Willie Moore was young, at the age of twenty-one, When he courted a lady fair;

voiceCollected by Irene Carlisle Transcribed by Mary C. Parler Mr. Lewis Bedingfield Springdale, Arkansas March 1, 1951 Reel 95, Item 1 Willie Moore "I heard my sister-in-law sing this old song—oh, probably 25 years ago. She was a morthwest Missouri girl, and I suppose she learned it there. The title of it is Willie Moore." Willie Moore was young, at the age of twenty-one, When he courted a lady fair; Her eyes were like two diamonds bright, And raven black was her hair. He courted her both night and day, Till a-married to him she agree; He went to her father for his consent, But he said that it never should be. She threw herself in Willie's arms, With the tears flowing down her cheek; Saying, "I'd much rather die than bear the thought That I never can be your bride." That same night sweet Annie disappeared, To where no one could tell; She was searched in the country far and near; They searched in the country all around; And in a little brook near by the door The body of Annie was found. She was carried by many of her weeping friends, She was carried to her mother's room; And there she was dressed in a snowy white And laid in a lonely tomb. "That's all the song that I know, and I think it wound up by Willie drowning himself too."Funding for digitization provided by the Arkansas Humanities Council and the Happy Hollow Foundation