Young Hunting- Landers (NC) 1916 Sharp C
[Sharp's generic title, maybe "Old Scotland" would be better. From English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, I, 1917 (Sharp/Campbell) and 1932 (Sharp/Karpeles). Notes from the 1932 edition follow.
R. Matteson 2012, 2014]
Notes from the 1932 Edition: No. 18. Young Hunting.
Texts without tunes: — Child's English and Scottish Popular Ballads, No. 68. Cox's Folk Songs of the South, p. 42 (see also further references). Journal of American Folk-Lore, XX. 252.
Texts with tunes: — Child, v. 416. Reed Smith's South Carolina Ballads, p. 107. Journal of American Folk-Lore, xviii. 295 (tune only); XXX. 289. British Ballads from Maine, p. 122. Davis's Traditional Ballads of Virginia, pp. 182 and 566. Sandburg's American Songbag, p. 64. Compare And you shall have the cheers of the cheer cold girl' of D. 4 with 'Ye shall hae cheer, an charcoal clear' in Child's version K 4. Tune H, with text of version G, is published with pianoforte accompaniment in Folk Songs of English Origin, 1st Series.
C. Young Hunting- Landers (NC) 1916 Sharp C
1. Come in, come in, my old true love,
And stay all night with me.
For I have a bed, and a very fine bed,
I'll give it up to thee, thee,
I'll give it up to thee.
2 I can't come in, nor I'm not coming in
To stay all night with thee,
For I have a wife in the old Scotland,
This night she waits for me, me
This night she waits for me.
{The remaining stanzas as in B)
3 It's out she drew her little penknife
And stabbed him through his heart.
She cried out with a very loud cry:
There's a dead man in my house, house,
There's a dead man in my house.
4 It's she picked him up by the middle so small,
She picked him up by his feet,
She plunged him over in a deep, wide well
Just about eighteen feet, feet,
Just about eighteen feet.
5 And as she was sitting in her parlour door
Thinking of what she had done,
She saw a bird and a very pretty bird
All among the leaves so green, green,
All among the leaves so green.
6 Come here, come here, my pretty little bird
And perch all on my thumb,
For I have a cage and a very fine cage
And I'll give it up to thee. [similarly]
7 It's I ain't a-coming there and I won't come there
To perch all on your thumb,
For I'm afraid you'll rob me of my tender little heart
Just like a Scotland man, man.
8 It's if I had my bow and arrow,
My arrow and my bow,
I'd shoot you right through the tender little heart
Just like the Scotland man, man.
9 It's if you had your bow and arrow,
Your arrow and your bow,
I'd fly away to the heavens above
And ne'er be seen any more.