The Farmer's Curst Wife

The Farmer's Curst Wife is Child ballad number 278. It has been recorded by Pete Seeger, Jean Ritchie, Hannah James and Sam Sweeney, Patrick Sky, Bellowhead, and John Koerner.

Synopsis

A farmer had a bad woman for his wife, and one day the devil came for her. They reached Hell, and the gates were shut, so she struck him. She made life in hell so bad that the devil brought her back to her husband.^[1]

Performances

Patrick Sky, "A Harvest of Gentle Clang" (1966): "The Farmer's Curst Wife" appears as Track 3 on Side 2.

References

↑ Würzbach, Natascha, and Simone M. Salz. 1995. Motif index of the Child corpus: the English and Scottish popular ballad. Berlin: W. de Gruyter. ISBN 3-11-014290-2. p. 235.

External links

mudcat
The Farmer's Curst Wife
An American variant with notes. (In most browsers, this site will play a MIDI file when you navigate to it).

Francis James Child

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Saunders The Clerk's Twa Sons o Owsenford The Crafty Farmer Crow and Pie The Cruel Brother The Cruel Mother The Daemon Lover The Death of Parcy Reed The Death of Queen Jane Dick o the Cow Dives and Lazarus The Dowie Dens o Yarrow Dugall Quin The Duke of Athole's Nurse The Duke of Gordon's Daughter Earl Brand Earl Crawford The Earl of Errol The Earl of Mar's Daughter Earl Rothes Edom o Gordon Edward The Elfin Knight Eppie Morrie Erlinton Fair Annie The Fair Flower of Northumberland Fair Janet Fair Margaret and Sweet William Fair Mary of Wallington The False Lover Won Back The Famous Flower of Serving-Men The Farmer's Curst Wife Fause Foodrage The Fause Knight Upon the Road The Friar in the Well The Gardener The Gay Goshawk Geordie The George Aloe and the Sweepstake A Gest of Robyn Hode Get Up and Bar the Door Gil Brenton Glasgerion Glasgow Peggie Glenlogie The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry The Grey Cock Gude Wallace Guy of Gisbourne The Raggle Taggle Gypsy Battle of Harlaw The Heir of Linne Hind Etin Hind Horn Hobie Noble Hughie Graham James Hatley Jamie Douglas Jellon Grame Jock o' the Side Jock the Leg and the Merry Merchant John Dory John of Hazelgreen Johnie Cock Johnie Scot Johnnie Armstrong The Jolly Beggar The Jolly Pinder of Wakefield Judas Katharine Jaffray The Keach i the Creel Kemp Owyne Kempy Kay King Arthur and King Cornwall King Edward the Fourth and a Tanner of Tamworth King Estmere King Henry King Henry Fifth's Conquest of France King John and the Bishop The King's Disguise, and Friendship with Robin Hood The King's Dochter Lady Jean Lang Johnny More The Kitchie-Boy The Knight and the Shepherd's Daughter The Knight's Ghost The Knoxville Girl The Lads of Wamphray Lady Alice Lady Diamond Lady Elspat Lady Isabel Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight Lady Maisry The Laily Worm and the Machrel of the Sea The Laird o Drum The Laird o Logie Lamkin The Lass of Roch Royal Leesome Brand Sir Lionel Little John a Begging Lizie Lindsay Lizie Wan The Lochmaben Harper 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Operas	Il pesceballo

Related	List of the Child Ballads "The Crabfish"

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