold Rain (in version D) may be assumed to derive from the May Colvin of British broadside versions. The villain, if named at all — as generally he is not in the North Carolina versions — is William. All three of the scenes that make up the story, the elopement, the drowning, the dialogue with the parrot, are present in all the North Carolina versions, even the much reduced F. Versions D, E, and G show the shift of grammatical person from the first person to the third which is so frequent in traditional balladry.
D. 'Pretty Cold Rain.' [Nora Hicks, 1886-1953; Rich Mountain, Watauga County, North Carolina; mother of Addie Hicks, 1920-?] From the manuscript book of songs of Miss Edith Walker of Boone, Watauga county. Though it does not differ greatly from the three preceding versions, it is given here as illustrating the shift of person; it begins as first person narrative by the girl but passes in the third stanza to the third person. At the close is written 'Repeat the last two lines' — which I take to be a direction governing the stanza structure throughout.
1 He followed me up and he followed me down,
He followed me where I lay;[1]
I had not the heart to tell him to be gone
Nor tongue to say 'Oh no.'
2 'Go bring me some of your father's gold.
Likewise your mother's fee;
And I will take you to the salt sea waters
And there I'll marry thee.'
3 She brought him some of her father's gold,
Likewise her mother's fee,
And they went on to her father's horse stables
Where his horses thirty and three.
4 He mounted her upon the Turkish brown
And himself on the iron grey.
They were at the salt sea waters
Three hours before it came day.
5. 'Light down, light down, you pretty Cold Rain,
Light down, I say to thee.
Right here I've drowned six kings' daughters.
And the seventh you shall be.
6. 'Pull off, pull off them gay new clothes,
Throw 'em on yonder stone;
For they air too fine and too costly
To be rotted in the salt sea foam.'
7. 'It's turn your back toward the pretty green leaves
And your face toward the sea,
For you are not fitten, you false-lighted villain.
For a naked woman to see.'[2]
8 He turned his back to the pretty green leaves
And his face toward the sea.
She picked him up in her arms so strong
And plunged him in the sea.
9. 'Your hand, your hand, my pretty Cold Rain,
Your hand, I say to thee;
And all the promises I ever made to thee
I'll double them thirty and three.'
10. 'Lie there. He there, you false-hearted vissain,[3]
Lie there, I say to thee;
You said you'd drowned six kings' daughters,
And you yourself the seventh shall be.'
11. She mounted herself on the Turkish brown
And she led the iron grey.
She was at her father's own dwelling
One hour before it came day.
12. It's up then spoke the little parrot
As it sat in its cage;
'Oh, what's the matter, my pretty Cold Rain,
Makes you walk so long before day?'
13 'It's hush your mouth, my little parrot,
And tell no tales on me;
Your cage shall be made of the beaten beaten gold
And doors of the ivory.'
14 It's up then spoke her old father
As he lay in his room;
'Oh, what's the matter, my little parrot,
Makes you talk so long before day?'
15 'It's here is a cat at my cage door
Trying to catch me.
And I was a-calling to my pretty Cold Rain
To drive the old catty-puss away.'
[1] Omitted in the other copy, which has simply "It is where he did lay."
[2] So the manuscript; but the meaning clearly is "A naked woman for to see."
[3] So the manuscript; miswritten, evidently, for "villain."
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D(1) 'My Pretty Cold Rain.' Sung by Mrs. Nora Hicks. Recorded at Sugar Grove, Watauga county, August 28, 1940. Mrs. Hicks learned it from her grandmother, Mrs. Fannie Hicks. Same approach to final as 'Pretty Polly,' 2A, 'The Seventh King's Daughters,' 2C, and 'Pretty Cold Rain,' 2D.
For melodic relationship cf. *BSO 6, No. 2A, first two measures.
Scale: Mode III, plagal. Tonal Center: f. Structure: aa1 (4.4)- Circular Tune (V).
G. 'Seventh King's Daughter.' Sung by Mrs. J. Church. Recorded at Heaton, Avery county, July 30, 1939. There is no recording of Pat Frye's singing as mentioned in H, 25 ; only the text was taken down. Same approach to final as 'Pretty Polly,' 2A, 'The Seventh King's Daughters,' 2C, 'Pretty Cold Rain,' 2D and 'My Pretty Cold Rain,' 2D(i).
For melodic relationship cf. ***SharpK i, No. 3A; **FSS 521, No. 1B;
and PSL 30; *FSF 268, beginning and ending; TBV 550, No. 3D, last four measures.
Scale: Hexachordal, plagal. Tonal Center: f. Structure: aa1acc1 (2,2,2,2,2)
= aa1 (4,6) ; a1 is terminally incremented. Circular Tune (V).