Jack and Maye, Copy

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.

Folk songs--United States

Courtship--Songs and music

Quarreling--Songs and music

Lovesickness--Songs and music

Death--Songs and music

Jack and May, Let Us Be Lovers Again

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

Jack and Maye.

Jack and Maye, swe thearts were they,
And they were engaged to be wed.
Many the promise they had made,
Many the love word had said.
But as lovers do, they quarreled one day.
She bade him not come any more.
She brought him his hat, he started away,
But lingered to say at the door:

Chorus

Tie up those old broken cords,
And let us be lovers again.
For you know that I love you darling.
To part from you gives me pain.
Remember the vows of long ago,
That faithful, we would not forget.
So let us forget, and make up, my pet-
Make up and be lovers again.

Years rolled by and neither were wed,
Still all of his pleadings were vain.
But one bright day poor Jack was found dead.
'Twas all of her bridals disdain,
Two lives have been wrecked-
She loved but too late-she goes to his grave every day.
She can't tell you why, but seems 'tis her fate,
The wind seems to whisper and say:

Cho.

113_JackAndMaye_copy_ocr