Fair Annie Martin Simpson (child 62)

Fair Annie
Martin Simpson
The Bramble Briar
Child Ballad # 62

Fair Annie is told to comb back her hair and make herself to look like a maiden. The Lord is bringing his new bride home and Fair Annie is to serve her. Annie has given him seven (or 6 or 8) sons and is pregnant with the eighth. The Lord however, did not get a dowry when he took Annie in and is hoping for gold and riches with a new bride. In some versions this is because the Lord stole Annie away either as a child or a young adult. Or he found her lost and wandering and took her in.

Annie welcomes the new bride home but laments what is to become of her now. In some versions of the song she wishes to become a cat and her sons to be rats, or her sons to be hares and she to be a greyhound, in this particular song she wishes for the sons to be hounds and herself to be a wolf. The new bride hears Annie grieving and calls her to down to talk, asking her the name of her father. Annie tells her the name of her parents and brother and the women find out they are sisters.

In some versions of the song the new bride gives her sister Annie her dowry so that Annie can marry the lord. The new bride is still a maiden and returns home.Sometimes returning home angry or afraid of being laughed at for returning, other versions have her returning home happy to have found that her sister is still alive. In other versions, such as this one, the Lord is punished.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• fair annie
• martin simpson
• child ballad
• folk