The False Lady- Nelson (New Brunswick) 1849 Barry A
[My date, based on information supplied. From British ballads from Maine (Phillips Barry, Fannie Hardy Eckstorm, Mary Winslow Smyth - 1929). The implication is that Nelson' mother born circa 1834, the source of this ballad, learned this in Ireland about 80 years before 1929 when the book was printed-- making the date c. 1849. She would have learned this before she was 15 years old.
Nelson's version was reprinted in 1937 with a piano score by Hilton Rufty(see text below) and listed the source as New Brunswick, Canada. I assume (no attribution made) the text was recorded in 1954 by Andrew Rowan Summers under the proper title, The Faulse Ladye (see text at bottom of this page). Summer's version is an adaptation of Hilton Rufty's text.
There is no reason given by Barry why a New Brunswick text was given in a Maine ballad book. There on a single stanza fragment given from recitation after prompting.
R. Matteson 2014]
The Faulse Ladye- Sung by Mr. Thomas Edward Nelson, Union Mills, New Bruinswick, 1927. Text written, received on Feb. 18, 1929. This was learned from his mother who was born in Northern Ireland came to New Brunswick as a child and died there about ten years ago, aged eighty-five years.
1."Abide, abide, true love," she said,
"And beg and stay all night,
You shall have your pleasure in my room
With a coal and a candle light, light,
With a coal and a candle light."
2. "I won't abide, you faulse ladye,
And beg and stay all night,
For I have a far better love to enjoy
When I go home, than you, you,
When I go home, than you."
3. As he stooped over saddle
To kiss her lips so sweet,
And with a penknife in her hand
She wounded him full deep, deep
She wounded him full deep.
4. "Why woundest me, faulse ladye
Why woundest me so sore?
There's not a doctor in all Scotland
Can heal my mortal wound, wound,
Can heal my mortal wound."
5. She awoke her maids in the morning
Just by the break of day
Saying, "There's a dead man in my bed chamber
I wish he was away, 'way
I wish he was away."
6. Some took him by the lily-white hands
And others by the feet,
They threw him into a very deep well
Full fifty fathoms deep, deep,
Full fifty fathoms deep
7. "Sleep there, sleep there, you faulse young love
Sleep there, sleep there alone,
And let the one that you love best
Think you long a coming home, home,
Think you long a coming home."
8. Oh then up spoke a pretty little bird
Sitting on a tree
["An ill death may you die, lady[1]
He had no love but thee, thee
He had no love but thee."]
9. "Come down, come down, my pretty little bird
And sit upon my knee
For I have a golden cage at home
That I will bestow to thee, thee,
That I will bestow to thee."
10. "I won't go down, faulse ladye,
And sit upon your knee
For you have slain your own true love
And I'm sure you would slay me, me,
And I'm sure you would slay me."
11. "O, if I had my bow and arrow,
Shuttle and my string
I'd shoot you through the very heart
Among the leaves so green, green,
Among the leaves so green"
12. "O, if you had your bow and arrow
Shuttle and your string
I'd take my wings and away I would fly
And you never would see me again, again
And you never would see me again.
1. Missing text supplied by Hilton Rufty- see his reprint below with minor changes.
______________________
THE FALSE LADY- Text adapted and piano score by Hilton Rufty, 1937.
"Abide, abide, true love," she said,
"Bide and stay all night,
You shall have pleasure in my room
With a coal and a candle light, light,
With a coal and a candle light"
"I won't abide, you false lady,
and bide and stay all night,
For I have a far better love to enjoy
When I go home, than you, you,
When I go home, than you"
As he stooped over saddle bow
To kiss her lips so sweet
And with a penknife in her hand
She wounded him full deep, deep
She wounded him full deep
"Why woundest me, you false lady
Why woundest me full sore?
There's not a doctor in all Scotland
Can heal my mortal wound, wound
Can heal my mortal wound"
She awoke her maids in the morning
Just at the break of day
Saying, "there's a dead man in my bed chamber
I wish he was away, away
I wish he was away"
Some took him by the lily-white hands
And others by the feet
They threw him into a very deep well
Full fifty fathoms deep, deep
Full fifty fathoms deep
"Lie there, lie there, you false young man
Lie there, lie there, alone
And let the one that you love best
Think you long a coming home, home
Think you long a coming home."
Oh then upspoke a pretty little bird
Sitting on a tree
"An ill death may you die, lady
He had no love but thee, thee
He had no love but thee."
"Come down, come down, you pretty little bird
Sit upon my knee
For I have a golden cage at home
That I will give to thee, thee
That I will give to thee."
"I won't come down, you false lady
And sit upon your knee
For you have slain your own true love
And I'm sure you would slay me, me
And I'm sure you would slay me."
"I wish I had my bow to bend
My arrow and my string
I'd shoot you through the very heart
Among the leaves so green, green
Among the leaves so green."
"Well if you had your bow to bend
Your arrow and your string
I'd take my wings and away I'd fly
You'd ne'er see me again, again
You'd ne'er see me again.
____________________
Andrew Rowan Summers is a native Virginian. He writes of his mother, Katharine Barbee Summers: "At her feet I sang my first song, and her singing of the old folk-songs of her childhood held me spellbound and taught me the beauty, power and
mystery to be found in their simple verses and tunes." Of his father, Lewis Preston Summers: "His histories of Southwestern Virginia have done much to preserve the history and culture of the people of the region from which many of the songs
in this album come. It was through him that my love and appreciation of these wonderful Scoitish-Irish folk was aroused and cuitivated. "
THE FAULSE LADY
In the English tradition this ballad is known as "Young Hunting." Sir Walter Scott recorded it in its entirety in his "Border Minstrelsy." It tells the story of a knight who comes to bid his mistress goodbye; she entices him in, plies him with liquors and comforts, and kills him with a fatal plunge of a pen-knife. She and her maidens conceal the body by throwing it into a well, or stream. A bird has seen the deed and although the lady attempts to bribe it into silence, it reveals the crime when the king's men come seeking the lost knight. In the original versions the lady and her bower maiden are accused and given trial by fire, clearly referred to in the closing stanzas. In America the whole has been considerably shortened.
"Abide, abide true love, "she said
"And beg and stay all night.
You shall have your pleasure in my room
With a coal and candle light. "
"I won't abide, faulse lady
Nor beg and stay all night,
For I have a far better love to enjoy
When I go home than you. "
As he stooped over saddle
To kiss her lips so sweet,
And with a pen-knife in her hand
She wounded him full deep.
"Why woundest me, faulse lady
Why woundest me so sore?
There's not a doctor in all Scotland
Can heal my mortal wound."
She awoke her maids in the morning
At the break of day,
Saying, "There is a dead mad in my bedchamber,
I wish he was away."
She took him by the lily white hands
And others by the feet,
And they threw him into a very deep well
Full fifty fathoms deep.
"Sleep there, sleep there you faulse young love
Sleep there, sleep there alone,
And let the one that you love best
Think you long a-coming home."
Then up spoke a pretty little bird
A-sitting on a tree:
O, woe betide you ill woman
An ill death may ye die.
"Come down, come down, my pretty little bird
And sit upon my knee:
For I have a golden cage at home
I will bestow on thee. "
I won't go down, faulse lady,
And sit upon your knee,
For you have slain your own true love
And I'm sure you would slay me.
"O, if I had my bow and arrow
My shuttle and my string,
I would shoot you through the very heart
Among the leaves so green. "
O, if you had your bow and arrow
Your shuttle and your string,
I would take to my wings and away I would fly
And you never would see me again.