Young But A Daily Growing- Grammy Fish (NH-VT) 1940
[Taken from a digitized archival cassette in the Helen Hartness Flanders Ballad Collection at Middlebury College Special Collections & Archives: Track 01a : Young But Daily Growing (A-Growing) - voice performance by Lena Bourne Fish at E Jaffrey (Nh.). Classification #: LAO35. Dated 11-16-1940.
A second version (see at bottom of this page) was collected in 1940 by Frank and Ann Warner which is so different that I would assume Warner didn't take the time to get an accurate text. There's no logical explanation except that it was obviously reworked using an existing version to fill in the misunderstood parts.
Lena Bourne "Grammy" Fish was a descendant of Stratton Bourne one of the early settlers in Vermont. Her version is similar to James Atwood's Vermont version and I assume it was learned from her father's family. She calls it "an old colonial song popular in the early days of new England."
R. Matteson 2016]
Young But A-Daily Growing- Grammy Fish (NH-VT), recorded Flanders 11-16-1940
The trees they are tall, and the meadows are so green,
All nature seems so fair, but one thing mars the scene,
For on lonely winter cold nights I lie awake and dream,
Of my bonny lover daily a-growing.
"Oh father, dear father, much harm have you done,
You have promised me a man that is surely much too young,
For l am twenty-five and he is but twelve and one,
He is only a school boy a-growing."
"Oh daughter, oh daughter, no harm have I done,
You are the promised bride of a wealthy baron's son.
He will make a noble lord for you to wait upon,
And though young, he is daily growing."
She made a shirt of the finest of law[1],
Made it for her youthful lover to put on.
As he sewed the seams she sighed for her wedding day to come[2],
He was young but a-daily growing.
One day as she sat in her father's castle hall,
She looked out on the school boys playing at the ball.
And she thought her lonesome rose was the flower of them all.
He was young but a-daily growing."
At the age fourteen his married life begun,
And at fifteen he was father of a son.
But before he was sixteen his earthy work was done,
He died in the youth of his growing.
1. She sings, "of law" but it's "shroud of the finest holland" see also James Atwoods version. The stanza is misplaced and should be at the end.
2. This is completely off-- the last half of the line is "the tears came trickling down,"
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YOUNG BUT DAILY GROWING - Lena Bourne Fish, 1940, collected Warners. A cover of Warner's text was recorded by Chris Koldewey and also his son, Jeff Warner on Long Time Traveling - both on youtube.
The trees they are tall, and the meadows they are green,
Roses are in bloom, but one thing mars the scene.
But I must be content for happy days I've seen,
With my bonny boy daily a-growing
"Father, father, much harm have you done,
Four long years have passed since I was twenty-one.
A lover of twelve years is surely much too young,
Only just a school boy a-growing."
"Daughter, dear daughter, no harm have I done,
I have promised you to a rich lord's son.
He will make a bed for you to rock upon,
He is young, but daily a-growing."
She made a shirt of the finest of lawn,
Made it for her boyish lover to put on.
She sighed as she longed for her wedding day to come,
With her bonny boy daily a-growing.
As she sat a-sewing in her father's castle hall,
She saw him with the young boys playing at the ball.
And smiled, as she said, "He's the flower of them all.
He's young but daily a-growing."
At thirteen he was a married man,
And at fourteen the father of a son.
But at sixteen his grave it was green,
He died in the youth of his growing.