Sweet William and Lady Margery- (KY) 1916 Wyman & Brockway
[From Lonesome Tunes: Folk songs from the Kentucky Mountains, Volume 1 edited by Loraine Wyman, Howard Brockway.
R. Matteson 2012, 2014]
Sweet William and Lady Margery- No informant given; Harlan Co. Kentucky; pre- 1916; The first two lines are repeated (bis) throughout as given in the first stanza.
I. Sweet William rose one early morning
And dressed himself in blue,
Sweet William rose one early morning
And dressed himself in blue,
"Pray tell to me, your long-wedded love,
Whose betwix Lady Margery and you?"
II. "I know no harm by you, Lady Margery,
Nor you known one by me; (bis)
Before to-morrow eight o'clock
A rich wedding you shall see."
III. Lady Margery sat at the high window
A-combing back her hair, (bis)
She saw sweet William and his bride
As they came riding there.
IV. O she threw down her ivory comb
And then threw back her hair (bis)
And then sank down from her high window
And was never seen back there.
V When day was gone, and night was come,
And all men fast asleep, (bis)
Lady Margery rose with tears in her eyes
And stood at sweet William's bed-feet.
VI Says "How do you like your new feather bed,
How do you like your sheet, (bis)
How do you like your now wedded love
Who's in your arms asleep?"
VII "Very well I like my new feather bed,
Very well I like my sheet, (bis)
But the best thing that I always loved
Is tho girl at my bed-feet."
VIII. Sweet William called his merry men all
By one, by two, by three, (bis)
Says "I'll away to Fair Margory's bower
With the leave of my ladye!'
IX And when he came to Fair Margery's bower
He knocked at the ring; (bis)
And who so ready as her seven brothers
To rise and let him in.
X "Good morning, Good morning,' he says to them all,
"What makes you look so sad?" (bis)
"We're grieving over the loss of our sister, Lady Margery,
Who died for the love of you!'
XI "Where's Lady Margery, how does she do,
O is she in her hall, (bis)
Or is she in chamber bright
Among them ladies all?'
XII She's not in her chamber bright,
Nor she's not in her hall, (bis)
She is lying in her red-lined coffin
With her pale face turned to the wall"
XD3 'Unwind, unwind her pale cold face,
Her cheeks I'm a-bound to see, (bis)
She is the girl I always loved
Who stole my heart from me."
XIV Three times he kissed her lily white hand,
Three times he kissed her breast, (bis)
Seven times he kissed her cold pale face
And then did go to rest.