Hi,

Here's a North Carolina/Virginia version from Carpenter: James Madison Carpenter Collection, JMC/1/7/1/A, p. 10597.

"Edward." Sung by James York of Farmington, North Carolina, no date given but after 1941. This is the version sung by Horton Barker of Virginia in 1941 and included in Brown Collection, volume 4. The assumption is that York, a singer for Abrams in the late 1930s and also the Brown Collection learned his version from Barker or via Abrams recording of Barker.

1 "How come that blood on your knife, dear son?
Oh, dear son, tell me!"
"It is the blood of old grey horse,
That plowed the fields for me, me, me,
That plowed the fields for me."
"It does look too red for the old grey horse
That plowed the fields for thee, thee, thee,
That plowed the fields for thee."

2. "How come that blood on your knife, dear son?
Oh, dear son, tell me!"
"It is the blood of the guinea greyhound
That ran the deer for me, me, me,
That ran the deer for me.
"It does look too red for the guinea greyhound
That plowed the fields for thee, thee, thee,
That plowed the fields for thee."

3 "How come that blood on your knife, dear son?
Oh, dear son, tell me."
"It is the blood of my youngest brother
Who went away with me, me, me.
Who went away with me."

4 "And what did you fall out about?
Oh, dear son, tell me."
Because he cut a little apple bush
That soon would've made a tree, tree, tree,
That soon would've made a tree.

5 "And what will you do now, dear son?
Oh, dear son, tell me."
"I'll set my foot into yonder ship
And I'll sail across the sea, sea, sea,
And I'll sail across the sea."

6 "And when will you come back, dear son?
Oh, dear son, tell me."
"When the sun sets into yonder sycamore tree,
And that will never be, be, be,
And that will never be."

7 "And what will become of your dear little boy?
Oh, dear son, tell me."
"The world to wander in up and down,
For he never shall know of me, me, me.
For he never shall know of me."

8 "And what will become of your wife, dear son?
Oh, dear son, tell me."
"Sorrow and trouble all of her life,
For she'll see no more of me, me, me.
For she'll see no more of me.

9 "And what will you leave to your mother, dear son?
Oh, dear son, tell me."
"The curse of God I leave to you
For bringing this trouble on me, me, me,
For bringing this trouble on me."

Richie