Digital Tradition Mirror

The Suffolk Miracle (3)

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Pennywhistle notation and Dulcimer tab for this song is also available

The Suffolk Miracle (3)

There was a squire lived in this town
He was well known by the people round;
He had a daughter of beauty bright
And she alone was his heart's delight.

There was a squire a-courting came
But none of them could her fancy gain
Until a lad of low degree
He fell in her arms and she fancied he.

It's when her father he came to hear
He separated her from her dear,
Four score miles or better he had her sent
To her uncle's house and her discontent.

This fair one unto her bed of down
She heard a deep and a deadly sound,
She heard a deep and a deadly sound
Saying, "Unloose those bandages that's lightly bound

She looked out of her window clear
And saw her true love on her father's mare,
Saying, "Your mother's orders you must obey
And your father's anger to satisfy."

She jumped on to the mare's behind
And they rode off with contented mind,
They rode on till this sad mourn he made
Saying, "My dearest dear how my head do ache."

She had a handkerchief of holland clear
And around her true love's head she bound,
She kissed his lips and this sad mourn she made
Saying, "My dearest dear you're as cold as clay."

They rode along to her father's cot,
Loud for her father she thus did call,
Saying, "Father dear did you send for me!"
And by such a young man she nam-ed he.

Her father knowing this young man was dead
Caused every hair to stand on his head,
He wrung his hands and he wept full sore
But this young man's darling wept ten times more.

She arose, to the churchyard goes,
She riz the corpse that was lying once dead,
She riz the corpse that was nine months dead
With a holland handkerchief tied round his head

So come all young men and maidens,
It's never be persuaded by your parents dear,
For when love and virtue it is all gone
There's no recalling it back again.

Child #272
Collected by Creighton and Senior, Nova Scotia
Collected from William Gilkie

note: The basic story, that of  the ghost returning, courting the maiden, being
given a kerchief and vanishing, later to be exhumed wearg the kerchief, has
become a bit mangled here. RG
RG
Apr98

Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!