Sweet William- (NC) Nora Hicks 1936 Brown G Collected Walker
[From Brown Collection of NC Folklore- MS not identified, version G, the date possibly should be 1939. The complete MS is found in From the W. Amos Abrams Collection at App state. The MS is titled, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William- Variant 1." This was collected around 1936 (Brown's date) by Edith Cavell Walker(1919-1994) of Madison County who was a student of Abrams, from Nora Hicks Hicks (1886-1953), while the family lived on the side of Rich Mountain, Watauga County, North Carolina. Some of the ballads collected from Nora were written down by Addie Hicks, Nora's daughter because Nora could not write. This branch of the Hicks family (Nora's mother lived there also, her name was Aunt Betty Hicks) is called the Mast's Gap Hicks who were named, I assume for John Mast and his family. John married a Hicks the sister of Sabra Hicks who was Council Harmon's mother. "Couce" lived with John Mast after his mother married a Ward and moved to Illinois in he early 1800s.
Some minor spelling corrections and editing. The original Brown entry is below
R. Matteson 2014]
Sweet William
Sweet William he rose one morning in May,
Himself he dresses in blue.
His mother asked him about that long, long love
[That] Lies between Lady Margaret and you.
Its I know nothing of Lady Margaret, he said,
Lady Margaret knows nothing of me;
But tomorrow morning by eight o'clock
The new bride she shall see.
As she set in her dressing room
Combing back her yellow hair,
Its then she saw Sweet William and his dear
At the old church yard they drew near.
She threw down her ivory comb,
Twisted back her yellow hair,
And out of her dressing room she did go
To never return no more.
The day a-being gone and the night a-coming on
Most of he people were asleep,
Lady Margaret she rose and stood all alone
At Sweet William's bed feet.
Its how do you like your blanket, she said,
And how do you like your sheets;
And how do you like your gay ladee
That lies in your arms asleep?
Well enough I like my blankets, he said,
Well enough I like my sheets,
But ten times better do I like the gaily girl
That stands at my bed feet.
I dreamt a dream, Sweet William said,
That troubles me in my head;
I dreamt my hall was full of wild swine,
And Lady Margaret she was dead.
The night a-being gone and the day a-coming on
Most of the people were asleep,
Sweet William asked leave of his own true love
Lady Margaret he might go see.
He rode till he come to Lady Margaret's gate,
He dangled at the bell,
But none so ready as her own kind brother
To rise and let him come in.
Where is Lady Margaret, he said?
Is she in her dressing room,
Or is she in the hall, or is she in her bright chamber
Among the merry maids all?
She's not in her dressing room.
Neither in the the hall,
She's a lying in her cold coffin,
That sets again yonders wall.
Unwind, unwind, her winding sheet,
That's made of Holland so fine,
Let me kiss her cold clay lips,
For I'm sure she'll never kiss mine.
Today it's over Lady Margaret's grave,
And tomorrow it's over mine;
I'll bid farewell to my kinfolks all;
It's all I've left behind.
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[This is the same version - with 7 verses from Brown A]
G. 'Sweet William.' From the manuscript ballad collection of Miss Edith Walker of Boone, Watauga county, communicated in 1936. The first seven stanzas correspond, with some verbal variations, to the first seven of A above [provided; it's clear that they don't match well and there are significant verbal variations] ; after that it runs:
1 Sweet William arose one morning in May
And dressed himself in blue.
'Pray tell me all about that long, long love
Betwixt Lady Marget and you.'
2 'It's I know nothing of Lady Marget,
And she knows nothing of me.
Tomorrow morning at eight o'clock
Lady Marget my bride shall see.'
3 As she was a-standing in her dower room,
A-combing back her hair,
She saw sweet William and his brown broughten bride
As they drew near to her.
4 Back she threw her ivory comb
And back she threw her hair;
Then she ran to her bed-chamber
Nevermore to appear.
5 That very same night when they were all in the bed.
When they were all in the bed asleep.
Lady Marget rose, stood all alone
At sweet William's bed feet.
6 'And how do you like your bed, sweet William,
And how do you like your sheet.
Or how do you like your brown broughten bride
That lies in your arms asleep?'
7 'Very well, very well I like my bed,
Very well I like my sheet;
Ten thousand times better I like the lady gay
That stands at my bed feet.'
8 'I dreamt a dream,' Sweet William said,
'That troubles me in my head;
I dreamt my hall was full of wild swine
And Lady Margaret was dead.'
9 The night a-being gone and the day a-coming on.
Most of the people were asleep,
Sweet William asked leave of his own true love
Lady Margaret he might go see.
10. He rode till he came to Lady Margaret's gate,
He dangled at the bell;
But none so ready as her own kind brother
To rise and let him come in.
11 'Where is Lady Margaret?' he said.
'Is she in her dressing room,
Or is she in the hall, or is she in her bright chamber
Among the merry maids all?'
12 'She's not in her dressing room.
Neither in the hall;
She's a-lying in her cold cofifin
That sets again yonder s wall,'
13 'Unwind, unwind her winding sheet
That's made of Hollands so fine;[1]
Let me kiss her cold clay lips,
For I'm sure she'll never kiss mine.
14 'Today it's over Lady Margaret's grave
And tomorrow it's over mine.
I'll bid farewell to my kinfolks all;
It's all I've left behind.'
1. Holland linens
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