The Wife of Usher's Well 97th in 1928

"The Wife of Usher's Well" is a traditional ballad [Roud 196; Child 79; Ballad Index C079; Mudcat 77241; trad.] that originated in the border area of Scotland and England, and known under several different names, including "Lady Gay" and "The Three Little Babes". It was first collected in Sir Walter Scott's "Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border" (1802). It migrated to Appalachia in the United States and was collected by Francis Child as his ballad 79. As originally collected by Scott, the ballad was incomplete. Thus, the song was an ideal candidate for reworking and lyrical variation.