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Subject: The Maid Freed From the Gallows From: tradsteve Date: 23 Sep 00 - 02:33 AM Would I be correct to assume that the tune for this is the same tune as for "Little Musgrave"? The structure fits and certain phrases, such as "and Hanged you shall be" match up. -Steven- |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Maid Freed From the Gallows From: Joe Offer Date: 23 Sep 00 - 02:58 AM Hi, Steve - there's a MIDI here at the Contemplator site but I have a hard time pulling the melody out of this particular arrangement. -Joe- |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Maid Freed From the Gallows From: Joe Offer Date: 23 Sep 00 - 06:08 AM Hi, Steve - I found one recording of the song, and I can't say I like it. It's by John Jacob Niles. I put it on my website - (click) and I'll leave it up for a while so you can listen to it. -Joe Offer- |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Maid Freed From the Gallows From: Malcolm Douglas Date: 23 Sep 00 - 12:06 PM It all depends on precisely which version of the song you're talking about (and which version of Matty Groves, come to that!). Writing in the late 1950s, Bertrand Bronson described it as the thirteenth most popular (of the ballads listed by Child) in the British-American tradition; that probably means several hundred known examples by now, and a good few tunes, not counting related songs on the same theme like The Streets of Derry (Derry Gaol). If you're talking about the version on the DT, then only somebody who has the record that it was transcribed from can help; if only people would give useful references instead of just quoting obscure (to the rest of the world) Revival performers...aarrgghh. I have a number of English versions the tunes of which would fit, but no way of knowing which, if any, come close to the one in question. Here is what I've found online so far, beside what Joe has already pointed to; mostly no help with tunes, I fear.
On the DT:
The Prickilie Bush Transcribed from a record, no tune or prior source given. It may be an American version, but is so close to versions found in the UK that it's impossible to tell.
The Streets of Derry As recorded by Julie Henigan (see below), no tune given.
In the Forum:
Leadbelly and the Gallus Pole Brief discussion.
Streets of Derry Transcriptions from records by Peter Bellamy and Julie Henigan (the latter apparantly a composite partly derived from a version sung by Janet Russell). No tunes or prior sources given. As it happens, I have a copy of the Bellamy recording (Both Sides Then, Topic 12TS400, 1979); he mentions in his notes that he "adapted it from the singing of Sarah Makem of Armagh". There is a transcription of her version in Kennedy's Folk Songs of Britain & Ireland.
There is an entry at The Traditional Ballad Index:
The Maid Freed from the Gallows [Child 95]
I couldn't find anything at Bodleian Library Broadside Ballads.
There is an article from The Cambridge History of English and American Literature here: § 8. The Maid Freed from the Gallows; The Making of Ballads; General Outlines of Ballad Progress.
There is a RA sound clip of an American version recorded by Phil & Gaye Johnson (Folk Songs from Carl Sandburg's The American Songbag) here: Maid Freed from the Gallows
Hangman, Hangman As sung by Mrs. Pearl Brewer in Pocahontas, Arkansas on November 12, 1958.
The Hangman As sung by Mrs. Laura McDonald in Springdale, AR on July 23, 1958.
Analogues of this song turn up all over Europe, at least 50 examples having been found in Finland. The following is a quote from an abstract of a paper, Lithuanian Folk Songs About Setting Free And Their Parallels In The Ballads Of European Nations, by Auðra Zubavièiûtë:
"..the international ballad, that is known by name Lunastettava neito in Finland, Den Bårtsalda in Sweden, The Maid Freed from the Gallows in England, Die Losgekaufte in German. The Finnish scientist Iivar Kempinen inserted Lithuanian folk songs about setting free in his book Lunastettava neito (1957) like variants of the international ballad. Ballad's main motive is girl's setting free from captivity. The ballad's content narrates about the young maiden, who is in captivity. She asks her father, mother, sister, brother, fiancé to ransom her with best animals (cow, sheep, bull etc.) or things (sword, house, crown, ring etc.). Nobody will part with their property; only girl's beloved ransoms her. The maiden curses all her relatives and blesses her fiancé." Malcolm |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Maid Freed From the Gallows From: rabbitrunning Date: 23 Sep 00 - 10:48 PM WOW! Now that's a list of references my librarian's heart is most impressed by. Much clapping! I was going to say that I think this is the song "Hangman" that Burl Ives sang on a record we had when I was a kid, but I think I'll wander away in bemusement, now. |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Maid Freed From the Gallows From: Anglo Date: 23 Sep 00 - 11:38 PM Well if you had said that you would have been perfectly correct. Millions of versions, including the "short" version from the Smothers Brothers (I think, or someone like that). |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Maid Freed From the Gallows From: tradsteve Date: 24 Sep 00 - 01:41 AM Thanks, all! |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Maid Freed From the Gallows From: Joe Offer Date: 24 Sep 00 - 02:22 AM Malcolm, I never cease to be amazed. You sure do good work. |
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Subject: Lyr Add: THE MAID FREED FROM THE GALLOWS From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 01 Jul 11 - 10:50 PM Lyr. Add: THE MAID FREED FROM THE GALLOWS Child 95 1 'Oh good Lord Judge, and sweet Lord Judge, Peace for a little while! Methinks I see my own father, Come riding by the stile.' 2 Oh, father, oh father, a little of your gold, And likewise of your fee! To keep my body from yonder grave, And my neck from the gallows-tree.' 3 None of my gold now shall you have, Nor likewise of my fee; For I have come to see you hanged, And hanged you shall be.' 4 Oh good Lord Judge, and sweet Lord Judge, Peace for a little while! Methinks I see my own mother, Come riding by the stile.' 5 'Oh mother, oh mother, a little of your gold, And likewise of your fee, To keep my body from younder grave, And my neck from the gallows-tree' 6 'None of my gold now shall you have, Nor likewise of my fee; For I am come to see you hanged, And hanged you shall be.' 7 Oh good Lord Judge, and sweet Lord Judge, Peace for a little while! Methinks I see my own brother, Come riding by the stile.' 8 'Oh brother, oh brother, a little of your gold, And likewise of your fee, To keep my body from yonder grave, And my neck from the gallows-tree!' 9 'None of my gold now shall you have, Nor likewise of my fee; For I am come to see you hanged, And hanged you shall be.' 10 'Oh good Lord Judge, and sweet Lord Judge, Peace for a little while! Methinks I see my own sister, Come riding by the stile.' 11 'Oh sister, oh sister, a little of your gold, And likewise of your fee, To keep my body from yonder grave, And my neck from the gallows-tree!' 12 'None of my gold now shall you have, Nor likewise of my fee; For I am come to see you hanged, And hanged you shall be.' 13 'Oh good Lord Judge, and sweet Lord Judge, Peace for a little while! Methinks I see my own true-love, Come riding by the stile.' 14 Oh true-love, oh true-love, a little of your gold, And likewise of your fee, To save my body from yonder grave, And my neck from the gallows-tree.' 15 'Some of my gold now you shall have, And likewise of my fee, For I am come to see you saved, And saved you shall be.' "Communicated to Percy, 1770, by the Rev. P. Parsons, of Wey, from oral tradition." Francis James Child, edit., The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, from volune II of the Loomis House Press Edition. The similar "Sailor Girl from Asia" was collected by Olive Lewin, 1973, Forty Folk Songs from Jamaica, General Secretariat of the OAS, Washington, D.C.; posted in ADD: Jamaican Folk Music, thread 40845. Jamaican Folk Music |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Maid Freed From the Gallows [Child #95] From: Joe Offer Date: 15 Aug 19 - 12:05 AM Do any versions of the ballad give any indication what capital offense the maid is accused of? -Joe- |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Maid Freed From the Gallows [Child #95] From: Jim Carroll Date: 15 Aug 19 - 02:56 AM In my searches for Irish varientets of Child Ballads, I was surprised to find that a number of the standard Child texts had once been part of the Irish repertoire - I always considered it an English ballad Mrs Ellen M Sullivan of Vermont sang Helen Hartness Flanders a 13 verse version entitled 'Lord James', which she learned in her childhood in County Cork While not specific about the charges, it refers to "a golden ball" A beautiful offshoot of this Ballad, 'Streets of Derry', is often associated with one of the many Irish rebellions against English rule, particularly the 1798 one Jim Carroll |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Maid Freed From the Gallows [Child #95] From: Susan of DT Date: 15 Aug 19 - 05:17 AM Joe I just researched this for Robert R. No versions in Child say what the offense was. Child says the versions in other languages have her stolen by pirates and the family refuse to ransom her from the pirates, rather than the hangman.
-Joe- |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Maid Freed From the Gallows [Child #95] From: GUEST,Spot Date: 15 Aug 19 - 05:45 AM I can't really see why people should be surprised at Child Ballads appearing in Ireland, which was after all part of the same country as England for decades and which had close links before that going back millennia with both England and Scotland. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Maid Freed From the Gallows [Child #95] From: Jim Carroll Date: 15 Aug 19 - 06:45 AM "I can't really see why people should be surprised at Child Ballads appearing in Ireland, " It was considered up to comparatively recently that only a few Child Ballads had turned up in Ireland Collector, Tom Munnelly - the leding expert on Irish traditional songs in English, pinned the number down to 49 up to the mid 1970s, I managed to add one to his list Since taking on the project Tom started (for his own interest) I added a considerable number from printed sources gathered from the oral tradition, especially from emigrants fleeing the famine in the 1850s While I was again and again surprised at which particular ballads became rooted in Ireland, I have been staggered at the number and type of rare ones that made the journey and survived. Among the most popular in this Part of Ireland, (West Clare are The Keach in the Creel, The Suffolk Miracle, Lord Lovel and Katherine Jaffray The most popular in the past were Captain Wedderburn's Courtship and (of course) Barbara Allen Travellers have proved the most important carriers of the Ballads Lamkin, Young Hunting, and The Maid and the Palmer being some of the most unnexpected When I have coompleted my project I will be distributing my findings to anybody interested Hopefully, I will give recorded examples of all - singer friends have agreed to provide sung version from print I would guess there are about six in Irish Gaelic (previously there were thought to have been four, with one of those dubious) Jim Carroll |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Maid Freed From the Gallows [Child #95] From: Jim Carroll Date: 15 Aug 19 - 09:46 AM Main/Irish version of Maid Freed From the Gallows Jim Carroll Maid Freed (Child From the Gallows A The fullest version of this song came from the memory of Mrs. Ellen M. Sullivan in Springfield, Vermont. Mrs. Sulli¬van said she was seventy-five years old, and she remembered: his from her childhood in County Cork, Ireland. H. H. F., Collector August 15,1932 Structure: A B1 B2 C (4,4,4,6); Rhythm C; Contour: arclike, with pendulum movement; Scale: hexatonic Lord James Tr. G. B- “Oh, stop your hand, Lord James, Oh, stop it for a while. I think I see my mother Coming along the stile. “O mother, dearest mother, Did you get my golden ball Or my pardon from the Queen, Or did you come to see me hung Upon this willow tree?” 1 “I have not got your golden ball Or your pardon from the Queen, But I came to see you hung Upon this willow tree.” “Oh, stop your hand, Lord James, Oh, stop it for a while; I think I see my father Coming along the stile. “O father, dearest father, Did you find my golden ball Or my pardon from the Queen, Or did you come to see me hung Upon this willow tree?” “I have not got your golden ball Or your pardon from the Queen, But I came to see you hung Upon this willow tree.” “Oh, stop your hand, Lord James, Oh, stop it for a while. I think I see my brother Coming along the stile. “O brother, dearest brother, Have you got my golden ball Or my pardon from the Queen, Or did you come to see me hung Upon this willow tree?” “I have not got your golden ball Or your pardon from the Queen, But I came to see you hung Upon this willow tree.” “Oh, stop your hand, Lord James, Oh, stop it for a while. I think I see my sister Coming along the stile. “O sister, dearest sister, Have you got my golden ball Or my pardon from the Queen, Or did you come to see me hung Upon this willow tree?” “I have not got your golden ball Or your pardon from the Queen, But I came to see you hung Upon this willow tree.” “Oh, stop your hand, Lord James, Oh, stop it for a while. I think I see my true love Coming along the stile. “O true love, dearest true love, Have you got my golden ball Or my pardon from the Queen, Or did you come to see me hung Upon this willow tree?” “I . . . found your golden ball And your pardon from the Queen, And I did not come to see you hung Upon this willow tree.” i Mrs. Sullivan remarked that a willow tree in England grows immense and is the choice for gallows. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Maid Freed From the Gallows [Child #95] From: Joe Offer Date: 15 Aug 19 - 03:22 PM As Child says in the introduction to #95, "all the english versions are defective and distorted". In versions of the ballad from other countries, the maid is usually blameless, being held for ransom by brigands and Moors and the like. -Joe- |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Maid Freed From the Gallows [Child #95] From: RTim Date: 15 Aug 19 - 03:41 PM The Frank Profitt version has the line - "I have stolen a silvery cup" - to my knowledge it is the only version that gives the reason for Hanging. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1fFgcbee3U Tim Radford |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Maid Freed From the Gallows [Child #95] From: GUEST,Starship Date: 17 Aug 19 - 08:04 AM https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_folk_songs_by_Roud_number I was looking for stuff and tripped over that link. Thought it might be useful to someone. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Maid Freed From the Gallows [Child #95] From: Mrrzy Date: 17 Aug 19 - 02:57 PM In all the versions I know, it is a man being saved from hanging. No idea why he was to hang other than he could not pay the fine, so not murder... |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Maid Freed From the Gallows [Child #95] From: GUEST,Brian Peters Date: 17 Aug 19 - 06:41 PM Tim, Frank Proffitt did have form when it came to rewriting old ballads. Interesting that Child 95 seems to have been particularly popular in African-American communities. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Maid Freed From the Gallows [Child #95] From: Joe Offer Date: 17 Aug 19 - 06:48 PM I suppose I'm not the only one who first learned this song as "Hangman" on the Peter, Paul and Mary recording. I had always assumed the person being hanged was male, since Mary was the True Love who ransomed the victim. Now that I've heard it as "Maid Freed from the Gallows" in my advancing years, I'm still having a hard time thinking of the victim as female. -Joe- |
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