Hi,

The only other variant that could possibly be related, is this odd version found in "Folksongs of Florida," Morris, 1950. Morris identifies this as a variant of "Butcher Boy" by the melody and a few related stanzas.
Mrs. G. A. Griffin, an outstanding informant for both Morris and Lomax, was born in 1863 in Georgia. By the time she was thirteen she learned the bulk of her older ballads from her father, John Hart, who was a fiddler. This is therefore dated pre-1877 -- the date when she left her father and moved to Florida.
In my opinion this too is an unusual rendition of the "Cruel Father" (see last post) sung from the man's point of view. The plot would be similar: When the lovers were discovered her father presses the young man to sea where he must spend his "wretched life" with out his lover. He utters the famous Died for Love ending. Suddenly, he is visited by his true love (this could be a dream sequence or it has simply turned into a "night visit" ballad and he is a ghost). He pledges, "I love her now until I die."
This is all speculative. Since the song by its melody and text is placed as a version of Butcher Boy by Morris and it has the cannonball reference, it makes some sense. Morris says that the song has, "an existence of its own," however, he doesn't have an idea what that could be.

67. BETSY, MY DARLING GIRL
(Archive 956-81).

"Betsy, My Darling Girl." Recorded on March 19, 1937, from the singing of Mrs. G. A. Griffin, Newberry, Florida, learned from her father in Georgia by 1877-- with music.

1. I'm going up yonder to yonders town,
Where the cannon balls flash round and round,
And there I'll spend my days and years
My weeks, my months, my wretched life.

2. I called for a chair to seat myself upon,
And a pen and ink to write her name down,
And every line I shed a tear
For Betsy, O Betsy, my darling girl.

3. So dig my grave both steep and deep,
And marble stones at my head and feet,
And on my breast put a snow white dove
To show the world I died for love.

4. Who's at my gate, that darling girl?
Who's at my gate, that darling girl?
Who's at my gate, my own true love?
I love her now until I die.

5. Come in, my own true love,
Come in, come my darling girl;
Come in, come my own true love,
For I love you now until I die.

6. O give to me your lily-white hand,
O give to me both your heart and hand.
She gave to me her lily-white hand,
For I love her now until I die.

Richie