The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #10359   Message #75377
Posted By: Sandy Paton
03-May-99 - 06:40 PM
Thread Name: Traditional songs & madness
Subject: RE: Traditional songs & madness
Jane: I recorded a version of "Black Jack Davy" (Child #200) from Frank Proffitt in northwestern North Carolina back in 1961 that might be of interest to you. He learned the song from his aunt, Nancy Prather, who called it "Gyps of David," and, with his dedication to his tradition, Frank kept it that way. In this version, after the "good man" tracks down his wife, who has run off with the "Gyps of David," he asks her:

"Will you return to the gold I have?
Will you return to your baby?"
"No, never will I leave the arms,
The arms of the Gyps of David,
The arms of the Gyps of David."

This leads into the final verse, which I believe to be unique in the tradition:

He jumped into the waters wide,
In madness he was raving,
And floated off down to the sea
Because of the Gyps of David,
Because of the Gyps of David.

You can find this version on Folk-Legacy's very first release, now available as a custom cassette: Frank Proffitt, of Reese, North Carolina - C-1.

Sandy