The Brown Girl- Bonnett (also Barnett) (MS) pre1838 published 1926 Hudson A
[My date. From Ballads and Songs from Mississippi by Arthur Palmer Hudson; The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 39, No. 152 (Apr. - Jun., 1926), pp. 93-194. Also in Folksongs of Mississippi; 1936. His notes follow.
This ballad is likely traced back to Elijah Ivey, (b. 1750) who was Martha Long Bonnett's English grandfather. Ivey came to the US around 1767 and fought in the Revolution.
R. Matteson 2012, 2014]
BALLADS AND SONGS FROM MISSISSIPPI
COLLECTED AND EDITED BY ARTHUR PALMER HUDSON.
2. LORD THOMAS AND FAIR ANNET (Child, No. 73.)
"The Brown Girl." Communicated by Mr. G. E. Bynum, a student in the University of Mississippi, with the following note:
"I obtained the following texts [See "The Rich Lady from London" and "Mary Blain"] from Mrs. Barnett, a very old lady living in the eastern part of Lee county. She sang the songs to me while I endeavored to take down the words. She said that she learned them from her mother when she was a child. Mrs. Barnett comes from a fine old family of English and Irish ancestry."
See Cox, No. 10, whose A text has the same title and begins similarly to the following; Campbell and Sharp, No. 16; Pound, No. 12; Mackenzie, p. 97; Reed Smith, pp. 81-94; Wyman and Brockway, Twenty Kentucky Mountain Songs, No. 4.
1. "Come riddle, come riddle, my old mother dear,
Come riddle us both as one:
Whether I shall marry fair Rillander
Or bring the brown girl home."
2. "The brown girl she has houses and land;
Fair Rillander she has none.
If I am to make the choice myself,
I'll say, bring the brown girl home."
3. He dressed himself in robes of red,
His crown so merry and green;
And every time that he rod'e through,
They took him to be the king.
4. He rode till he came to fair Rillander's gate,
And tingled at the ring.
No one but fair Rillander herself
To let Lord Thomas in.
5. "What news, what news, Lord Thomas?" she said.
"What news have you brought for me?"
"I've come to bid you to my wedding,
And that's the news for thee."
6. "Come riddle, come riddle, my old mother dear;
Come riddle us both as one:
Whether I shall go to Lord Thomas's wedding,
Or shall I stay at home.
7. "I know I have but few friends there,
Where there are thousands more of all;
But I must go to Lord Thomas's wedding.
How can I stay at home?"
8. She dressed herself in robes of red,
Her crown so merry and green;
And every town that she rode through,
They took her to be the queen.
9. She rode till she came to Lord Thomas's gate,
And tingled at the ring.
No one but Lord Thomas himself
Would let fair Rillander in.
10. He took her by her lily-white hand
And led her across the hall
And set her down at the head of the table
Among the quality all.
11. "Is this your bride, Lord Thomas?" she said.
"I think she is a mighty brown one,
When you could have had as fair a young lady
As ever the sun shone on."
12. The brown girl had a little pen-knife,
Which lately had been ground.
She pierced it through fair Rillander's heart,
And the blood came trinkling down.
13. He took the brown girl by the hand
And led her across the hall
And cut her head off with his sword
And threw it against the wall.
14. "Go dig my grave both wide and deep,
And paint my coffin black,
And bury fair Rillander in my arms
And the brown girl at my back."