LOVING HANNAH

I went to church last Sunday
My true love passed me by
I could see her mind was a changing
By the roving of her eye

By the roving of her eye
By the roving of her eye
I could see her mind was a changing
By the roving of her eye

My love she's fair and proper
Her hands are neat and small
And she is quite good looking
And that's the best of all

And that's the best of all
And that's the best of all
And she is quite good looking
And that's the best of all

Oh Hannah, loving Hannah
Come give to me your hand
You said if you ever married
That I would be the man

That I would be the man
That I would be the man
You said if you ever married
That I would be the man

I'll go down by the river
When everyone's asleep
And think on loving Hannah
And then sit down and weep

And then sit down and weep
And then sit down and weep
And think on loving Hannah
And then sit down and weep

@courting
variant of Handsome Molly
recorded by Sandy and Caroline Paton
filename[ LOVHANNA
TUNE FILE: LOVHANNA
CLICK TO PLAY
SOF

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"Loving Hannah" is a Ritchie family song, adapted and copyrighted by Jean Ritchie.

Jean, anything else you can tell us about the background of this song?

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Also see these threads (click).

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Jean Ritchie Version

Here's the version from Jean Ritchie's Folk Songs of the Southern Appalachians, pp 95-96:


LOVING HANNAH
(a Ritchie family song, adapted and copyrighted by Jean Ritchie)

I rode to church last Sunday,
My truelove passed me by,
I knew her mind was a-changing
By the roving of her eye.

By the roving of her eye,
By the roving of her eye,
I knew her mind was a-changing
By the roving of her eye.

My love is fair and proper,
Her hands and feet are small;
And she is quite good-looking,
And that's the best of all.

And that's the best of all,
And that's the best of all,
And she is quite good looking,
And that's the best of all.

O Hannah, loving Hannah,
Come give to me your hand,
You said if you ever married,
That I would be the man.

That I would be the man,
That I would be the man,
You said if you ever married,
That I would be the man.

I'll go down by the waters
When everyone is asleep,
I'll think of loving Hannah,
And then sit down and weep.

And then sit down and weep,
And then sit down and weep,
And think on loving Hannah,
And then sit down and weep.

I wish I were in London
Or some other seaport town,
I'd set my foot on a bally boat
And I'd sail them seas all around.
I'd sail them seas all around,
I'd sail them seas all around,
I'd set my foot on a bally boat
And I'd sail them seas all around

© 1964 Jean Ritchie/Geordie Music Publishing Company

Excerpt from Jean's notes:

Older menfolk in the Ritchie family, rather than the women for some unknown reason, sang this song: Balis, my Dad, and his cousin Jason and Isom Ritchie. In the sixties, banjo players were singing a more modern version, "Handsome Molly."