3: Son Come Tell it unto Me
Versions from the Singing Tradition
1: Son Come Tell it unto Me
As sung by Danny Brazil, Gloucester
2: Son Come Tell it unto Me
As sung by Mr Webb, Gloucester
3: Son Come Tell it unto Me
As sung by Mary Connor of Cherry Orchard, Dublin
4: Son Come Tell it unto Me
As sung by Jeannie Robertson, Aberdeen
5: Son Come Tell it unto Me
As sung by Margaret Stewart, Aberdeen
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As sung by Mary Connor an Irish traveller. Recorded by Peter Shepheard in Mary Connor's caravan in a layby beside the main Bristol to Somerset road on 12 May 1966 [Spr 66.6.17,19]. Mary Connor was part of a small family group in two caravans travelling to the apple harvest in Somerset. They were from Cherry Orchard, Dublin.
'What put the blood on your right shoulder?
Son come tell it unto me.'
'It's the blood of a hare that I killt yesterday,
And I killt most tenderlee, alee,
And I killt most tenderlee.'
'But the blood of a hare was never so red,
Son come tell it unto me,
'It's the blood of me brother that I killt the other day,
That I killt most manfullee, fullee,
That I killt most manfullee.'
'What did you kill your own dear brother for?
Son come tell it unto me?'
'Because that he killt the two turtle doves,
That flew from tree to tree, ee,
That flew from tree to tree.'
'What will you do when your daddy comes to know,
Son come tell it unto me?'
'I will put my foot on board of a ship
And sail to a far country, ee,
And sail to a far country.'
'What will you do with your two fine greyhounds?
Son come tell it unto me.'
'I will take the leads from off their necks,
For they'll run no more for me, ee,
For they'll run no more for me.'
'What will you do with your lovely young wife,
Son come tell it unto me?'
'She can put her foot on aboard of a ship,
And sail away there after me, me,
And sail away there after me.'
'What will you do with your two tender babes,
Son come tell it unto me?'
I'll give one to me daddy and the other to me mammy,
For to bear them company, ee,
For to bear them company.'
Note: On one occasion, the singer sang the first line as 'How come the blood on your elbow, Willie?' Child has only 3 versions. In his earliest version from Percy's Reliques 1765 (Child B), the name of the son is given as Edward. In Child A collected by William Motherwell in Ayrshire the son is David (as in recent Scottish versions such as that from Jeannie Robertson - Version 4 here). The Brazil's version and this Irish version follows the form of recently collected American versions with no name given to the son and the first burden line in the form 'Son come tell to me' as also in the single verse Child C of Scottish origin.
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