Lyr Add: The False True-Lover

Subject: Lyr Add: THE FALSE TRUE-LOVER and GEORGIE JEEMS
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 25 Nov 04 - 08:50 PM

Lyr. Add: THE FALSE TRUE-LOVER
(Belden, Coll. 1906, Missouri)
^^
I am going away, my own true love,
To tarry for a while,
Though I'm coming back, my own true love,
It may be ten thousand miles.

Ten thousand miles, my own true love,
To Scotland, France and Spain;
I never will be satisfied
Until I see your face again.

I'll plant me a red and rosy bush
And a weeping willow tree,
And that will prove to this wide world around
That you have forsaken me.

If I forsake you, my own true love,
The regions they will burn,
The fire will freeze like ice, my love,
And the sun will refuse to shine.

Oh, who will shoe my pretty little feet,
And who will glove my hand,
And who will kiss my red and rosy cheeks,
While you're in the distant land?

Your father will shoe your pretty little feet,
Your mother will glove your hand,
And I will kiss your red and rosy cheeks
When I return from the distant land.

Oh, don't you see that pretty little girl
Spinning on yonder wheel?
Ten thousand worlds like this would I give
To feel as she does feel.

Oh, don't you see that lonesome turtle dove
Sitting on yonder vine.
Lamenting over its own true love
As I do lament o'er mine?

I wish to the Lord I had never been born,
Or died when I was young,
Than to be left in this wilderness of woe,
My love, while you are gone.

Oh, hush up, darling, don't break my heart,
For I hate to hear you cry.
Ten thousand true lovers has parted in this world,
And why not you and I?

Secured by G. W. Ridgway in 1906 from Mattie White of Rucker, Boone Co., Missouri. A duet version.
Contains elements of Child 46, "The Lass of Roch Royal." Some verses or lines appear in songs about John Henry, and John Hardy, and other songs collected from African-Americans.

H. M. Belden, editor, 1940 (1973), "Ballads and Songs Collected by the Missouri Folk-Lore Society," pp. 480-481, without music.

Lyr. Add: GEORGIE JEEMS

Oh who will shoe my narrow, narrow foot,
And who will glove my hand,
And who will wrap my narrow, narrow waist
With a new-made London band?

Oh who will comb my yellow, yellow hair,
Witj a new-made silver comb,
And who will father my pretty little babe
Till Georgie Jeems comes home?

Fair Annie she stood at her true love's door,
And tirled the drawling pin,
Rise up, rise up, young Georgie Jeems,
And let your true love in.

Then up rose his false, false lady,
Says who's a-wanting in?

Oh don't you remember, young Georgie Jeems,
When we two sat to dine,
You taken the ring from off my hand
And changed your ring for mine.

And yours was good and very, very good,
But not as good as mine,
For yours was of the good red gold
But mine the diamonds fine.

"When the 'false lady' told Annie that Georgie was married," says Mrs. Carlisle, "Annie left. Pretty soon Georgie got up and ran after her crying 'Annie, won't you bide?' This is the last line of a stanza, I think, and the last line of the song that I remember."
Sung by Mrs. Irene Carlisle, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 1941, learned from grandmother about 1912.
Randolph, Ozark Folksongs, vol. 1, song 18G ("Oh Who Will Shoe My Foot?), with music.

"He's Gone Away," with midi, is in the Mudcat DT (from Sandburg, "American Songbag"). This will be very close to the Battle rendition.
See sheet music at numachi: Gone Away

Lyrics also at Gone Away

A choral version (sound clip at Amazon) in the cd by The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, "Songs of the Civil War and Stephen Foster Favorites," track 4 of 22.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: THE FALSE TRUE-LOVER
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 25 Nov 04 - 09:25 PM

Confusion often arises when that "Who will shoe your pretty little foot" verse turns up in a song; as it so often does. The first song quoted above is basically Ten Thousand Miles, while the second is The Lass of Roch Royal. Two quite different songs, though there are times when forms of them found in oral currency overlap.

For some useful background, see the earlier discussion 10,000 miles song from Fly Away Home where Bruce Olson quoted the earliest known form of it, a London broadside text of the late 17th century titled The Unkind Parents. It reappeared in the 18th century, rather shortened and closer to the kinds of forms it was found in later, as The true lover's farewel.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: THE FALSE TRUE-LOVER
From: Pauline L
Date: 26 Nov 04 - 12:03 AM

Malcolm, Thanks for the cite. I also cited it in my post to
another thread, which you might not have seen.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: THE FALSE TRUE-LOVER
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 26 Nov 04 - 01:21 AM

"The True Lovers Farewel" obviously is a forerunner of "He's Gone Away" and "The False True-Lover." Thanks for that reference. The broadside is not dated, but the type suggests the later 18th c. or the beginning of the 19th. Any earlier?

The 'ten thousand miles' relationships, however, seem nebulous to me. "Ten Thousand Miles" in Sandburg's "American Songbag" and elsewhere is a song about forthcoming reunion after separation. It has little to connect it with the old songs quoted by Bruce Olson. Ten thousand is just another way of saying 'a fur piece.'

"The False True-Lover" and "He's Gone Away" are about separation and worry that the departed may not come back; hope has almost been abandoned in the former. Belden related the song to "The Lass, but the story is different; when the 'who will shoe' verses are removed, there is little to compare.

I agree that "Georgie Jeems" is an altered fragment of "The Lass" but little is left of that dark and disturbing story ending in death of both lovers except the 'who will shoe' verses that have floated down and been included in several different songs and sayings.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: THE FALSE TRUE-LOVER
From: GUEST,Noreen
Date: 26 Nov 04 - 07:15 AM

I agree with Malcolm- 'George Jeems' (which I have never heard of before) is The Lass of Roch Royal- the second major connection is the exchange of rings theme, and taken with the 'who will shoe' verses forms the whole of the song as given here.

The 'who will shoe' verses do indeed appear as floating verses in other places, and that appears to be the case in THE FALSE TRUE-LOVER above.