Bright Summer Morning One bright summer morning as I were a-walking, One bright summer morning as I were a-walk, Whom should I meet-a with a fair darling damsel, She was wrapped up in flannel, as cold as could be, She was wrapped up in flannel, as cold as could be. O come, dearest mother, and sit down beside me, O come, dearest mother, and pity my crime, For my poor heart is breakin', my poor head is bendin', For I'm deep in salwation* and surely I must die, For I'm deep in salwation and surely I must die. Do send for the young man that first introduced** me, Do send for the young man that put me in pain, Do send for the doctor, although it is too late, For I am a young girl cut down in my prime, For I am a young girl cut down in my prime. Six jolly young sailors to carry my coffin, Six jolly young ladies to walk by my side With a bunch of green roses to place on my coffin, That the people might smell me while passing along. *salwation: see note to One Morning in May. **introduced: this is probably a misunderstanding or corruption of seduced. (Sung by Mrs. Viola Penn) This West Indian Negro variant of The Bad Girl's Lament probably came to the Virgin Islands from British colonizers during the l9th century, when, for a short time, England took over control of the Islands from Denmark. This version, sung by Mrs. Viola Penn to her own guitar accompaniment, was collected by Van Dam and T. Combs on St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, in November, 1953. DT #350 Laws B1 AJS oct99
Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!