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The Farmer’s Curst Wife (Child 278) The provenance of this is pretty straightforward. I learned it years
ago from Davis’ More Traditional Ballads of Virginia whilst
staying with Steve Wilson (of the celebrated Wilson Family), and on checking
more recently, found that it had been recorded from Horton Barker in 1929.
You can hear a short sample of him singing the ballad
here. Over the years a couple of details – such as the number
of little devils on the receiving end – have changed, but it’s
still recognizably what Mr. Barker sang. |
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1. Now
there was an old man lived under the hill If he ain’t moved away he’s living there still Hi, diddle-aye diddle-aye fie Diddle-aye diddle-aye day |
2. He
took out his horse and began to plough But how he got around he didn’t know how. |
3. Now
the Devil he came to his house one day Says, your old wife I’m gonna take away |
4.
Take her on, take her on, with all of my heart I hope, by golly, that you’ll never part |
5. So
the Devil took the old woman up on his back The old man says, don’t you ever bring her back |
6.
Now they hadn’t gone half a mile down the road When the old Devil says, you’re a hell of a load |
7. Now
when they got to the gates of Hell He says, punch up the fire, we’re gonna toast her well |
8.
So the Devil built the flames up higher and higher She up with her foot and kicked him in the fire |
| 9. There were
three little devils a-rattling their chains |
10. There were nine
more devils a-running through the hall They says, take her back Daddy, she’s a murderin’ us all! |
| 11. Now the old man
was peeping out of a crack When he saw the Devil come a-wagging her back |
12. She found the
old man sick in his bet She upped with the butter-stick and beat him on the head |
| 13. That shows
you what a woman can do |
14. And that’s
one advantage women have over men They can go down to Hell, they can come back again |