The Two Brothers- Bryant (VA) 1921 Davis B
[From Davis Traditional Ballads of Virginia; 1929. Davis's notes follow. Newell gave Child two versions, the shorter, two stanza version dated 1850, is Child G b as found in Volume 2: Ballads 29-53; published June 1884 w/Additions and Corrections.
R. Matteson 2012, 2014]
TRADITIONAL BALLADS OF VIRGINIA
11. THE TWA BROTHERS (Child No. 49)
This is one of the very few ballads of which American texts were known to Child, included in the body of his work, and actually commented upon in his head-note. " It is interesting," he says, "to find the ballad still in the mouths of children in American cities, --in the mouths of the poorest, whose heritage these old things are. The American versions, though greatly damaged preserve the names John and William, which all the other copies have." And in a foot-note he quotes W. W. Newell, who obtained the American version[s] to this effect: "I have heard it sung at a picnic by a whole carful of little girls. The melody is pretty. These children were of the poorest class."
The Virginia singers seem to have no distinctive title for " The Two Brothers." The bulk of the Virginia versions differ from the bulk of the Child versions in that only two of the Virginia texts out of a total of eleven leave even the possibility that the fratricide was accidental. Of the other nine, some leave the stabbing as an outburst of passion, some indicate that the two brothers were in love with the same girl and that jealousy was therefore the motive. This essential point, and others, connect the bulk of the Virginia texts with Child B. The other two may be related to A in this respect, otherwise, especially verbally, to B.
In all of the Virginia texts the age of the "little boys" is incompatible with the rest of the story, the love affair in particular. Several variants, like Child B and C, conclude the ballad with several stanzas taken from "Sweet William's Ghost" (Child; No. 77), but none follows Child D, E, F, G, in supplementing the story with more or less of the ballad of "Edward" (Child, No. 13). As Child C differs in several essential points (accidental killing, the mother's parting anger at the younger son, etc.), we are led back to Child A and B, especially B, for our closest relationship.
The brothers, when not simply older and younger, are John and William, as in Child. The girl, when not merely a truelove or little sweetie, is Susie, not Margaret as in Child B.
B. "The Two Brothers." Reported by Miss Martha M. Davis, collected by Mrs. Herbert Cover, of Elkton, Va. Sung by Mr. Henry Bryant, of Earlytown, Va. Greene County' October 8, 1921.
1. Once there were two young sons
Both going to one school;
The oldest said to the youngest one,
"Let's go down in the green grass
And take a wrestle and fall."
2 They threw their book-sacks on the ground
And taken a deathless hug;
The oldest threw the Youngest down
And out of his pocket drew a pen-knife
And gave him a deathless wound.
3 "Pull off, pull off your Holland shirt
And tear it from gore to gore;
And wrap it round my bleeding wound,
So it won't bleed no more"'
4 He off with his Holland shirt
And tore it from gore to gore
And wrapped it 'round his deathless wound
But still it bled the more.
5 "O take me up upon your back,
And carry-me to yonder churchyard,
And dig my grave both wide and deep,
And gently lay me down."
6 "What must I tell your loving mother
Tonight when I go home?"
"Tell her I'm gone to New Jersey School,
Good scholars shall never return."
7. "What must I tell your loving father
Tonight when I go home?"
"Tell him I'm down in the low green woods
Learning young hounds to run."
8. "What must I tell your loving Susie
When she calls for her dear John?"
"Tell her I'm dead and in my grave,
So gently lay me down."
9. Out went his loving Susie,
Wondering where Johnny lay;
She took her fife all in her hand
And then began to play.
10. She charmed the fish all out of the sea
And the birds all out of their nests."
Until she charmed-young Johnny up out of his grave
Where he was lying at rest.
11. "O what do you want, my loving Susie,
What do you want with me?"
"Just one sweet kiss from your clay lips
Is all I crave from you."
12. "Go homeĀ, go home, my loving Susie,
Go home, go home," says he,
"For one sweet kiss from my clay lips
Is all you ask of me."