Lyr Req: The Weeping Lass

Subject: The Weeping Lass
From: GUEST,Dan Keding
Date: 09 Sep 01 - 10:38 AM

Neighbors, There is a story found in the tradition about a Weeping Lass that watches her friends dance while she cries at the crosssroads for her dead lover. He returns, apparently alive. They ride off to his home only to find its a graveyard and that she has kept him awake with her crying. She runs away, he grabs at her scarf, she tells her story they find the scarf sticking out of the grave, when they dig down its in the corpse's hand. Very dramatic story. Does anyone know which ballad its from and can they direct me to or send me the lyrics???

Thanks

Dan

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Weeping Lass
From: Sorcha
Date: 09 Sep 01 - 10:42 AM

It could be a version of Child #37, Thomas the Rhymer. It's also just a popular ghost tale.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Weeping Lass
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 09 Sep 01 - 12:05 PM

It would be The Suffolk Miracle (Child #272), which is an English form of the widespread Spectre Bridegroom story (Aarne-Thompson type 365).

In the DT:

SUFFOLK MIRACLE  With tune, from a recording by Peggy Seeger and Ewan MacColl. No traditional source named.

THE SUFFOLK MIRACLE   With tune; noted by Cecil Sharp from Mrs. Mary Sands, NC, 1916.

THE SUFFOLK MIRACLE (3)   With tune; noted by Creighton and Senior from William Gilkie of Nova Scotia.

In the Forum:

The Suffolk Miracle and The Gift   Brief discussion, with a summary of some notes from Child's English and Scottish Popular Ballads.

There is an entry at  The Traditional Ballad Index:

Suffolk Miracle, The [Child 272]

Broadside copies at  Bodleian Library Broadside Ballads:

The Suffolk miracle or A relation of a young man who a month after his death appeared to his sweetheart   Printed between 1678 and 1680 for F. Coles, T. Vere, J. Wright, J. Clark, W. Thackery and T. Passenger, London.

The Suffolk miracle or A relation of a young man who a month after his death appeared to his sweetheart   Printed in 1689 for W. Thackery and T. Passenger, London.

The Suffolk miracle; or, The relation of a young man, who after his death appeared to his sweet-heart   Printed between 1711 and 1769 by John White of Newcastle upon Tyne.  Barely legible.

The tune prescribed for these three was My bleeding heart, a melody which Claude M. Simpson (The British Broadside Ballad and Its Music, 1966) was unable to trace.

Some examples of other Spectre Bridegroom stories can be seen at D. L. Ashliman's  folktexts:

Specter Bridegrooms

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Weeping Lass
From: MAG
Date: 10 Sep 01 - 12:15 AM

You've got the story version by Sorche nic Leodhas, right, Dan? -- MA

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Weeping Lass
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 10 Sep 01 - 08:35 AM

Well pointed out.  The Weeping Lass at the Dancing Place, in Twelve Great Black Cats (1972).