Child's Ballads

Week 12: England - Assignments - Reading - Resources - Images

Old Lady and the Devil (Child 278)

Listening time: (3 minutes)
CHILD 278 versions A-B. Now you might have concluded that all the ballads are about love lost, love betrayed, treachery and murder. And it is true that the ballads are often very tragic indeed! But there are some comic ballads as well, and the story of the "Old Lady and the Devil" is one of my favorites. There are many versions of this that Max Hunter collected.

AUDIO RECORDING

VERSE 1
There was an ole man at th foot of th hill
If he ain't moved away, he's livin' there still
Singin' hi-diddle-i-diddle-i-fi
Diddle-i-diddle-i-day

VERSE 2
Well, he hitched up his horse an' he went out t' plow
How he got around I never know how
Singin' hi-diddle-i-diddle-i-fi
Diddle-i-diddle-i-day

VERSE 3
Ole Devil come to 'im, in th field one day
Sayin' one of your kin I'm gonna take away
Singin' hi-diddle-i-diddle-i-fi
Diddle-i-diddle-i-day

VERSE 4
Well, take 'er on, take 'er on, with th joy of my heart
Hope by golly, that you never part
Singin' hi-diddle-i-diddle-i-fi
Diddle-i-diddle-i-day

VERSE 5
Th ole Devil got 'er up on his back
Looked like a peddler with a hump on his back
Singin' hi-diddle-i-diddle-i-fi
Diddle-i-diddle-i-day

VERSE 6
Ole Devil got out t' th forks of th road
He said, ole lady you're a hell of a load
Singin' hi-diddle-i-diddle-i-fi
Diddle-i-diddle-i-day

VERSE 7
Ole Devil got t' th gates of Hell
Said, push up th fire, we'll scorch 'er well
Singin' hi-diddle-i-diddle-i-fi
Diddle-i-diddle-i-day

VERSE 8
Up come a little Devil a draggin' a chain
She up with a hatchet, split out his brain
Singin' hi-diddle-i-diddle-i-fi
Diddle-i-diddle-i-day

VERSE 9
Up come a little Devil a skatin' on th wall
Said, take 'er back Daddy, she'll murder us all
Singin' hi-diddle-i-diddle-i-fi
Diddle-i-diddle-i-day

VERSE 10
A little Devil was peepin' out'a th crack
Said, take 'er back Dad, don't you bring 'er back
Singin' hi-diddle-i-diddle-i-fi
Diddle-i-diddle-i-day

VERSE 11
Ole man was a peepin' out'a th crack
Seen th ole Devil come a draggin' 'er back
Singin' hi-diddle-i-diddle-i-fi
Diddle-i-diddle-i-day

VERSE 12
Ole man lay sick in th bed
She up with th butter stick, paddled his head
Singin' hi-diddle-i-diddle-i-fi
Diddle-i-diddle-i-day

VERSE 13
Ole lady went a whistlin' over th hill
Said th Devil won't have me, I don't know who will
Singin' hi-diddle-i-diddle-i-fi
Diddle-i-diddle-i-day

VERSE 14
Now, you see what a woman can do
She can out do th Devil an' th ole man too
Singin' hi-diddle-i-diddle-i-fi
Diddle-i-diddle-i-day

Questions. Make sure you can answer these questions about what you just read:

  • how does the man react when the devil takes away his wife?
  • what does the woman do to the little devils down in hell?
  • what happens to the woman in the end?

Source: From The Max Hunter Folksong Archive (weblink) and Lesley Nelson's Child Ballad website (weblink). See also Francis James Child, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads (1882-1898). Weblink.

Modern Languages / Anthropology 3043: Folklore & Mythology. Laura Gibbs, Ph.D. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. You must give the original author credit. You may not use this work for commercial purposes. If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under a license identical to this one.
Page last updated: October 9, 2004 12:52 PM