Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
Fair Flowers of Fadie-O / Fair Flowers of Holly-O / Fine Flowers in the Valley / Doon By the Greenwood Sidie O / Greenwood Side / Down by the Greenwood Sidey-o / All Alone and a-Lonely-O / She's Leaned her Back / The Cruel Mither / The Cruel Mother (Child No. 20) - Sung by Mrs. Alvoretta "Allie" Nuzum Sample (1855–1942) of Coalfax, Marion County, West Virginia, USA. Her maiden name is an Irish form of Newsome. Recorded by Prof. Louis Watson Chappell on September 25, 1940.
00:00:00 Lady In The Lonely - Allie Nuzum
00:02:16 The Cruel Mother - Veach Lambert
00:04:16 The Cruel Mother - Mrs. James Conrad
Note by Kevin W.:
A traditional West Virginia version of The Cruel Mother (Child 20). The ballad is rare in America and texts are often fragmentary. It must've arrived in Virginia with the early settlers in the 1600s-1700s and was kept alive through generations of singers without the aid of printed texts. As far as I can tell the song was never published in songsters or broadsides in America, likely due to the dark subject matter.
An important detail lost in many American texts and likely not understood by the singers is that the mother kills her babies out of fear of being discovered by her family. She had an illegitimate relationship with her father's clerk, a man below her standing.
Three of the W. Virginia texts recorded by Louis W. Chappell include a variation on the following stanza:
She went to the brook for to wash her knife
Oh ladies, I'm lonely
The more she washed the bloodier it got
All down by the greenwood side
Which preserves an old superstition that the blood from a murderer's weapon can't be washed off. This stanza is seldom found in traditional versions collected in the 20th century.
Song transcription:
There was a lady lived in York
Ey lady in the lonely
She fell in love with her father's clerk
Down by the greenwood sidie
She loved him up and she loved him down
Ey lady in the lonely
She loved him until he filled her arms
Down by the greenwood sidie
She went to see her aunt one morn
Ey lady in the lonely
And on the way two babes were born
Down by the greenwood sidie
She drew her knife both keen and sharp
Ey lady in the lonely
She pierced those two little babes to the heart
Down by the greenwood sidie
She went to the well to wash her knife
Ey lady in the lonely
The more she washed the bloodier it got
Down by the greenwood sidie
[ And though she washed through eternity
And all the waters of Acadia
She can not wash those stains away
Down by the greenwood sidie
The years rolled on and she grew old
Ey lady in the lonely
And all she had was jewels and gold
Down by the greenwood sidie ] [*]
One day she was walking to her grandfather's hall
Ey lady in the lonely
She saw two sweet little babes tossing ball
Down by the greenwood sidie
Oh babes, oh babes, if you were mine
Ey lady in the lonely
I'd dress you up in silk so fine
Down by the greenwood sidie
Oh mother, mother, when we were thine
Ey lady in the lonely
You dressed us neither in coarse nor fine
Down by the greenwood sidie
But mother, mother, we are well
Ey lady in the lonely
Up in heaven, and your doom's in hell
Down by the greenwood sidie
[*] These two stanzas are spurious and may be a modern addition. No other version of Child 20 changes the refrain for one stanza. The remainder agrees with the text sung by Mr. Lambert below and appears to be genuine.
Veach Lambert of Riverton, Pendleton County, West Virginia, USA. Recorded by Louis W. Chappell on June 24, 1938.
There was a lady lived in New York
Oh ladies, I'm lonely
She fell in love with her father's clerk
All down by the greenwood side
He loved her up and he loved her down
Oh ladies, I'm lonely
He loved her till he filled her arms
All down by the greenwood side
She placed her foot upon an oak
Oh ladies, I'm lonely
And first it bent and then it broke
All down by the greenwood side
She placed her foot then on a thorn
Oh ladies, I'm lonely
And there her two little babes was born
All down by the greenwood side
She had a knife both keen and sharp
Oh ladies, I'm lonely
She pierced them little babes to the heart
All down by the greenwood side
She went to the brook for to wash her knife
Oh ladies, I'm lonely
The more she washed the bloodier it got
All down by the greenwood side
As she was a-setting in her father's hall
Oh ladies, I'm lonely
She saw her babes a-playing ball
All down by the greenwood side
Oh babes, oh babes, if you were mine
Oh ladies, I'm lonely
I'd dress you in your silk so fine
All down by the greenwood side
Oh mother, mother, when we were yourn
Oh ladies, I'm lonely
You neither gave us coarse nor fine
All down by the greenwood side
When we're in heaven a-doing well
Oh ladies, I'm lonely
And you are dooming down to hell
All down by the greenwood side
Fair Flowers of Fadie-O / Fair Flowers of Holly-O / Fine Flowers in the Valley / Doon By the Greenwood Sidie O / Greenwood Side / Down by the Greenwood Sidey-o / All Alone and a-Lonely-O / She's Leaned her Back / The Cruel Mither / The Cruel Mother (Child No. 20) - Sung by Mrs. Alvoretta "Allie" Nuzum Sample (1855–1942) of Coalfax, Marion County, West Virginia, USA. Her maiden name is an Irish form of Newsome. Recorded by Prof. Louis Watson Chappell on September 25, 1940.
00:00:00 Lady In The Lonely - Allie Nuzum
00:02:16 The Cruel Mother - Veach Lambert
00:04:16 The Cruel Mother - Mrs. James Conrad
Note by Kevin W.:
A traditional West Virginia version of The Cruel Mother (Child 20). The ballad is rare in America and texts are often fragmentary. It must've arrived in Virginia with the early settlers in the 1600s-1700s and was kept alive through generations of singers without the aid of printed texts. As far as I can tell the song was never published in songsters or broadsides in America, likely due to the dark subject matter.
An important detail lost in many American texts and likely not understood by the singers is that the mother kills her babies out of fear of being discovered by her family. She had an illegitimate relationship with her father's clerk, a man below her standing.
Three of the W. Virginia texts recorded by Louis W. Chappell include a variation on the following stanza:
She went to the brook for to wash her knife
Oh ladies, I'm lonely
The more she washed the bloodier it got
All down by the greenwood side
Which preserves an old superstition that the blood from a murderer's weapon can't be washed off. This stanza is seldom found in traditional versions collected in the 20th century.
Song transcription:
There was a lady lived in York
Ey lady in the lonely
She fell in love with her father's clerk
Down by the greenwood sidie
She loved him up and she loved him down
Ey lady in the lonely
She loved him until he filled her arms
Down by the greenwood sidie
She went to see her aunt one morn
Ey lady in the lonely
And on the way two babes were born
Down by the greenwood sidie
She drew her knife both keen and sharp
Ey lady in the lonely
She pierced those two little babes to the heart
Down by the greenwood sidie
She went to the well to wash her knife
Ey lady in the lonely
The more she washed the bloodier it got
Down by the greenwood sidie
[ And though she washed through eternity
And all the waters of Acadia
She can not wash those stains away
Down by the greenwood sidie
The years rolled on and she grew old
Ey lady in the lonely
And all she had was jewels and gold
Down by the greenwood sidie ] [*]
One day she was walking to her grandfather's hall
Ey lady in the lonely
She saw two sweet little babes tossing ball
Down by the greenwood sidie
Oh babes, oh babes, if you were mine
Ey lady in the lonely
I'd dress you up in silk so fine
Down by the greenwood sidie
Oh mother, mother, when we were thine
Ey lady in the lonely
You dressed us neither in coarse nor fine
Down by the greenwood sidie
But mother, mother, we are well
Ey lady in the lonely
Up in heaven, and your doom's in hell
Down by the greenwood sidie
[*] These two stanzas are spurious and may be a modern addition. No other version of Child 20 changes the refrain for one stanza. The remainder agrees with the text sung by Mr. Lambert below and appears to be genuine.
Veach Lambert of Riverton, Pendleton County, West Virginia, USA. Recorded by Louis W. Chappell on June 24, 1938.
There was a lady lived in New York
Oh ladies, I'm lonely
She fell in love with her father's clerk
All down by the greenwood side
He loved her up and he loved her down
Oh ladies, I'm lonely
He loved her till he filled her arms
All down by the greenwood side
She placed her foot upon an oak
Oh ladies, I'm lonely
And first it bent and then it broke
All down by the greenwood side
She placed her foot then on a thorn
Oh ladies, I'm lonely
And there her two little babes was born
All down by the greenwood side
She had a knife both keen and sharp
Oh ladies, I'm lonely
She pierced them little babes to the heart
All down by the greenwood side
She went to the brook for to wash her knife
Oh ladies, I'm lonely
The more she washed the bloodier it got
All down by the greenwood side
As she was a-setting in her father's hall
Oh ladies, I'm lonely
She saw her babes a-playing ball
All down by the greenwood side
Oh babes, oh babes, if you were mine
Oh ladies, I'm lonely
I'd dress you in your silk so fine
All down by the greenwood side
Oh mother, mother, when we were yourn
Oh ladies, I'm lonely
You neither gave us coarse nor fine
All down by the greenwood side
When we're in heaven a-doing well
Oh ladies, I'm lonely
And you are dooming down to hell
All down by the greenwood side
