The Brown Girl- Ammons (WV) 1957 Musick C
[From: Ballads and Folksongs from West Virginia by Ruth Ann Musick; The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 70, No. 277 (Jul. - Sep., 1957), pp. 247-261.
R. Matteson 2012]
6. "The Brown Girl" (Lord Thomas and Fair Annet, Child 73) [8]
6.3 From the W. A. Ammons collection, Fairview [9]
(1) "It's shall I go to Lord Thomas's wedding,
Or shall I stay at home?
It's by my life I'll go to his wedding
And see his young wife home, home,
And see his young wife home."
(2) She dressed herself in silk and satin,
Most glorious to behold;
And every town that she rode through,
They took her to be some queen, queen,
They took her to be some queen.
(3) She rode till she came to Lord Thomas's gate,
She rapped, she knocked, she rung;
And who was there to let her in,
Lord Thomas was himself, self,
Lord Thomas was himself.
(4) He took her by the ladylike hand,
He led her through the hall;
And he set her down on the finest chair,
Amongst the ladies all, all,
Amongst the ladies all.
(5) "Is this your wife, Lord Thomas?" she said,
"I think she is mighty brown;
You might have had as fair a wife
As ever the sun shone on, on,
As ever the sun shone on."
(6) Lord Thomas's wife, with a knife in her hand,
The blade both keen and sharp;
Just between the long rib and the short,
She pierced fair Ellender's heart, heart,
She pierced fair Ellender's heart.
(7) Lord Thomas, with a razor in hand,
The blade so cruel sharp,
He cut his own wife's head off
And threw it against the wall, wall,
And threw it against the wall.
(8) Lord Thomas, with a sword in his hand,
The blade so long and slim,
The handle of the sword he put on the floor,
The blade he run through his own heart, heart,
The blade he run through his own heart.