Thanks, I'll do the same. I'm puzzled by this ballad. It wouldn't sound out of place in a number of places on both sides of the Atlantic, but it only seems to show up in the Ozarks (or California by way of the Ozarks). "Death is a Melancholy Call" is definately related, but it's much more overtly religious and seems to have been rewritten to make a point. I have a suspicion that "William Cook" may be the older text.