US & Canada Versions: 215. Rare Willie Drowned in Yarrow, or, The Water o Gamrie
[The two US versions (from Eddy in 1939 and from Almeida Riddle recorded in 1965) are both versions closely related to No. 214 (I've also put them there) but have the "Willie's Rare" opening stanza (Child 215 C). The Canadian version (collected by Fowke in 1964) titled Willie Drowned in Ero, also has connections with Eddy's version and with No. 214.
Riddle's version, in my opinion, was taken verbatim from Child 215 C. Her version, collected in 1965 (Wolfe Collection) and then again in 1970 (Max Hunter Collection), was included in her book of ballads published in 1970. She said she "knew this song as a child" but only recently began singing it. This leads me to believe was that it was not traditional but at least the text was taken from a print version (the melody is similar to the Kidson version). It's included with that caveat (I've also included it in 214).
Coffin's 1950 edition lists Barry, Brit Bids Me, 292 (listed as Barry B of Child 214) and the Eddy version. While Max Hunter, Roud Index and Child Collection list Riddle's version under 215 Rare Willie Drowned in Yarrow. The Barry version (See 214 US versions) is a single stanza taken from a love song and even though lsited by coofin, it's not a good example of 214 or 215 which it may be realeted to.
So far there have been no traditional versions of The Water o Gamrie found in North America. Child 215 A-E is closely related to Chils 214 and many, including Coffin, think they should be categorized as the same ballad.
R. Matteson 2012]
CONTENTS: (To open individual versions- click on blue highlighted title below)
1) Yarrow- Small (OH) pre1939 Eddy
2) Willie Drowned in Ero- Bigrow (Quebec) 1964 Fowke
3) Fair Willie Drowned In Yarrow- Riddle (AK) 1965
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Fragment from British Ballads from Maine: Page xxxvii; 1929 (Coffin- JOAFL article 1950)
[I've included this in Child 214]
Phillips Barry prints this single stanza fragment from a 5 1/2 stanza folk song in his collection of ballads from Maine.
Oh mother, dear, oh, make my bed,
Oh, make it both long and narrow,-
Since Willie has died for me today,
I'll die for him tomorrow.
There is also a second stanza, the only bit remaining of which is the line, "Between two hills of Yarrow." The first two lines of the complete stanza appear in almost the same form in Child 215A, Stanza 2 and resemble material to be found in Child 214H, Stanza I7. As Child felt that Stanza 2 of 2I5A had entered "Rare Willie" from "The Braes," Barry has included this fragment under 214 in his book, even though the name Willie appears in his find. (Coffin)
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Coffin, 1950 edition of The British Traditional Ballad in North America (Missing Fowke's, Riddle's versions):
215. RARE WILLIE DROWNED IN YARROW or THE WATER O GAMRIE
Texts: Barry, Brit Bids Me, 292 (listed as Barry B of Child 214) / Eddy, Bids Sgs Ohio, 69.
Local Titles: Yarrow.
Story Types: A.: A girl's betrothed lover has gone hunting and sent a letter back to her that he is too young to marry. She ominously dreams that she is pulling heather on the braes of Yarrow.' She then goes searching for her lover and finds him drowned. She wraps her long yellow hair about his waist and pulls him out of Yarrow.
Examples: Eddy.
Discussion: This ballad has become confused with The Braes of Yarrow in Britain as well as in this country. The story of Rare Willie in Child is as follows: Willie, his mother's darling, fails (in most cases) to get parental blessing for his marriage. On the way to church, he is washed from his horse while crossing a river or some such body of water. The bride, hearing what
has happened, sets out to find the missing groom. In texts A, B, and C, which do not give many preliminary details, she discovers the body in the cleft of a rock and by wrapping her three-quarter-length hair about Willie's
waist draws him from the water (B, C).
The three "southern" versions of the story (A, B, C) are said by Child, IV, 178, to be the older tradition of this ballad. It is probable that these texts, which now only state that Willie is to marry the girl, originally contained a similar, if not identical, story background to the one given above from the "northern" texts. Child also points out that the wrapping of the hair about the lover's waist in his 215 B and C belongs to 214, as do the "dream", the "letter", and "the wide and narrow bed" stanzas of the six stanza 215 C. In short, four of the half dozen stanzas of this version of Rare Willie have come from The Braes of Yarrow. The situation becomes further confused when he notes (IV, 163) that the drowning of 214, probably belongs to 215, The Eddy, Bids Sgs Ohio, 69 text is printed under the contradictory heading Rare Willie Drowned in Yarrow, Child 214. This text is, in reality, close to Child 215 C, which, as noted above, has been badly corrupted by 214 and undoubtedly brought with, it across the ocean the large amount of borrowed material. As the Eddy notes and remarks (see pp. 6970) seem to reveal some confusion on this point and as Rare Willie is rare indeed in this country, I have compiled a stanza by stanza analysis of the Ohio text.
The first stanza of the Ohio song is closely paralleled in all four lines by the opening stanzas of both Child 215 A and C. The second Ohio stanza is not to be found in Child 215, but it is of a conventional sort that turns up frequently in love song. These lines are probably a corruption, although the fact that they mention the hunt is of interest as almost all the Child 214 texts include this feature. The third Ohio stanza is quite like the second stanza of Child 215 C, which lends extra credence to the corruption theory for Ohio Stanza 2. The second stanza of 215 C is one of those that Child believed to have been borrowed from The Braes of Yarrow. The fourth Ohio stanza relates to Child 214 in that the girl goes up a hill to spy her lover and
is closest to 214 J, Stanza 14 of all the Child stanzas in the two ballads. The drowning, however, is like 215, and thus like 214, also, while the use of a rock as the repository of the body is in 215 A and B. The final Ohio stanza compares closely to 215 C, Stanza 5 and 215 B, Stanza 2. This evidence would serve to indicate that the Ohio text is a version of Child 215 and perhaps a variant of 215 C.
Barry, Brit Bids Me; 292 prints a fragment containing the line "Between two hills of Yarrow", beginning with lines similar to Child 215 A, Stanza 2, and mentioning Willie. See also Child 214, Stanza 17. Child said that his 215 A, Stanza 2 had entered Rare Willie from his 214, and, therefore, Barry has seen fit to put the fragment under the title The Braes of Yarrow.