Reuben Wright and Phoebe Brown

DESCRIPTION: Phoebe loves Reuben; her parents disapprove, and Reuben doesn't think much of them either. They determine to marry; her father grabs a shotgun. He accidentally kills his daughter. Reuben kills the father -- and awakes from his terrible dream
AUTHOR: Probably Sam Cowell (source: sheet music found by John Baxter)
EARLIEST DATE: 1852 (Lancaster Examiner, February 25, 1852, according to John Baxter)
LONG DESCRIPTION: Phoebe loves Reuben; her parents disapprove, and Reuben doesn't think much of them either. The young people determine to marry, and start for the parsonage in the rain, while her father grabs a shotgun. Instead of hitting Reuben, he kills his daughter. Reuben kills the father, tears his hair -- and awakes from his terrible dream
KEYWORDS: hardheartedness courting elopement love violence homicide revenge death dream humorous recitation father children
FOUND IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Peters-FolkSongsOutOfWisconsin, pp. 297-298, "Reuben Wright and Phoebe Brown" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #5414
RECORDINGS:
Hamilton Lobdell, "Reuben Wright and Phoebe Brown" (AFS, 1941; on LC55)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Young Sailor Bold (I) (The Rich Merchant's Daughter)" [Laws M19] (plot)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Love, Murder, and Almost Matrimony
NOTES [73 words]: Each verse has the third line recited as prose, rather than sung. - PJS
John Baxter posted a full text of this on Mudcat, with some listed sources, and assembled a text of various versions. I had thought it American, based on where it was collected, but Sam Cowell's version of course would be British. But Baxter notes some other attributions: "Mr K Blifkins" and "HMT." One should probably see his notes at folksongandmusichall.com - RBW
Last updated in version 6.7
File: RcRWaPB

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