After almost two years, I have returned to the "Nick Cave and the Bad Seed's Murder Ballads" project, with the third track on the album, Henry Lee. Originating in Scotland, Henry Lee has been Earl Richard, Love Henry, and Young Hunting. Other variants sing of the Proud Girl as well.
Despite having rejected her, Henry leans over to give her a kiss. The woman stabs him with her pen-knife, apparently the number one choice for female killers.
She then disposes of him:
After that a woman calls to a bird. A talking bird.
One striking difference between the "Scottish" and "Appalachian" versions is that the former versions tend to be much longer and often take on a supernatural element. Once Young Hunting crossed over the pond, the story was cut short, often ending in the bird flying away. But in the Scottish ballad the story continues as shown in this version by James Findlay.
The bird, which serves as a voice of morality in the song, plays greater role, assisting in bringing Lord Henry's killer to justice:
Then up and speaks that pretty little bird
A-sitting up high in the tree,
Saying, “Oh, cease your diving, you divers bold,
For I'd have you to listen to me.”
A-sitting up high in the tree,
Saying, “Oh, cease your diving, you divers bold,
For I'd have you to listen to me.”
“And I'd have you to cease your day diving
And to dive all into the night.
For under the water where his body lies
The candles they burn so bright.”
And to dive all into the night.
For under the water where his body lies
The candles they burn so bright.”
So the divers ceased their day diving
And they dived all into the night.
And under the water where his body lay,
The candles they burned so bright. 5
And they dived all into the night.
And under the water where his body lay,
The candles they burned so bright. 5
The killer's guilt is also prove through otherworldly forces. Her maid, condemned for the killing is thrown on the fire:
But the fire wouldn't take upon her cheek
And the fire wouldn't take upon her chin,
And nor would it take upon her hair
For she was free from the sin.
And the fire wouldn't take upon her chin,
And nor would it take upon her hair
For she was free from the sin.
And when the servant girl touched the clay cold corpse,
A drop it never bled.
But when the lady laid a hand upon it
The ground was soon covered with red. 6
A drop it never bled.
But when the lady laid a hand upon it
The ground was soon covered with red. 6
Having been found guilty by God, the lady is now placed on the stake instead of her maid:
And the fire took fast upon her cheek,
And the fire took fast upon her chin,
And it sang in the points of her yellow hair,
And 'twas all because of her sin. 7
And the fire took fast upon her chin,
And it sang in the points of her yellow hair,
And 'twas all because of her sin. 7
As I've discussed before, there seems to have been a habit of condensing ballads once they made it to the states. Supernatural elements, and back stories are shortened or even outright removed: Henry rejects her, she stabs him, she throws him in a well, end scene. For me the omission of the fate of our lady, makes the tale even more disturbing. Henry rots at the bottom of the well, while his lost love waits for him, never knowing what happened. No supernatural justice, just, a woman scorned, murder and a talking bird.
Next up. Henry Lee pt 2, or "what's up with the talking bird?"
-------------------------
1. Campbell, Olive Arnold. "Young Hunting" (version E). English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians. New York, The Knickerbocker Press, 1917. Reprint, Forgotten Books, 2012.
2. Campbell, Olive Arnold. "Young Hunting" (version D).
3. Campbell, Olive Arnold. "Young Hunting" (version D).
4. Campbell, Olive Arnold. "Young Hunting" (version E).
5. Rose, Tony. "Young Hunting"
6. Ibid
7. Ibid
5. Rose, Tony. "Young Hunting"
6. Ibid
7. Ibid
