Little Family, The [Laws H7]

DESCRIPTION: Sisters Mary and Martha are deeply grieved when their brother Lazarus falls sick and dies. Jesus is informed that his friend Lazarus is sick, and hurries to Bethany. Finding the sisters weeping, he too weeps and raises Lazarus from the dead
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1906 (Belden-BalladsSongsCollectedByMissourFolkloreSociety, from a manuscript probably from 1865; Hudson's ms. was dated 1862)
KEYWORDS: family Jesus religious Jesus Bible
FOUND IN: US(Ap,MW,SE,So)
REFERENCES (20 citations):
Laws H7, "The Little Family"
Belden-BalladsSongsCollectedByMissourFolkloreSociety, pp. 447-449, "The Little Family" (2 texts plus a mention of 1 more)
Randolph 614, "The Little Family" (2 texts, 1 tune)
HIgh, pp. 31-32, "Mary Marth & Laserth" (1 text)
Moore/Moore-BalladsAndFolkSongsOfTheSouthwest 114, "The Little Family" (1 text, 1 tune)
Eddy-BalladsAndSongsFromOhio 133, "The Little Family" (1 text, 1 tune)
Gardner/Chickering-BalladsAndSongsOfSouthernMichigan 151, "The Little Family" (1 text, 1 tune)
Cox-FolkSongsSouth 134, "The Little Family" (2 texts)
Brown/Belden/Hudson-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore3 610, "The Little Family" (1 text plus 1 excerpt and mention of 1 more; also assorted stanzas in the notes)
Brown/Schinhan-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore5 610, "The Little Family" (2 tunes plus text excerpts)
Hudson-FolksongsOfMississippi 86, pp. 212-214, "The Little Family" (1 text)
Scarborough-ASongCatcherInSouthernMountains, pp. 195-196, "The Little Family" (1 text)
Thomas-BalladMakingInMountainsOfKentucky, pp. 218-222, "The Little Family" (1 text, 1 tune) (OakEd, pp. 220-223)
Leach-TheBalladBook, pp. 734-736, "The Little Family" (1 text)
McNeil-SouthernFolkBalladsVol2, pp. 132-133, "Lazarus" (1 text, 1 tune)
Burton/Manning-EastTennesseeStateCollectionVol1, pp. 42-44, "Lazarus" (1 text, 1 tune)
Wells-TheBalladTree, pp. 190-191, "The Little Family" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ritchie-SingingFamilyOfTheCumberlands, pp. 231-232, "[The Little Family]" (1 text, 1 tune)
Chase-AmericanFolkTalesAndSongs, p. 183, "The Little Family" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 647, LAZRUS
Roud #656
RECORDINGS:
Ollie Gilbert, "The Little Family" (on LomaxCD1704)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Mary and Martha
Martha and Mary
Mary, Martha, and Lazarus
NOTES [63 words]: This song closely parallels the account in John 11:1-44, with two exceptions. First, when Jesus heard Lazarus was sick, he did NOT hasten to Bethany, but sat around for two days (apparently to give the dead body a little extra time to rot!). Second, Jesus did not weep for Lazarus; he wept because of the hardness of heart of the Jews who did not think Lazarus would be raised. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.7
File: LH07

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