Who Killed…Cock Robin?
âI, said the Sparrow, with my bow and arrowâ Introduction There are at least two things Iâm not going to do in todayâs post. There are at least two things I am going to do. The first thing I am … Continue reading →
Tag Archives: Jean Ritchie
A Cage of Beaten Gold – “False Sir John”
This is the second post concerning the ballad Child 4. Â See also Part 1. Introduction In my first post this week, I looked briefly at the history of the ballad Francis Child cataloged as his #4, known by many names; … Continue reading →
Who Weeps for the House Carpenter?
This is the second post on Child 243. Â Read the first post here. The short answer is ânobody.â Â Nobody weeps for the house carpenter. Â In our last post, we saw how artists through the years molded and shaped the original … Continue reading →
The price, my dear, is you.
 In the last post on Led Zeppelinâs âGallows Pole,â we looked at how a centuries-old English tale about a fair maiden who loses a golden ball evolved into two different stories â one with a fairy tale ending in which … Continue reading →
While travelling through Kentucky…
Introduction My first post this week introduced âHiram Hubbardâ, a Kentucky murder ballad from the era of the Civil War. Â The performance of Jean Ritchie and Doc Watson was our springboard. Â For the sake of avoiding multiple clicks across posts, … Continue reading →
Hiram Hubbard / Hiram Hubbert
âCome all you friends and neighborsâŚâ Every spring, as I finish teaching my unit on the American Civil War, my thoughts turn towards that most terrible of American experiences. Me being who I am always makes that rather intense.  This … Continue reading →
Edward / What Put the Blood? / The Blood on His Shirt Sleeve
 Cain Leadeth Abel to Death â Chromolithograph book plate, James Tissot, 1904 Note: This is Part 1 of a 4 part series â see also Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 This week weâre back in to the Child Ballads.  Itâs been … Continue reading →
Matty Groves / Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard
This is Part 1 of a three part series.  See also Part 2, and Part 3. Introduction â âTwas on the high, high holy dayâŚâ This week we go back to Britain, to the old ballads.  Yes, itâs one of … Continue reading →
Bow and Balance to Me
Ok, letâs bring this one on home. In the introductory post for the week, we learned that Child 10, the ballad commonly known as âTwo Sistersâ, is in fact quite old, with Scandinavian roots stretching back perhaps a thousand years. … Continue reading →
I’ll be true unto my love…
When I was linking the lyrics for Clannadâs version of âTwo Sistersâ for this weekâs main post, I was stumped when I saw the refrain on several sites listed as âthe boys are born for meâ. Iâd always heard it … Continue reading →