Nell Cropsey (V -- Last Friday Night)

DESCRIPTION: "Last Friday night three (weeks/years) ago, And curséd be the day." The singer takes Nell for a walk, strikes her, ignores her pleas for mercy, kills her. His servant sees him pale and bloody. He warns others: he is serving thirty years
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1951 (recording, Ivey Scott)
LONG DESCRIPTION: "Last Friday night three (weeks/years) ago, And curséd be the day, The devil put it in my heart To take Nell's life away." He asks her to walk and talk about their wedding. He strikes her; she begs for mercy; he kills her and throws her in the river. His servant asks why he is so pale and bloody. He says he had had a nosebleed. He seems to see Hell. He warns others that he is spending thirty years in the penitentiary
KEYWORDS: homicide Hell warning
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Brown/Schinhan-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore4 307, "Nellie Cropsey" (1 excerpt, 1 tune)
Roud #4117
RECORDINGS:
Ivey Scott, "Nell Cropsey" (on IveyScott01)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Nell Cropsey (I)" (subject of some versions) and references there
NOTES [81 words]: This variant on the Nell Crospey story, marked by the "Last Friday night three weeks/years ago" opening, seems to be rare; I know only the two versions, one a fragment. It's hard to do comparisons with so little to work from. A musical analysis might find it to be a variant of one of the others (Steve Roud lumps most of the Nell Cropsey songs). I've tentatively split it, because the first lines are distinct, but the whole Nell Cropsey group could probably use a detailed study. - RBW
Last updated in version 7.2
File: RIScNeCr

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