Wexford Lass- Frank Ramsay (NB) 1947 Manny/Wilson
[From: Songs of the Miramichi by Manny and Wilson 1968. Has "handkerchief" as the Scottish traditional versions.
Listen to Marie Hare's Wexford Lass; Ballads and Songs of the Miramichi:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrXnLH6K0P4
R. Matteson 2016]
THE WEXFORD LASS- As sung by Frank Ramsay of Chatham Head in 1947 for the Lord Beaverbrook Collection. Music: Hexatonic (D). A-B-B'-A. Refer to family of tunes listed under No. 2.
I was born, brought up, in Shepherd's Fields[1]
But not of high degree.
My parents reared me tenderly,
They had no child but me.
I fell in love with a Wexford lass,
With a dark and roley[2] eye,
I promised for to marry her,
The truth I'll not deny.
I went to her father's house,
'Bout eight o'clock that night,
But little did the fair one think
I held to her a spite.
I asked her for to take a walk
To view those meadows gay,
Perchance we'd find a little spot
To 'point our wedding day.
We walked like doves together
Till we came to a rising ground,
I picked a stake from off the fence,
And with it I knocked her down.
As she fell on to her bending knee,
In mercy did she cry:
"Oh, do not murder me, Jimmy dear,
I'm not prepared to die."
He grab her by those yellow locks,
He t'rew her on the ground,
He t'rew her into that river
That flows through Wexford town.
"Lie there! Lie there! my pretty fair maid,
With me you'll never be tied,
You never shall joy[3] my wandering life,
You never shall be my bride!"
I went to my father's house
'Bout twelve o'clock that night,
But little did my father think
To (see such a frightening) fright.
Saying, "Son, dear son, what have you done?
There's bloodstains on your clothes."
The answer that I made to him
Was "Bleeding from the nose."
I first I asked for a candle
To light my way to bed,
And then I asked for a handkerchief
To tie around my head.
A-twisting and a-turning
No comfort could I find,
For the gates of hell was open
Before my eyes did shine.
About nine days after
This Wexford lass was found,
Floating down that river
That flows through Wexford town.
Her sister swore my life away,
But not a word of doubt.
He had me for suspicion
For having this fair one out.
1. The opening stanza is taken from "Girl I left Behind Me." Ives' New Brunswick version has "Sheffield"
2. rolling
3. join