Brown Girl, Lyric Variant 03

This item is part of the I. G. Greer Folksong Collection which consists of more than 300 individual song titles and their variants as collected by Isaac Garfield Greer (1881-1967) from informants, primarily in Ashe, Wilkes and Watauga counties. The collection includes manuscripts, typescript transcriptions produced by Dr. Greer’s clerical staff, and handwritten musical notations. Songs range from traditional Child Ballads, traditional English and Scottish ballads as well as their American variants, to 19th century popular music to musical compositions of local origin.

Ballads, English

Courtship--Songs and music

Unrequited love--Songs and music

Death--Songs and music

Fine Salley, Fair Sally, Pretty Sally

AC.113 Isaac Garfield (I.G.) Greer Papers and Recordings

W. L. Eury Appalachian Collection, Appalachian State University

Greer, I. G. (Isaac Garfield), 1881-1967

PDF

English

Text

The Rich Lady

There was a rich lady from London she came,
Whose name it was Sally, oh Sally by name.
Her riches was more than a king could possess
Her beauty was more than her riches would fetch.

There was a young man courted her 500 times a year
He often said Sally, oh Sally my dear,
Oh, Sally oh, Sally, Oh Sally, said he,
I am sorry my love and yourn can’t agree.

Its I don’t despise you, nor no other man,
But as fer to love you, its more than I can,
Its now and forever just ends our discourse,
I never will marry you unless I am forced.

It’s farewell Sally, I am now going home,
No doubt in my mind but your pride will come down,
Before three weeks was over and another going past
She sent for this young man her love had struck her at last.

He came to her bedside, saying "Sally, my dear,
Is the pain that doth hurt you, doth lie in your head?"
"Oh, no, by the right that you have not guessed,
The pain that now hurts me doth lay in my heart."

"Now, Sally, Oh Sally, Oh Sally," said he,
"Now don’t you remember when you slighted me
When you slighted me in lowrney and scorn,
And now I’ll reward you for things past and gone.

For things past and gone, love, forget and forgive,
And spare me my life some longer to live,
I never will forgive you while during my breath,
I’ll dance on your grave when you’re laid in the clay.

Its on her forefinger there were rings, diamonds there,
Saying take these and wear them when you’re dancing on me,
When you’re dancing on me, when you’re dancing on me,
Ten thousand times over my folly I see.

Child, 295 Brown, Older Ballads - Mostly British - 90 Randolph, 40 Laws, P 9 Cox, 114 Sharp, 44

113_BrownGirl_Lyric_03