| Author | Topic: Orphan Girl | |
| Michael Morris | Posted - 09 Dec 05 - 03:46 pm | |
ORPHAN GIRL "No home, no home," said a little girl At the door of a prince's hall As she trembling sat on the marble steps And leaned on the polished wall. Her clothes were thin and her feet were bare And the snow had covered her head. "Oh, give me a home," she feebly cried, "A home, and a piece of bread." "My father, alas! I never knew," And the tears did fall so bright; "My mother sleeps in a new made grave; 'Tis an orphan that begs tonight." The night was dark and the snow still fell And the rich man closed his door And his proud lips curled as he scornfully said, "No home, no bread for the poor." While the rich man slept on his velvet bed And dreamed of his riches and gold; While the orphan lay on a bed of snow And mourned, "So cold! So cold!" Another hour and the mid-night storm Rolled on like a funeral. While the earth seemed wrapt in a winding sheet, And the drops of snow still fell. The morning dawn, and the little girl Still lay at the rich man's door; But her soul had fled to a home above Where there's room and bread for the poor. Source: Mellinger E. Henry's Folk-Songs from the Southern Highlands (New York City: J.J. Augustin Publisher, 1938), 373-374. Notes: "See Sandburg, p. 319; Bradley Kincaid, Favorite Old-Time Songs and Mountain Ballads, Book 2, p. 27; Shearin and Combs, p. 32; Cox,No. 153; Perrow, Journal,XXVIII,170;Fuson,p. 106." "Obtained from Mrs. William Franklin, Crossnore, Avery County, North Carolina, July 17, 1930." Edited By Michael Morris - 09 Dec 05 - 05:01 pm | ||
| Malcolm Douglas |
Posted - 10 Dec 05 - 07:11 am | |
Number 457 in the Roud Folk Song Index, where a large number of examples are listed; all but one, I think, from the USA. Various field recordings can be heard online; for instance at � The Max Hunter Folk Song Collection � and � The John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip | ||
| masato sakurai | Posted - 11 Dec 05 - 04:15 pm | |
The earliest printed version is possibly the one in the Cooper Edition of The Sacred Harp (1902) (not contained in the 1860, 1971 (Denson Revision), and 1991 ("Red Book") editions; I haven't seen the 1902 edition). George Pullen Jackson prints this version in his Spiritual Folk-Songs of Early America (1937; Dover, 1964, p. 48), with this note: "The tune is a derivative of 'The Braes o' Balquidder'. See 'Lone Pilgrim' for references to related tunes in this collection." Belden says in Ballads and Songs Collected by the Missouri Folk-Lore Society (1940, 1955, p. 277) that 'Jackson SFSEA 48 prints a text and tune from the 1902 (Alabama) edition of The Sacred Harp, in which the tune is credited to 'Eld. C.G. Keith, Nov. 1, 1906' (so Jackson quotes the book, altho he gives its date of publication as 1902); but he believes the ascription to indicate merely the source of the copy provided for the compiler or the printer.' Belden's oral evidence is in the notes to Version B: 'Copied out by Miss Newell in 1912 from a manuscript of Mrs. Chandler of Farmington, St. Francois County, who had learned it as a child and had never seen it in print.'" (p. 278) The following is from The Sacred Harp (Revised Cooper Edition) (Sacred Harp Book Co., 2000, p. 506), where the date given is "Nov. 1, 1905" (not "1906"). X:1 T:The Orphan Girl M:3/4 L:1/8 C:Music by Eld. C.G. Keith. Nov. 1, 1905 K:Eb B:The B.F. White Sacred Harp (Rev. Cooper Ed.), p. 506 z8(EG)|B4c2|B4G> B|B4(G> F)|E4B> B|e4e> e|f4c2| w:1."No_ home, no home," plead a lit-tle_ girl, At the door of a price-ly B4|:(B> B)|g4f2|e4e> c|B4B2|E4HG2|(FE4)c| w: hall, As she trem-bling stood on the pol-ished step, And lean'd_ on BB3(GF)|E6:|] w:the mar-ble_ wall. 1. "No home, no home," plead a little girl, At the door of a princely hall, As she trembling stood on the polished step And leaned on the marble wall. 2. "My father, alas! I never knew," And a tear dim'd her eyes so bright; "My mother sleeps in a new-made grave, 'Tis an orphan begs tonight." 3. Her clothes were thin and her feet were bare, But the snow had covered her head; "O! give me a home," she feebly said: "A home and a bit of bread." 4. The night was dark and the snow fell fast, But the rich man closed his door, And his proud face frowned, as he scornfully said: "No home, no bread for the poor." 5. The morning dawned, and the orphan girl Still lay at the rich man's door; But her soul had fled to a home above, Where there's room and bread for the poor. | ||
| Michael Morris | Posted - 01 Jan 06 - 12:20 pm | |
Doc Walton does an amazing version of this song, I have it on a live album, I'll listen to it again and transribe his version if the lyrics are demonstrably different. | ||
| masato sakurai | Posted - 02 Jan 06 - 02:02 am | |
It's on The Essential Doc Watson as "Little Orphan Girl". | ||
| Pip Freeman | Posted - 03 Jan 06 - 10:33 am | |
I have a very similar moralistic tale on a collection of Edwardian postcards. Ora pro Nobis. Out of the dark and dreary street Out of the cold and driving sleet, Into the church the fold had gone, Leaving the orphan child alone. Tattered and forlorn was she. They crossed themselves as they passed, To see so frail a child in that grievious plight On such a relentless stormy night. Banned by hoot of churlish owl, Into the lone churchard she stole, Over the grave where her mother lay, Clasping her hands she knelt to pray. "Mother, if thou in heaven can'st hear thine orphan pleading her mournful prayer, Oh, take thy child, oh take thy child, Oh, take thy child to thyself again." The worshippers answered in sweet refrain, "Ora pro nobis". Into this cold and driving sleet, Into the dark and dreary street, Out of the church the people came, Starting aghast as the sombre flame Fell on the frail and slender form, Which knelt unmoved by the moaning storm. While they prayed the Angel had come And taken the soul of the orphan home. "Ora Pro Nobis." The cards are published by Bamforth and Co, Publishers, Holmfirth (England) and New York. "Words by kind permission of Hopwood & Crew Ltd, 42, New Bond Stret, London." Bamforths were noted for song and hymn cards. Local people were photographed in appropriate settings and three or four cards were used to illustrate the story. I would think that this tale was set to music as well, where would you search for it? | ||