The Wife of Usher's Well Hedy West (child 79)

The Wife of Usher's Well
Hedy West
Old Times and Hard Times
Child Ballad No 79

The Wife of Usher's Well is a traditional ballad. The ballad tells the story of a woman who sends her children away, in most versions, to school. A few weeks later the children die. The mother grieves terribly for the loss of her children. The children return to her at Martinmas or Christmas, depending on the version. They are usually are wearing hats made of birch, which are to protect the dead from the influences of the living. The mother has prepared a feast for her children, but the children now belonging to Death can not take part in it. They remind her they are dead now and must return at daybreak.

In a number of American versions the children happily return, telling their mother they are returning to their savior. The mother is told, in some cases by Jesus, that she must repent and at the end of the song she repents, dies, and goes to heaven with her children.

The song draws on the belief that if one mourns longer than a year and a day the dead may return to them.They return because the deep, long mourning is keeping them from their grave and their afterlife, presumably heaven.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• wife of ushers well
• hedy west
• child ballad
• folk

[ivycompton]

One of her most moving songs. Superbly played, felt, sung. Thanks for posting this example of Hedy West's art.

[leanannsidhe]

@ivycompton Quite welcome! I'm planning to add more of her work, from her Ballads album, til then glad you've enjoyed this. And I do agree, it's very moving. take care :)

[Frailer46]

I met Hedy in the 60s in the UK and her singing and banjo playing on these ballads raised the hair on the back of my head. Our band did a cover of this - see Pitchpole Jack singing 'There was a woman' on YouTube. Thanks for posting this.

[tomasperry]

Hallo Dotty, how often I come across you. I've not heard Pretty Saro, so for me this the pinnacle of Hedy's work. Rest peacefully, you lovely woman and thank you so much for what you gave us.

[DottyWang]

I've been searching YouTube in vain for the wonderful Hedy West and then I stumbled on her from Ewan MacColl. She's so under-rated, hardly known outside the aficionados. "Pretty Saro" must be her best - was it her that said she'd learned it from her grandmother and copied the style to show us all how it used to be done?

The re-making of the ballads in the Appalachians was a small miracle, giving them new life in the best of settings. Then came blue-grass . . .