Lyr Add: The Widow's Old Broom

Subject: Lyr Add: The Widow's Old Broom
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 17 Apr 05 - 05:24 PM

The Widow's Old Broom

I was out in the country one beautiful night,
And spied a fair maiden, my heart's delight,
She was handsome and true, warm-hearted and fair,
A widow's lone daughter, a widow's lone heir.

And when we reached home, the old lady in bed,
And hearing us a-talking she raised her head,
"Who's there?" cried she. I told her my name,
"A-courting your daughter on purpose I came."

"My daughter, my daughter, my daughter," cried she,
"Do you think that my daughter can go before me?
And isn't it strange that girl so young
Can have all the sweethearts and I can have none?"

"I know you're a widow whose pockets are large,
I know you're a widow who has a great charge."
"A widow!" cried she, "You scorn my name!"
She up with a broomstick and at me she came.

I flew to the door to escape in the night,
The doors and the windows were all fast quite tight;
The first think I knew was a rap on the head
That sent me a-reeling in under the bed.

And when I came out the old lady was there,
She hit me another on the head with a chair.
"Oh murder!" cried I, and flew to the door,
And then the old woman she hit me once more.

She hit me, she kicked, me, and at last I got clear,
I mounted my horse and home I did steer;
And when I reached home all bloody and sore,
There never was a fellow skinned up so before.

Young men, young men, be warned by me,
A widow's lone daughter never go to see;
As sure as you do, you'll meet your doom
And carry the marks of the widow's old broom.

'"The Widow's Old Broom" was recorded by Vance Randolph from the singing of Charles Ingenthron, Walnut Shade, Missourit, 1941. Library of Congress record LP12.' Emrich, Duncan, American Folk Poetry – An Anthology Little, Brown and Co, 1974, p 211-12. INTRO - "This book is dedicated with affection and respect to HAROLD SPIVACKE Chief of the Music Division – The Library of Copngress from 1937 to 1972 who nursed the fledgling archive of folk song into the great and magnificent collection which it now is."

Recording is available through:
http://www.loc.gov/folklife/redesign/folkcat.html

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Widow's Old Broom
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 17 Apr 05 - 07:58 PM

The version quoted by Gargoyle hangs together well. It is printed, with music, in Vance Randolph, "Ozark Folk Songs," vol. 3, pp. 107-109, along with lyrics to another version also collected in Missouri. In "The Traditional Ballads Index" the song is cited as "Courting the Widow's Daughter," under which name it is listed by Laws and Belden.

Belden's version is in the DT, with notes from the Traditional Ballads Index in thread 63228: Hard Hard Times . The Belden song verses end with "And it's hard times." He received the MS in 1907 and suggests that it was written down about 1870.