The Farmer's Curst Wife- Carpenter (VA) 1920 Davis I
[I've kept the generic title given by Davis and his collectors. No informant unfamiliar with the ballad's provinence would title it- Farmer's Curst Wife- since it is not part of the text. The title should be taken in most cases from the first line.]
46. THE FARMER'S CURST WIFE- Traditional Ballads of Virginia
(Child, No. 278)
Davis' Notes: The ballad is represented by fifteen texts and six tunes in the Virginia archives, Of these, thirteen texts and all six tunes are here printed. Most of the Virginia texts show a likeness to the Child A version, but some exhibit features found only in Child B. It is clear that both versions are represented, with many interesting variations, not least in the philosophical stanza or stanzas at the end. The tripping tunes, some of them with a whistled burden, fit perfectly the comic story of the ballad, which is thus summarized by Child: "The devil comes for a farmer's wife and is made welcome to her by the husband. The woman proves to be no more controllable in hell than she had been at home; she kicks the imps about, and even brains a set of them with her pattens or a maul. For safety's sake, the devil is constrained to take her baik to her husband." The moral of the tale is often pointed. "The Old Man under the Hill" seems to be the only unusual Virginia title; it is not, of course, the usual song of that name, though the title of that song may have been appropriated.
The material here given more than doubles the American store of this ballad. Other American references are Barry, No. 28; Belden, No. 13 (fragment); Bulletin, Nos. 4-6, 8-10; Campbell and Sharp, No. 34 (North Carolina, Virginia); Cox, No. 30; Journal, XIX, 298 (Belden, Missouri);- XXIV, 348 (Barry, Massachusetts, fragment, Maine), XXVII, 68 (Barry, Massachusetts); XXX, 329 (Kittredge, Missouri, fragments); Mackenzie, Ballads, No. 15; Sharp, Songs, 11, No. 3 (Kentucky). For additional references, see Cox, p. 164; Journal, XXX, 329.
I. "The Farmer's Curst Wife." collected by Mr. John stone. sung by Mr. C. F. Carpenter and brother, of Bolar, Va., Highland county. November 7, 1920. With music. Mr. Stone writes: "In this song I have pieced together two fragments given to me by Mr. C. F. Carpenter and his brother, both from Bolar, Highland County, Va. Both fragments had practically the same tune."
1 There was an old man when he was first born,
Old Marindy Marowly,
He had no horses to plow up his corn,
With his left leg, right leg, over leg, under leg,
Old Marindy Marowly.
2 He called up his pigs and he yoked up his sows
And plowed up his corn the devil knows how.
3 The old woman came home in a powerful fright;
Says she, "I saw the devil this night."
4 He packed her up upon his back
Just like a brave pedlar carrying his pack.
5 He carried her up just to the door,
Give her a kick, saying, "Go in at that door."
6 He(She) saw little Rufus all bowing in chains
And he (she) up with his (her) foot and kicked out his brains. [1]
7 The children raised a powerful squall;
Said, "Take her awan he'll (she'll) kill us all."
Footnote:
1. Clearly it should be "she" and "her" in stanza 6 and 7.