Fair Margaret and Sweet William - Variants

Variants

Numerous variations on this basic structure can be found in folk songs throughout the British Isles and United States. Helen Hartness Flanders collected several versions of the song throughout New England during the mid-20th century, which she heard performed to five different melodies. Child identified three different versions of the lyrics, while Cecil Sharp collected numerous other variants, considering "Sweet William's Ghost" to be a slight variation on the basic plot. In a version collected by Sharp in Appalachia, the closing "rose-briar" verses are parallel to those heard in "Barbara Allen". Flanders saw this ending to be a common feature in two related ballads: "Lord Thomas and Fair Annet", in which the hero rejects the heroine to marry for money, and "Lord Lovel", in which the heroine dies for lack of hope.