Poor Ellen Smith

[johnfoyle]

http://www.matadorrecords.com/laura_cantrell/biography.html#songbysong

Laura's note about this song -

Poor Ellen Smith (Traditional, arranged by Laura Cantrell)

My mother’s family is from Chattanooga, Tennessee and was doing some genealogical research last year when we discovered that the famous “song catcher” Ethel Park Richardson was my great, great grandfather’s sister. Ethel collected songs in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee and published the book “American Mountain Songs” in 1927. She later moved to New York and produced the radio drama “Heart-Throbs Of The Hills” for the NBC network throughout the 1930s. This song from her book is a truly American murder ballad based on real events in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. As part of the ongoing “folk process,” the melody is slightly changed and I left out one out of ten verses in the book.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scans of the book mentioned can be seen here -


http://www.elviscostellofans.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=63131#63131

[Paulw]

Most impressive. Listen to the Thrift Shop from 31st July 2004 for more of the same.

[johnfoyle]

Here's how Laura - as part of the ' ongoing “folk process�E' - changed the lyric of this song

( ' R.' - Richardson text , 'C'. - Cantrell text)



1.

R. Come, all kind of people, my story to hear
C. Come all you people, my story to hear

R. What happened to me June of last year
C. What happened to me June of last year

R. It’s of poor Ellen Smith and how she was found
C. Oh, it’s poor Ellen Smith , Lord , how was she found

R. A ball thro�Eher heart, lyin�Ecold on the ground
C. Shot through the heart, lying dead on the ground

2.

R. lt’s true l’m in jail a prisoner now
C. It’s true I’m in jail a prisoner now

R. But God is here with me and hears every vow.
C. God is here with, hears every vow

R. Before Him I promise the truth to relate
C. So I do promise the truth to relate

R. And tell all I know of poor Ellen’s sad fate.
C. I tell you all that I know of Ellen’s sad fate

3.
( the verse Laura left out)
The world of my story's no longer a part
But knows I was Ellen’s own lovin’sweetheart
They knew my intention was to make her my wife,
I loved her too dearly to take her sweet life.

4.
R. I saw her on Monday before that sad day
C. I saw her on Monday before that sad day

R. They found her poor body and took her away
C. They found her body lying, took it away

R. That she had been killed never entered my mind,
C. That she had been murdered never entered my mind

R. Till a ball through her heart they happened to find.
C. Till a ball through the heart they happened to find


5.
R. Oh,who was so cruel, so heartless, so base,
C. Who is so cruel, so heartless, so base

R. As to murder poor Ellen in such a lonesome place?
C. To murder my poor Ellen, such a lonesome place

R. I saw her that morning so still and so cold
C. I see her laid out so still and so cold

R. And heerd the wild stories the witnesses told
C. I heard the wild stories witnesses told

6.

R. I choked back my tears for the people all said
C. I choked back the tears as the people all said

R. That Peter Degraph had shot Ellen Smith dead!
C. It was you Peter Degraph shot our Ellen Smith dead

R. My love is in her grave with her hand on her breast
C. Ellen lies sleeping with her hand on her breast

R. The bloodhound and sheriff won’t give me no rest.
C. The bloodhounds and the sheriff wont give me no rest

7.

R. They got their Winchesters and hunted me down,
C. They got their Winchesters and hunted me down

R. But I was away in ole Mount Airy town
C. I stole away to Mount Airy town

R. I stayed off a year and I prayed all the time
C. I laid of a year and prayed the whole time


R. That the man might be found whut committed the crime
C. The man could be found what committed the crime

8.

R. So I could come back in my character safe
C. I prayed I’d come back and my character safe

R. Ere the flowers had faded on poor Ellen’s grave
C. The flowers had faded ‘round poor Ellen’s grave

R. So I come back to Winston my trial to stand
C. I come back to Winston my trial to stand

R. To live or to die as the law might command.
C. And I’ll live or I'll die as the law might command

9.

R. Ellen sleeps calm in the lonely church-yard
C. Ellen sleeps yonder in that lonesome churchyard

R. While I look through the bars Gnd knows it is hard!
C. And I stare through the bars, God knows it’s hard

R. I know they will hang me- at least if they can
C. I know they will hang, at least if they can

R. But I know I will die as an innocent man
C. I’ll swear to you I’ll die an innocent man

10.

R. My soul will be free when I stand at the bar
C. My soul will be free when I stand at the bar

R. Where God tries His cross,- then,there,like a star,
C. Where God tries His cross, there, like a star

R. That shines in the night, will an innocent shine
C. That shines in the night, will my innocence shine

R. Oh,I do appeal to the Justice of Time!
C. And I’ll make my appeal to the Justice of Time


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A note about a Kingston Trios version tells us-

http://users2.ev1.net/~smyth/linernotes/thesongs/PoorEllen.htm

One favorite of Trio fans is "Poor Ellen Smith" from the New Frontier album. As with many of the Trio's folk numbers, this one has an interesting history. (Bear in mind, of course, that it is sometimes tough to separate legend from fact with respect to old folk songs) Peter DeGraff murdered Ellen Smith on July 20, 1892 in Forsyth County, North Carolina. A letter found in the bosom of the dead woman, alleged to be in DeGraff's hand, sealed his doom. He was tried and hanged in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 1894. He supposedly wrote this song while in prison awaiting his execution. After his execution, the feeling was so great both for and against DeGraff that it was considered a misdemeanor to sing this song in a gathering of any size because it always started a riot.

Another version has DeGraff not being executed -

http://www.bluegrassnet.com/tgbs/E/ellen_smith.html

Ellen Smith
Peter DeGraff

1. Poor Ellen Smith how was she found
Shot through the heart lying cold on the ground
Her clother were all scattered and thrown on the ground
The blood marks the spot where poor Ellen was found

2. They pick up their rifles and hunted me down
They found me a-loafing in all around the town
They pick up her body and carried it away
And now she is sleeping in some lonesome old grave

3. I got a letter yesterday I read it today
The flowers on her grave have all faded away
Someday I'll go home and say when I go
On poor Ellen's grave pretty flowers I'll stow

4. I've been in this prison for twenty long years
Each night I see Ellen through my bitter tears
The warden just told me that soon I'll be free
To go to her grave 'neath that old willow tree

5. My days in this prison are ending at last
I'll never be free from the sins of my past
Poor Ellen Smith how was she found
Shot through the heart lying cold on the ground