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SPRINGFIELD MOUNTAIN (2) On Springfield mountain there did dwell A handsome youth, was known full well, Lieutenant Merrill's only son, A likely youth, near twenty-one. On Friday morning he did go Down to the meadows for to mow. He mowed, he mowed all around the field With a poisonous serpent at his heel. When he received his deathly wound He laid his scythe down on the ground For to return was his intent, Calling aloud, long as he went. His calls were heard both far and near But no friend to him did appear. They thought he did some workman call Alas, poor man, alone did fall! Day being past, night coming on, The father went to seek his son, And there he found his only son Cold as a stone, dead on the ground. He took him up and he carried him home And on the way did lament and mourn Saying, "I heard but did not come, And now I'm left alone to mourn." In the month of August, the twenty-first When this sad accident was done. May this a warning be to all, To be prepared when God shall call. Note: This is one of the very few versions that've been collected that are entirely serious in tone. Warner collected a slightly different version from Yankee John Galusha which consisted essentially of verses 1,2,3,4,7 of this version, except that the victim's name was Cushman, the accident happened on a Monday and the first line of the last verse was: " It was in the year seventeen hundred and sixty one." The tune for the Galusha version is SPRNMTN3. The song commemorates an actual event that occurred in Springfield Mountain, Mass (now Willbraham) in 1761. (HHF) From Vermont Folk-tales and Ballads, Flanders Collected from Mr. Brown, Townshend, VT. DT #314 Laws G16 @animal @snake @death filename[ SPRNMTN2 TUNE FILE: SPRNMNT2 CLICK TO PLAY TUNE FILE: SPRNMNT3 CLICK TO PLAY RG |
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