Farewell, Sweetheart (The Parting Lovers, The Slighted Sweetheart)

DESCRIPTION: "Farewell, sweetheart, so fare you well, You've slighted me, but I wish you well... I wouldn't serve you as you've serve well." The singer claims "You are my love till I am dead," and says "I still love you, God knows I do." He prepares to die for love
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1912 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: love betrayal nonballad death separation burial floatingverses
FOUND IN: US(Ap,SE,So)
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Randolph 756, "Farewell, Sweetheart" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fuson-BalladsOfTheKentuckyHighlands, pp. 75-76, "The Parting Lovers" (1 text)
Brown/Belden/Hudson-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore2 167, "My Little Dear, So Fare You Well" (3 texts plus mention of 2 more)
Brown/Schinhan-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore4 167, "My Little Dear. So Fare You Well" (1 excerpt, 1 tune)
Brown/Belden/Hudson-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore3 261, "The Slighted Sweetheart" (1 text)
ST R756 (Partial)
Roud #11422 and 464
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Butcher Boy" [Laws P24] (lyrics)
NOTES [91 words]: The Brown versions of this instantly made me think of "The Butcher Boy." They aren't really the same song; none of the Brown versions mention suicide or pregnancy. But several of the texts have picked up lyrics from that ballad -- or, perhaps, were adapted from it in an attempt to clean up the song. The whole thing is quite commonplace, even cliched.
I'm not sure why the editors of Brown split the "Slighted Sweetheart" text from the others; they have the same plot and the same first lines. Perhaps just a failure to notice their identity? - RBW
Last updated in version 5.2
File: R756

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