The Cruel Mother (Child 20) (1940) - Alvoretta "Allie" Nuzum скачать в хорошем качестве

The Cruel Mother (Child 20) (1940) - Alvoretta "Allie" Nuzum

Fair Flowers of Fadie-O / Fair Flowers of Holly-O / Fine Flowers in the Valley / Doon By the Greenwood Sidie O / Greenwood Side / Down by the Greenwood Sidey-o / All Alone and a-Lonely-O / She's Leaned her Back / The Cruel Mither / The Cruel Mother (Child No. 20) - Sung by Mrs. Alvoretta "Allie" Nuzum Sample (1855–1942) of Coalfax, Marion County, West Virginia, USA. Her maiden name is an Irish form of Newsome. Recorded by Prof. Louis Watson Chappell on September 25, 1940. 00:00:00 Lady In The Lonely - Allie Nuzum 00:02:16 The Cruel Mother - Veach Lambert 00:04:16 The Cruel Mother - Mrs. James Conrad Note by Kevin W.: A traditional West Virginia version of The Cruel Mother (Child 20). The ballad is rare in America and texts are often fragmentary. It must've arrived in Virginia with the early settlers in the 1600s-1700s and was kept alive through generations of singers without the aid of printed texts. As far as I can tell the song was never published in songsters or broadsides in America, likely due to the dark subject matter. An important detail lost in many American texts and likely not understood by the singers is that the mother kills her babies out of fear of being discovered by her family. She had an illegitimate relationship with her father's clerk, a man below her standing. Three of the W. Virginia texts recorded by Louis W. Chappell include a variation on the following stanza: She went to the brook for to wash her knife Oh ladies, I'm lonely The more she washed the bloodier it got All down by the greenwood side Which preserves an old superstition that the blood from a murderer's weapon can't be washed off. This stanza is seldom found in traditional versions collected in the 20th century. Song transcription: There was a lady lived in York Ey lady in the lonely She fell in love with her father's clerk Down by the greenwood sidie She loved him up and she loved him down Ey lady in the lonely She loved him until he filled her arms Down by the greenwood sidie She went to see her aunt one morn Ey lady in the lonely And on the way two babes were born Down by the greenwood sidie She drew her knife both keen and sharp Ey lady in the lonely She pierced those two little babes to the heart Down by the greenwood sidie She went to the well to wash her knife Ey lady in the lonely The more she washed the bloodier it got Down by the greenwood sidie [ And though she washed through eternity And all the waters of Acadia She can not wash those stains away Down by the greenwood sidie The years rolled on and she grew old Ey lady in the lonely And all she had was jewels and gold Down by the greenwood sidie ] [*] One day she was walking to her grandfather's hall Ey lady in the lonely She saw two sweet little babes tossing ball Down by the greenwood sidie Oh babes, oh babes, if you were mine Ey lady in the lonely I'd dress you up in silk so fine Down by the greenwood sidie Oh mother, mother, when we were thine Ey lady in the lonely You dressed us neither in coarse nor fine Down by the greenwood sidie But mother, mother, we are well Ey lady in the lonely Up in heaven, and your doom's in hell Down by the greenwood sidie [*] These two stanzas are spurious and may be a modern addition. No other version of Child 20 changes the refrain for one stanza. The remainder agrees with the text sung by Mr. Lambert below and appears to be genuine. Veach Lambert of Riverton, Pendleton County, West Virginia, USA. Recorded by Louis W. Chappell on June 24, 1938. There was a lady lived in New York Oh ladies, I'm lonely She fell in love with her father's clerk All down by the greenwood side He loved her up and he loved her down Oh ladies, I'm lonely He loved her till he filled her arms All down by the greenwood side She placed her foot upon an oak Oh ladies, I'm lonely And first it bent and then it broke All down by the greenwood side She placed her foot then on a thorn Oh ladies, I'm lonely And there her two little babes was born All down by the greenwood side She had a knife both keen and sharp Oh ladies, I'm lonely She pierced them little babes to the heart All down by the greenwood side She went to the brook for to wash her knife Oh ladies, I'm lonely The more she washed the bloodier it got All down by the greenwood side As she was a-setting in her father's hall Oh ladies, I'm lonely She saw her babes a-playing ball All down by the greenwood side Oh babes, oh babes, if you were mine Oh ladies, I'm lonely I'd dress you in your silk so fine All down by the greenwood side Oh mother, mother, when we were yourn Oh ladies, I'm lonely You neither gave us coarse nor fine All down by the greenwood side When we're in heaven a-doing well Oh ladies, I'm lonely And you are dooming down to hell All down by the greenwood side