Bess Bauman Brown Lomax (1880-1931)

I love little Willie, I do.

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Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Young man smokes a cigarette. Lit from below film noir style

I love little Willie, I do.

Mama, I love little Willie, tra, la, la, la, la.

I love little Willie, but don’t tell Pa,

For he mightn’t like it, Mama, Mama.

He told me he loved me, he did, Mama,

He told me he loved me, tra, la, la, la, la.

He told me he loved me, but don’t tell Pa,

For he mightn’t like it, Mama, Mama.

And now we are married, Mama, Mama,

And now we are married, tra, la, la, la, la,

And now we are married, now you can tell Pa,

For he’s got to like it, Mama, Mama.

Collected by Bess Brown Lomax and published in “American Ballads and Folk Songs,” MacMillan, 1934

In their field work to document music and songs in the south, John and Ruby Lomax recorded John Lomax’s eldest daughter, Shirley Lomax Duggan, singing songs that she had learned from her mother, Bess Brown Lomax, who had learned them from her mother, Emma Penick Brown.

These include songs for older children, such as “I Love Little Willie,” sung in the words of a daughter sharing confidences with her mother about her sweetheart. The  recording session aimed at documenting these family songs is especially poignant, as Mrs. Duggan had lost her mother Bess in 1931.

sources: https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2014/05/songs-for-mothers-day/

http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/american-ballads-and-folk-songs/american-ballads-folk-songs.html

More love songs and their stories:

You can send me pretty flowers, you can send me valentines(Opens in a new browser tab)

Every woman in my place is bound to feel blue too(Opens in a new browser tab)

“Plenty of people can read music, but can’t really make music”(Opens in a new browser tab)

3 comments

  1. I learned a version of this years ago on a vinyle record I had when I lived in Dublin. The words were somewhat different. I thought the singer was Jean Ritchie but I’ve never been able to find it on any of her recordings.

  2. I am related to the mayles/Male! My 3 times grandpa was Alexander Male his dad was George W Male he was married Eleanor Norris Male her mother was Anna Newman her father was William Norris his dad was Samuel Norris his mom was Pretty hair Dalaware That’s how my tree gos…Lol

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