“The Unquiet Grave”

Description

After a young man dies/is killed, his lover mourns by his grave for a year and a day and beyond. This prevents the dead man from resting. He comes to his sweetheart begging for release

Notes

Bronson speculates that a version of this inspired the carol "There blows a colde wynd todaye, todaye" (c. 1500; in MS Bodl. 7683=Ashmole 1379; Brown/Robbins Index #3525; for texts see Stevick-MEL 93; Luria & Hoffman, _Middle English Lyrics_ #166, though the two offer noticeably different texts of the same unique original). I must say that I find this a stretch; the similarities are slight indeed.

The notion that excessive mourning (usually meaning mourning for more than a year and a day) results in the ghost being unable to rest is at least hinted at in several other songs, the most noteworthy being "The Wife of Usher's Well" [Child 79]. - RBW

Cross references

• cf. "The Twa Brothers" [Child 49] (lyrics)

Broadsides

• Bodleian, 2806 c.17(460), "The Weeping Lover," W. Wright (Birmingham), 1820-1831; also 2806 c.17(461), "The Weeping Lover"; Firth c.18(123), Harding B 11(634), "Cold Blows the Wind"

Recordings

• Omar Blondahl, "The Auld Ballad from Cow Head" (on NFOBlondahl04) [fragment]
• New Lost City Ramblers, "The Unquiet Grave" (on NLCR16)
• Jean Ritchie, "The Unquiet Grave" (on JRitchie02)

References

1. Child 78, "The Unquiet Grave" (7 texts)
2. Bronson 78, "The Unquiet Grave" (43 versions+9, mostly tunes only, in addenda)
3. Leather, pp. 202-203, "Cold Blows the Wind; or, The Unquiet Grave" (1 text, 1 tune, from different informants) {Bronson's #12}
4. Flanders/Olney, pp. 232-233, "Cold Blows the Wind" (1 text, 1 tune)
5. Flanders-Ancient2, pp. 184-186, ""The Unquiet Grave (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's }
6. Davis-More 22, pp. 157-160, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text)
7. BrownII 24, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text)
8. Ritchie-Southern, p. 58, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text, 1 tune)
9. Greenleaf/Mansfield 10, "The Unquiet Grave" (2 texts, 2 tunes) {Bronson's #36, #31}
10. Peacock, pp. 410-412, "The Unquiet Grave" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
11. Karpeles-Newfoundland 10, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text, 1 tune)
12. Blondahl, p. 111, "The Auld Song From Cow Head" (1 text, 1 tune)
13. Leach, pp. 262-263, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text)
14. OBB 34, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text)
15. Friedman, p. 32, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text, 1 tune)
16. PBB 31, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text)
17. Sharp-100E 24, "The Unquiet Grave (or Cold Blows the Wind)" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #35}
18. Hodgart, p. 146, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text)
19. TBB 30, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text)
20. Niles 32, "The Unquiet Grave" (3 texts, 3 tunes)
21. Abrahams/Foss, pp. 40-41, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #36}
22. Silber-FSWB, p. 218, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text)
23. Darling-NAS, pp. 31-32, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text)
24. DT 78, UNQUIGR1* UNQUIGR2*
25. ADDITIONAL: Walter de la Mare, _Come Hither_, revised edition, 1928; #371, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text)
26. Roud #51
27. BI, C078