Young Collins- Fogg (WV) pre-1916 Cox B
[From: Folk-Songs of the South- John Harrington Cox, 1925. His notes follow. This is one of three versions of Young Collins/Johnny Collins collected by Cox (A,B, and E).
R. Matteson 2012, 2015]
17. LADY ALICE (Child, No. 85)
Five variants have been recovered in West Virginia, under various titles. A, B, and E represent one version, C and D another. They all differ widely from the Child versions.
A Pennsylvania version going back almost to 1800 was printed by Child, No. 279. For other American texts see Journal, xxviii, 151 (Perrow; North Carolina); Focus, m, 154, and iv, 50 (Virginia); Campbell and Sharp, No. 22 (North Carolina, Tennessee); Campbell, The Survey, New York, January 2, 1915, xxxm, 373 (two stanzas from Georgia). For other American references see Journal, xxx, 317. Add Bulletin, Nos. 6-10.
B. "Young Collins" or "Johnny Collins." Communicated by Mrs. Hilary G. Richardson, Clarksburg, Harrison County, March 9, 1916; obtained from Mrs. Rachel Fogg, originally from Doddridge County; learned from her mother, and she from her mother, "on back into the old country across the sea in Scotch, Dutch, or Jerusalem, she forgets which, but in this country they call 'em Hebrews." Reported by Cox, XIV, 159; printed, Journal, XXXII, 500.
1 Young Collins went forth one morning in May,
All over the fresh blooming flowers;
And the first that he spied was his Eleanor dear,
A-washin' a white marble stone.
2 He took her round the slender waist
And kissed both her cheeks and her chin;
The stars from heaven came twinkling down,
At the place where Young Collins jumped in.
3 He swum and he swum and he swu-u-u-um,
Till he came to his own father's door,
Says, "Father, dear father, O let me in,
O let me in once more!
4 "If I should die this very night,
Which I think in my heart I will,
Go bury me under the white marble stone,
At the foot of Fair Eleanor's hill."
5 As she was sitting in her own father's hall,
All dressed in her silks so fine,
She spied Young Collins' cold clay corpse:
"An old true love of mine."
6 She ordered the coffin to be brought right there,
So she might gaze on his beautiful form once more,
And get one kiss from those cold clay lips,
"Which oft times has kissed mine before."
7 She ordered a sheet to be brought right there,
All trimmed in its laces so fine:
"For to-day it was over Young Collins' grave,
To-morrow shall wave over mine."
8 The news it went round to Dablin Town,
All printed on Dablin's gate:
"Six pretty fair maids all died last night,
And 't was all for Young Collins' sake."