Folktunes.org - ballad

The Dying Soldier by Buell Kazee

Forrest Oliphant — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 01:59:08 -0500

MP3 url: [link]

Source webpage: [link]

Lyrics:

Oh brother Green, oh come to me,
For I am shot and bleeding,
Now I must die, no more to see,
My wife and my dear children.

The southern () has layed me low,
On this cold ground to suffer,
Stay brother stay and lay me away,
And write my wife a letter.

Tell her that I'm prepared to die,
And want to meet her in heaven,
Since I believed in Jesus Christ,
My sins are all forgiven.

My little ones, I love them well,
Oh could I once more see them,
That I might bid them a long farewell,
But we will meet in heaven.

Oh brother I am dying now,
Oh see I die so easy,
Oh surely death has lost it's sting,
Because I love my Jesus.

Go tell my wife she must not grieve,
Oh kiss my dear little children,
For they will call for me in vain,
When I am gone to heaven.

Notes:

This amazingly haunting piece grabs the listener by the heart and dares them not to shed a tear for the dying brother and soldier, who is so content in death because he loves "his Jesus."

Recorded on January 18, 1928 in New York City.

Rovin' Gambler by Kelly Harrell

Forrest Oliphant — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 16:00:51 -0500

MP3 url: [link]

Source webpage: [link]

Lyrics:

I am a roving gambler,
I gambled down in town,
Whereever I () for the sake of the cards I'll lie my money down

I had not been in Washington many more weeks than three,
When I fell in love with a pretty little girl and she fell in love with me

She took me in he parlor,
She cooled me with her fan,
She whispered low in her mother's ear I love a gamblin' man

Oh daughter oh dear daughter,
Why do you treat me so,
To leave your old dear mother and with a gambler go

Oh mother oh dear mother,
I know I love you well,
But the love I have for the gamblin' man no human song can tell

I've gambled down in Washington,
I've gambled down in Spain,
I'm going down to Georgia to gamble my last game

I hear the train a-coming,
A-coming round the curve,
A-whistling and a-blowing and staining every nerve

Oh mother oh dear mother,
I'll tell you if I can,
If you ever see me coming again I'll be with a gamblin' man

Notes:

An old traditional song described on the record label as a "Mountaineer's Song with violin and guitar". Kelly Harrell made his living in the Virginia textile mills but sang on the side and recorded several sessions in the later 1920s. "Rovin' Gambler" was recorded on January 7, 1925. From the original 78rpm disk.

Author: Kelly Harrell
Date: 1925-01-07
Source: Original 78rpm disk digitized by old78collector
Keywords: oldtime; folk; country; appalachian

The House Carpenter - Clarence Ashley

Forrest Oliphant — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 09:12:40 -0500

MP3 url: [link]

Source webpage: [link]

Lyrics:

We'll met we'll met said an old true love
We'll met we'll met said he
I'm just returning from the salt salt sea and it's all for the love of thee

Climb in climb in my old true love
And have a seat with me
It's been three-fourths of a long long year since together we have been

Well I can't come in or I can't sit down
For I haven't but a moment's time
They say you're married to a house carpenter and your heart will never be mine

Now it's I coulda married a king's daughter here
I'm sure she'da married me
But I've forsaken her crowns of gold and it's all for the love of thee

Now will you forsaken your house carpenter
And go along with me
I'll take you where the grass grows green on the banks of the deep blue sea

She picked up here little ()
And kisses gave him three
Says stay right here my little darling babe and keep your pappa company

Well they hadn't been on ship but about two weeks
I'm sure it wasn't three
Well his true love began to weep and mourn and () most bitterly

Says are you a-weepin' for my silver or my gold
Says are you weeping for my store
Are you weeping for that house carpenter whose face you'll never see any more

No it's I'm not a-weepin' for your silver or your gold
Or neither for your store
I am weeping for my darling little babe whose face I'll never see any more

Well they hadn't been on ship but about three weeks
I'm sure it wasn't four
'Til they sprung a leak in the bottom of the ship and they sunk for to rise no more

Notes:

Recorded on April 14, 1930 in Atlanta, Georgia. This ballad was collected by Child as "The Daemon Lover" (Child No. 243), of which there are several variants. Harry Smith noted that the original version in the British Isles had a "supernatural theme" which didn't make it to North America.