The Most Laementable Ballade of Edward the Young-Daniel Kahn/the Painted Bird

[00:38.530]I'll give you a song about Edward The Young, [00:42.693]Lived in the day by the might of his tongue, [00:46.862]Working his words in the markets of song, [00:50.630]Never dividing the right from the wrong. [00:54.977]Edward The Young, Edward The Young, [00:59.047]Broke every promise he profited from. [01:03.173]Edward The Young, Edward The Young, [01:08.819]Never remaining to reap what would come. [01:15.591]He traveled the world on mountain & sea, [01:20.003]Spending his riches as soon as could be, [01:24.166]Eating the finest of flesh & of vine, [01:28.112]Drinking of many a better man's wine, [01:32.113]Wiping his chin on the finest of sleeves, [01:36.002]But never misjudging the moment to leave. [01:40.188]Edward The Young, Edward The Young, [01:44.634]People would swear he was lucky or dumb. [01:48.966]Edward The Young, Edward The Young, [01:55.607]Always too late would they see what he'd done. [02:02.871]For many a year lived he in this way, [02:07.446]Never a landlord or bill did he pay, [02:11.172]Til some fateful judgment did Edward befall, [02:15.494]& this is the tale I'll relate to you all. [02:19.660]It was in the summer just after the war, [02:23.736]With all of the sailors returning to shore, [02:27.755]& Edward was neatly ensconced & ensnared, [02:32.019]In love & in debt of a war widow's care. [02:36.489]Edward The Young, Edward The Young, [02:40.853]Sooner or later 'twas sure bound to come. [02:45.166]Edward The Young, Edward The Young, [02:51.199]This is the way that his way was undone. [02:58.667]Her name was Lucia, she lived in the town, [03:02.798]& thinking her husband was deep underground, [03:07.132]She opened her cupboards & opened her thighs, [03:11.282]That wily young Edward might eat what's inside. [03:15.451]Her offer he took for a good many weeks, [03:19.683]But then early one morning the hallway did creak, [03:24.007]& there in the dark of the bed chamber's door [03:28.392]Stood the tall form of her man from the war. [03:33.009]Edward The Young, Edward The Young, [03:37.355]Back from the war did his reckoning come. [03:41.750]Edward The Young, Edward The Young, [03:48.229]Caught with another man's wife on his tongue. [03:56.754]"My husband Rudolfo", did Lucia cry. [04:00.970]"I thought in the trenches of France did you die." [04:04.559]But answer her not did the man in the door, [04:08.192]but turned his attention to Ed on the floor. [04:11.300]He said, "For many a year I have fought in the war, [04:15.306]& after the armistice came back to shore. [04:19.003]Returning to tend to my false hearted wife, [04:22.699]I planned to resign her the rest of my life. [04:26.351]But now you have taken my wife in my bed, [04:30.105]& so I will leave you with her in my stead. [04:33.806]But I'll make you this promise: that e're you should leave [04:37.854]The side of Lucia, your manhood I'll cleave.” [04:43.392]Edward The Young, Edward The Young, [04:47.961]Seems that his race has been finally run. [04:52.810]Edward The Young, Edward The Young, [04:59.560]All of his rambling days are now done. [05:49.119]& so Edward lives in her house to this day, [05:53.955]Working & slaving his whole life away, [05:58.354]No longer roaming, no longer free, [06:02.245]Til Edward will deadwardly finally be. [06:07.136]Edward The Young, Edward The Young, [06:11.542]Now that his ladder has run out of rungs. [06:16.278]Edward The Young, Edward The Young, [06:28.087]He would be pleased that his song is still sung. [06:46.077]My name is Lucia, the wife in that song. [06:49.828]You may not remember, I wasn't there long. [06:53.123]I spoke but a word & then nevermore [06:56.237]& functioned therein more or less as a whore: [06:59.679]Partly a lover, partly a wife, [07:02.322]But never allotted a brain or a life. [07:05.456]So much is expected, for when women are writ [07:08.418]By the hand of a man they aren't more than a tit, [07:11.933]To feed on, to fight for, to bind & betray [07:15.391]To dream of, & flee from, with nothing to say. [07:19.680]Edward The Young, Edward The Young, [07:23.575]Typical man in a typical song. [07:27.248]Edward The Young, Edward The Young, [07:32.315]Punished for keeping a woman too long. [07:39.003]If women must serve as a mere conduit [07:42.584]For men to relate to each other, I quit. [07:46.064]So finish the story of Edward alone, [07:49.750]I'll head off & write me a song of my own. [07:53.626]Lucia's free, Lucia's free, [07:57.230]Out from beneath all you misogyny. [08:00.908]Lucia's free, Lucia's free, [08:05.985]Tired of being a male fantasy. [08:12.746]But this is all bullshit, this woman's complaint, [08:16.638]Writ by a man who is far from a saint. [08:20.080]He thought he could cleverly rewrite his wrongs [08:23.422]By refusing to end this ridiculous song. [08:26.980]Edward The Young, Edward The Young, [08:31.028]Thinly disguising my own mother's son. [08:35.311]Edward The Young, Edward The Young, [08:40.191]Now is the time when the song's really done.