Lyr Req: Wife of Usher's Well (#79, Hedy West)

Subject: Lyr Add: WIFE OF USHER'S WELL (#79, Hedy West)
From: Roberto
Date: 28 Aug 05 - 11:32 AM

The Wife of Usher's Well
Hedy West, Old Times & Hard Times, Topic 12T117, 1965. Hedy wrote: "This is basically the version that Nancy Perdue of Fairfax, Virginia, learned from her mother-in-law, Eva Samples, born in 1906 near Carrolton, Georgia. I've combined this variant with a similar one from my grandmother."

I can't get a couple of words, and I'm not sure of another two or three. Please, help. Thank you. R


There was a woman and she lived alone
And babies, she had three
She sent them away to the North Countrie
To learn their grammarie

They'd not been gone but a very short time
Scarcely six weeks to the day
When death, cold death, spread through the land
And swept them babes away

She prayed to the Lord in Heaven above
Wearing a starry crown:
Oh send to me my three little babes
Tonight or in the morning soon

It was very close to Christmas time
The night was long and cold
And the very next morning, at the break of day
Them babies come a-running home

She set the table for them to eat
Upon it spread bread and wine:
Come eat, come drink, my three little babes
Come eat, come drink of mine

Oh mother, we cannot eat your bread
Neither can we drink your wine
For the morrow morning at the break of day
Our Saviour must rejine (?)

She made the bed in the back--- (??) room
Upon it she spread a sheet
Upon the top a golden (?) spread
For to help them babes asleep

Rise up, rise up – said the eldest one
Rise up, rise up – said she (!?)
For the morrow morning at the break of day
Our Saviour must we see

Cold clods of clay roll o'er our heads
Green grass grows on our feet
And our sweet tears, my mother dear
Will wet our winding sheet

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hedy West's Wife of Usher's Well #79
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 28 Aug 05 - 01:54 PM

Suggestions from other versions may help (or not)-

-Our Saviour must rejine:
"To our Saviour we must resign" (in Bronson)

"For the Lord is waiting for us now,
And we must go and join" (in Morris, from Florida)

back--- room:
She spread a bed in the backside room (version in Sharp, etc.)
in the backmost room- (a version in Cox)
all in the back room- (version in Morris, Folksongs of Florida)

golden spread:
probably correct, since golden spread is used in the Cox text and golden sheet is used in others.

The 'Rise up' verse is found in the Folksongs of Florida (learned in Georgia) and another collected in Florida:

1. "Rise up, rise up," said the oldest one;
"Rise up all on your feet;
For our Savior is standing, calling for us,
And we must go and join.
2. "Rise up, rise up," said the oldest one,
Rise up and let us in,
For our savior is ...."
3. "Rise up, rise up," said the eldest one,
Rise up all in a line..."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hedy West's Wife of Usher's Well #79
From: Roberto
Date: 28 Aug 05 - 02:09 PM

I intend jine as join. I would have written rejoin, but I've seen another transcription from an american version that had "jine", that is closer to what is sung, so I've opted for rejine.

Backmost room is what Hedy sings. Than k you, Q.

R

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hedy West's Wife of Usher's Well #79
From: Le Scaramouche
Date: 28 Aug 05 - 04:43 PM

Anyone have a MIDI of the tune, because looking at the words the one used by Carthy for Broomfield Hill keeps popping to mind.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hedy West's Wife of Usher's Well #79
From: OldPossum
Date: 28 Aug 05 - 06:21 PM

This is what I hear:

(verse 6):
Our Saviour must rejine.
(That is how I hear it too. I think "rejine" is fine, to imitate the pronounciation.)

(verse 7):
She made the bed in the back-a-most room
[...]
Upon the top a golden spread
(I hear "golden" too.)

(verse 8):
Rise up, rise up, said she
(That is what I hear, too.)

(verse 9):
[...]
[...]
And thy sweet tears, my mother dear
[...]


Hope this helps.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hedy West's Wife of Usher's Well #79
From: Roberto
Date: 29 Aug 05 - 02:15 AM

Thank you very much OldPossum, I think now we got it. R

Subject: the wife of ushers well hedy west
From: The Sandman
Date: 08 Nov 11 - 02:23 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZBDZn73m8E&feature=related just curious any ideas what banjo tuning she is using?is it dgcd

Subject: RE: the wife of ushers well hedy west
From: Tradsinger
Date: 08 Nov 11 - 06:41 PM

Without checking what key it is in and whether she capoed it up, I guess it is DGCD (sawmill), Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbri9Nfjcr8.

Tradsinger