Hi,

Once a thread get too long, it's hard to pull up-- the info is hidden in the middle somewhere and it's hard find. So, this is James Madison Carpenter & Child Ballads, Part 2. Rather than rehash Child 1-3 I'd rather begin with Child 4 (Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight) although it's ok to include new info about those ballads here.

TY to all the "catters" who have contributed exploring the Carpenter versions (plus UK versions) and the Child ballads.

I'll start Child 4 with a fragment of a version collected in North Carolina from James York an excellent singer, who, along with his wife contributed ballads and songs to the Brown Collection. I'll put the Brown text below Carpenter's for comparison

Child 4: James Madison Carpenter Collection, JMC/1/7/1/C, p. 10673
[no date but around 1940]

Title: False Sir John
Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight

1. He followed me up, he followed me down,
He followed me into the room.
I had no power for to speak one word,
No tongue to answer nay, nay, nay
No tongue to answer nay.

2. So bring me some of your father's gold,
And some of your mother's fee,
And I will take you to Scotland,
And there I'll marry thee, thee, thee,
And there I'll marry thee.

_____________________

Brown Collection:

C. 'The Seventh King's Daughters.' Sung by Mrs. James York. Recorded by Dr. W. A. Abrams at Olin, Iredell county, 1940, from original at Boone, August 8, 1940.

1. He followed me up, he followed me down,
He followed me into the room.
I had no arms for to force him away,
No tongue to say him nay, nay, nay
No tongue to say him nay.

2. So bring me some of your father's gold,
And some of your mother's fee,
And I will take it to Scotland,
And there I'll marry thee, thee, thee,
And there I'll marry thee.

* * * *