X:1
T:Henry, My Son
B:Everyman's Book of English Country Songs. Edited by Roy Palmer (1979)
S:George Dunn - 3rd December 1971
Z: Roy Palmer
M:4/4
L:1/8
F:/songs
K:D F2FE ED D2|A2BF A4|F2FE ED D2|E3/2D/2 EF E4|F3E E D3|A3G G F3|A2B2A2FG|A2BA F2DE|F2AF D2E2|D8|]
w:Where have you been all day, Hen-ry my son? Where have you been all day, my be-lov-ed one? In the mead-ows, in the mead-ows Make my bed, there's a pain in my head And I want to lie down and die Palmer notes: Randolf, Earl of Chester died in 1232. The wife of his nephew and successor, John, is supposed to have tried to poison her husband. Such is the possible origin of the story of a huge corpus of ballads, usually entitled 'Lord Randal', and often, especially in England, 'Henry, My Son'. In all the ballads a man, having been poisoned by a woman, is questioned by his mother and makes a verbal testament. To his murderess he bequeths a rope (or some other symbol of retribution). Over the centuries there have been all sorts of changes - the murderess can be wife, sweetheart, or even sister, but the basic plot seems remarkably tenacious. Ed Preview: User name: Enter password: Link makerPlease read our notes on posting html.Contact us