DESCRIPTION:
This video was filmed by Lew Dite three years ago at Hampden Church in Ontario. It is one of his favourite ballads and he asked me to sing it.

The song has been recorded by many performers. Some available on YouTube are the Everly Brothers, Crystal Gayle, Simon and Garfunkel, Mary McPartlan, Dick Miles and a prison recording made by Lomax in 1939. I have uploaded an a capella version of the song previously, but this rendition is much closer to the Burl Ives version I learned as a child.

My a capella version of this song is on my fourth CD, "Pigs Might Fly and Other Politically Incorrect Ballads".

Lyrics and chords:
....... C
In Scarlet town, where I was born,
..................... C7 ............. C
There was a fair maid dwellin',
...................................... G7
Made every youth cry “Well-a-day!”
............... C ............. G7........ C
And her name was Barbara Allen.

'Twas in the merry merry month of May,
When green buds they were swellin',
Sweet William on his death-bed lay,
For the love of Barbara Allen.

He sent his servant to the town,
To the place where she was dwellin',
Said "Master bids you come to him,
If your name be Barbara Allen."

So slowly, slowly she got up,
And slowly came she nigh him,
And when she pulled the curtain back—
Said, 'Young man, I think you're dyin."

"'O yes, I'm sick, I'm very very sick,
And I never will be well, un-
Til I have the love of one,
The love of Barbara Allen.'

"O ken ye not in yonder town
In the place where we were dwelling.
You gave a toast to the ladies all
But you slighted Barbara Allen?'

"Oh yes, I ken, I ken it well
In the place where we were dwelling.
I gave a toast to the ladies all
But my love to Barbara Allen.

He turn'd his face unto the wall,
And death was in him welling:
'Adieu, adieu, my dear friends all,
Be kind to Barbara Allen!'

Then lightly tripped she down the stairs.
He trembled like an aspen.
"'Tis vain , 'tis vain, my dear young man
To hone for Barbara Allen."

She walked out in the green green fields,
She heard his death bells knellin';
And every stroke they seemed to say
"Hard-hearted Barbara Allen.'

Her eyes looked east; her eyes looked west.
She saw his pale corpse coming.
She cried "Bearers, bearers, put him down
That I may look upon him."

The more she looked the more she grieved
Until she burst out crying.
She cried "Bearers. Bearers, take him off,
For I am now a-dying.

"Oh father, oh father, go dig my grave.
Go dig it deep and narrow.
Sweet William died for me to-day,
I'll die for him tomorrow.

They buried her in the old churchyard.
Sweet William's grave was nigh her,
And from his heart grew a red red rose
And from her heart a briar.

They grew and they grew o'er the old church wall
'Til they couldn't grow no higher
And then they tied a true-lover's knot,
The red rose and the briar.

You can watch a playlist of my renditions of the Child ballads:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=PLB2D0D5657EA394E4

Lyrics and chords of many of my songs are no longer available, as my website has expired. I am currently posting lyrics to the information panels on all my videos and those that are too long to post in full will be found here: https://raymondsfolkpage.wordpress.com