I. Introduction to Queen Songs and Lost Love Ballads
Lost love songs resonate deeply across cultures and time periods. We are drawn to narratives of longing, separation, and the poignant ache of unavailable affection. While modern music often explores lost love through personal breakups and fleeting romances, traditional folk songs offer a richer, often more dramatic, landscape of lost love. These aren’t just simple “my baby left me” tunes; they frequently weave in elements of tragedy, historical context, and profound social commentary. In this realm, the “Queen Song” emerges as a fascinating subgenre, often depicting love and loss within the dramatic lives of royalty.
One such compelling example is The Death of Queen Jane (Child Ballad #170). This powerful ballad encapsulates the essence of a traditional lost love song, amplified by the historical tragedy of Queen Jane Seymour, the third wife of King Henry VIII. It’s not just a tale of personal loss, but a queen song that echoes with the weight of dynastic succession and the perils of childbirth in the 16th century.
II. Historical Roots: Jane Seymour and Henry VIII
To fully appreciate The Death of Queen Jane as a queen song, understanding its historical backdrop is crucial. Jane Seymour married King Henry VIII in 1536, following the execution of Anne Boleyn. Henry was desperate for a male heir to secure the Tudor dynasty. His previous marriages to Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn had produced only one surviving daughter each – Mary and Elizabeth, respectively. The pressure for a son was immense.
Jane Seymour successfully conceived and in 1537 gave birth to Prince Edward, the future Edward VI. This fulfilled Henry’s desperate desire for a male heir. However, tragically, Jane died less than two weeks after childbirth. While the official cause was complications from childbirth, rumors of a difficult labor and cesarean section circulated, adding a layer of grim speculation to her death.
A symbolic image representing Queen Jane, capturing the historical and tragic essence of the Queen Jane ballad as a poignant queen song.
Henry VIII’s legendary grief for Jane has been debated by historians. While he undoubtedly desired a male heir, the depth of his personal affection for Jane is less clear. Nevertheless, the narrative of his profound mourning became ingrained in popular perception, fueled in part by ballads like The Death of Queen Jane. This queen song, therefore, reflects not just a personal loss, but a significant event in English history, impacting the monarchy and succession.
III. Tracing the Ballad: Versions and the Folk Process
The Death of Queen Jane is classified as a Child Ballad, a designation for a collection of traditional English and Scottish ballads compiled by Francis James Child in the late 19th century. Its inclusion in this collection highlights its long oral tradition and variations across regions and time.
The article’s original author, Bob Waltz, points out the song’s presence in America, noting versions collected by Cecil Sharp in Kentucky and Virginia. Sharp, a prominent collector of Appalachian folk songs, documented versions that demonstrate the “folk process” in action. The Virginia version, starting with “Oh, Jane was a neighbor for six months or more,” showcases how oral tradition reshapes and localizes songs over time. The refrain “The red rose of England shall flourish no more” in this version, also found in the shorter Lunsford version, adds a symbolic layer, perhaps referencing the Tudor rose and the fragility of royal lineage.
Bascom Lamar Lunsford, a significant figure in Appalachian folk music, recorded a shorter version, highlighting the song’s enduring appeal in American folk tradition. Joan Sprung’s rendition, with its unusual violin and bowed bass arrangement, further demonstrates the adaptability and musical richness of this queen song.
These diverse versions underscore the dynamic nature of folk songs. The Death of Queen Jane isn’t a static historical artifact but a living tradition, evolving with each performance and interpretation. Each version offers a unique window into how communities understood and retold this queen’s tragic story.
IV. Lyrics and Lament: Deconstructing the Queen Song
The lyrics of The Death of Queen Jane paint a vivid picture of a queen in mortal danger during childbirth. The opening lines immediately establish the prolonged suffering:
Queen Jane lay in labor
Full nine days or more,
Till the women were so tired
They could stay no longer there;
Till the women were so tired
They could stay no longer there.
This repetition emphasizes the agonizing length of Jane’s labor, highlighting the helplessness and exhaustion of those attending her. The plea to “open my right side / And find my baby” reveals a desperate measure, reflecting perhaps folk understanding of difficult births and the extreme choices sometimes faced.
King Henry’s arrival and dialogue introduce the conflict:
King Henry was sent for,
King Henry he did come;
“What do ail you, my lady,
Your eyes look so dim?”
Jane’s repeated plea and Henry’s refusal – “Oh no,” said King Henry, “That’s a thing I’ll never do! / If I lose the Flower of England, I shall lose the branch too” – crystallize the tragic dilemma. Henry prioritizes the potential heir (“the branch”) over the mother (“the Flower of England”), a stark representation of the dynastic pressures and patriarchal values of the time.
The grim resolution is swift and inevitable:
Queen Jane she turned over
And she fell into a swoon,
And her side was pierc’d open
And the baby was found.
Whether this “pierced open” side is a literal interpretation of a folk remedy, a metaphorical representation of death, or a misunderstanding of historical events is open to interpretation. However, it delivers a dramatic and tragic climax.
The song concludes with mourning, emphasizing the widespread grief:
King Henry went mourning
And so did all his men —
And so did the baby,
For Queen Jane did die then.
The imagery of mourning – “How deep was the mourning, How black were all the bands / How yellow were the flamboys* They carried in their hands” – and the stark contrast with the celebration of the newborn (“There was fiddling and dancing / On the day that the babe was born / But poor Queen Jane beloved / Lay cold as a stone”) powerfully underscores the tragedy and the personal cost of royal succession.
V. Lyrics: Joan Sprung Version
Queen Jane lay in labor
Full nine days or more,
Till the women were so tired
They could stay no longer there;
Till the women were so tired
They could stay no longer there.
“Good women, good women,
Good women as ye be,
Do open my right side
And find my baby.”
“Oh no,” said the women,
“That may never be;
We will send for King Henry,
And hear what he say.”
King Henry was sent for,
King Henry he did come;
“What do ail you, my lady,
Your eyes look so dim?”
“King Henry, King Henry,
Will you do one thing for me?
That’s to open my right side
And find my baby.”
“Oh no,” said King Henry,
“That’s a thing I’ll never do!
If I lose the Flower of England,
I shall lose the branch too.”
Queen Jane she turned over
And she fell into a swoon,
And her side was pierc’d open
And the baby was found.
King Henry went mourning
And so did all his men —
And so did the baby,
For Queen Jane did die then.
How deep was the mourning,
How black were all the bands
How yellow were the flamboys*
They carried in their hands.
There was fiddling and dancing
On the day that the babe was born
But poor Queen Jane beloved
Lay cold as a stone.
* Flamboys: flambeaux=torches
VI. Lyrics: Lunsford Version
Well Jane was in labor for three days or more;
She grieved and she grieved and she grieved her heart sore.
She sent for her mother, her mother came o’er,
Said “The red rose of England shall flourish no more.”
Well Jane was in labor for three days or four;
She grieved and she grieved and she grieved her heart sore.
She sent for her father, her father came o’er,
Said “The red rose of England shall flourish no more.”
Well Jane was in labor for four days or more;
She grieved and she grieved and she grieved her heart sore.
She sent for Prince Henry, Prince Henry came o’er,
Said “The red rose of England shall flourish no more.”
VII. Conclusion: The Enduring Legacy of a Queen Song
The Death of Queen Jane remains a powerful and poignant queen song, transcending its historical origins to speak to universal themes of love, loss, and the tragedy of untimely death. As a lost love song, it is unique in its historical grounding and its focus on a royal figure. Its survival through various versions and across continents testifies to its enduring appeal and the power of folk music to preserve and reinterpret history. Exploring The Death of Queen Jane offers not just a glimpse into the past, but a deeper understanding of the enduring power of the queen song to capture human emotions within grand historical narratives.
VIII. Bibliography
- Child, Francis James. The English and Scottish Popular Ballads.
- Bronson, Bertrand Harris. Traditional Tunes of the Child Ballads.
- Sharp, Cecil. Various books of Appalachian songs.
- Smithsonian/Folkways Recordings. “Ballads, Banjo Tunes, and Sacred Songs of Western North Carolina,” sung by Bascom Lamar Lunsford (SF 40082).
