Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
Young Emily / Young Emma / Edmund in the Lowlands Low / Young Edwin / Young Edward / The Drover Boy / The Driver Boy (Roud No. 182) - Performed by Betty Smith at a folk concert in Madison County, North Carolina on August 11, 1974.
I used my knowledge on video editing to share the film on Youtube in the highest possible quality, I used manual video upscaling (no AI was used!) for this, to further document variants of traditional ballads and songs which has been my hobby for many years. I claim no ownership of the video, all the rights belong with Berea College and the original creators of the material.
Note by Kevin W.:
This is such a beautiful, dreamlike performance. Betty learned this song from Obray Ramsay of Madison County, North Carolina.
Obray Ramsay was a traditional banjo player and singer with a wonderful, gentle style and a lot of fine songs. He was the brother of old-time music instrumentalist Byard Ray. Sadly I could never find a recording of Obray singing Young Emily, I would've loved to hear it.
Listeners with a keen ear for ballads may recognise this tune as one of the widespread old ballad tunes that's been used for many traditional ballads and songs all over the English speaking world.
From the top of my head:
The Douglas Tragedy (Child 7)
Tam Lin (Child 39)
Thomas the Rhymer (Child 37)
The King's Dochter Lady Jean (Child 52)
Let No Man Steal Your Thyme (Roud 3)
Lady Isabel and the Elf-Knight (Child 4)
Edmund in the Lowlands Low (Roud 182)
Sweet William's Ghost (Child 77)
The Twa Brothers (Child 49)
The Broom of Cowdenknows (Child 217)
Lady Diamond (Child 269)
Child Waters (Child 63)
Hind Etin (Child 41)
The Gardener Child (Child 219)
The Leaves of Life (Roud 127)
Little Sir Hugh (Child 155)
Johnny o' Braidislee (Child 114)
Young Hunting (Child 68)
They've all been sung to variations of this tune by traditional singers from England, Scotland, Ireland, the USA and Canada. I'm sure there are many more examples.
Song transcription:
Young Emily was a pretty fair miss.
She loved a driver boy
Who drove a stage from the Golden Gate,
Way down in the lowland low, my love,
Way down in the lowland low.
My father owns a boarding house
Along yon river side.
Go there, go there and enter in,
This night with me abide, my love,
This night with me abide.
Be sure you tell them nothing,
Nor even let them know
That your name is young Edmund
Who drove in the lowland low, my love,
Who drove in the lowland low.
Young Edmund took to drinking
Before he went to bed.
He did not know they'd sworn that night
That they would cut off his head, my love,
That they would cut off his head.
Young Emily in her chambers,
She had this awful dream.
[She dreamed she saw young Edmund's blood
Go flowing like a stream, my love,
Go flowing like a stream.] *
Oh, father, my dear father,
You'll die a public show
For the murdering of the driver boy
Way down in the lowland low, my love,
Way down in the lowland low.
Oh, the fish that swim in the ocean
Swim o'er my true love's breast.
His body's in a gentle motion,
I know his soul's at rest, my love,
I know his soul's at rest.
* Betty accidentally repeated the line from the previous verse in this performance.
Young Emily / Young Emma / Edmund in the Lowlands Low / Young Edwin / Young Edward / The Drover Boy / The Driver Boy (Roud No. 182) - Performed by Betty Smith at a folk concert in Madison County, North Carolina on August 11, 1974.
I used my knowledge on video editing to share the film on Youtube in the highest possible quality, I used manual video upscaling (no AI was used!) for this, to further document variants of traditional ballads and songs which has been my hobby for many years. I claim no ownership of the video, all the rights belong with Berea College and the original creators of the material.
Note by Kevin W.:
This is such a beautiful, dreamlike performance. Betty learned this song from Obray Ramsay of Madison County, North Carolina.
Obray Ramsay was a traditional banjo player and singer with a wonderful, gentle style and a lot of fine songs. He was the brother of old-time music instrumentalist Byard Ray. Sadly I could never find a recording of Obray singing Young Emily, I would've loved to hear it.
Listeners with a keen ear for ballads may recognise this tune as one of the widespread old ballad tunes that's been used for many traditional ballads and songs all over the English speaking world.
From the top of my head:
The Douglas Tragedy (Child 7)
Tam Lin (Child 39)
Thomas the Rhymer (Child 37)
The King's Dochter Lady Jean (Child 52)
Let No Man Steal Your Thyme (Roud 3)
Lady Isabel and the Elf-Knight (Child 4)
Edmund in the Lowlands Low (Roud 182)
Sweet William's Ghost (Child 77)
The Twa Brothers (Child 49)
The Broom of Cowdenknows (Child 217)
Lady Diamond (Child 269)
Child Waters (Child 63)
Hind Etin (Child 41)
The Gardener Child (Child 219)
The Leaves of Life (Roud 127)
Little Sir Hugh (Child 155)
Johnny o' Braidislee (Child 114)
Young Hunting (Child 68)
They've all been sung to variations of this tune by traditional singers from England, Scotland, Ireland, the USA and Canada. I'm sure there are many more examples.
Song transcription:
Young Emily was a pretty fair miss.
She loved a driver boy
Who drove a stage from the Golden Gate,
Way down in the lowland low, my love,
Way down in the lowland low.
My father owns a boarding house
Along yon river side.
Go there, go there and enter in,
This night with me abide, my love,
This night with me abide.
Be sure you tell them nothing,
Nor even let them know
That your name is young Edmund
Who drove in the lowland low, my love,
Who drove in the lowland low.
Young Edmund took to drinking
Before he went to bed.
He did not know they'd sworn that night
That they would cut off his head, my love,
That they would cut off his head.
Young Emily in her chambers,
She had this awful dream.
[She dreamed she saw young Edmund's blood
Go flowing like a stream, my love,
Go flowing like a stream.] *
Oh, father, my dear father,
You'll die a public show
For the murdering of the driver boy
Way down in the lowland low, my love,
Way down in the lowland low.
Oh, the fish that swim in the ocean
Swim o'er my true love's breast.
His body's in a gentle motion,
I know his soul's at rest, my love,
I know his soul's at rest.
* Betty accidentally repeated the line from the previous verse in this performance.
