Subject: RE: Origins: WWVA Wheeling, W. VA 'Wildwood Flower'
From:
GUEST,Colonel Garry A. Sanders
Date: 26 Sep 09 - 07:58 PM
Here are the words to Wildwood Flower as rearranged by Col. Garry A. Sanders. Carter Family's version don't make any sense.
Verse 1.
Oh he told me he loved me, and promised to care.
And would be there to cheer me through life's dreary hour.
When I woke from my dreaming my idol was clay
My vision of love had faded away.
Verse 2
And he taught me to love him and called me his flower,
That had blossomed to cheer him through life's weary hour
Oh how I long to see him, but I never will tell
That he left me no warning no words of farewell.
Verse 3
So I'll twine mid the ringlets of my raven black hair,
Wild roses so red and white lilies so fair.
And myrtle so green with an emerald hue,
And pale manzanita and violets so blue.
Verse 4
Then I'll dance and I'll sing, and my laugh shall be gay.
I will cease this wild weeping and pining away.
Though my heart is now breaking he never shall know,
That his name made me tremble, and my pale cheeks to glow.
Verse 5
Now I'll think of him never and forget that sad day
That he caused me to love him, and led me astray.
I will live yet to see him regret the dark hour,
When he won and neglected his frail wildwood flower
From the age of seven years, when I learned to pick this song on the guitar, and learned the words from my dad, who in turn learned the words and music from the Carter Family's version, I have been aggravated at some of the lines in such a pretty song. Such as the pale and the leader, and eyes look like blue. I am glad the Carter Family made such a great classic hit of this song and I am a great fan of theirs. (By the way I'm from Wise County Virginia only a few miles from where they grew up and lived. but the song had to be recorded wrong, cause the words make no sense. I also noticed that the verses were all backwards, for instance; I'll twine with my mingles and waving black hair, which is wrong--should be about the 3rd verse, cause the girl is getting back at him for guilding her. This is the way she is getting revenge. There is no story to the song the way it's recorded, just a bunch of words. In my opinion it should have started when he told her he loved her and then he taught her how to love, which I think he talked her into making out with him and made all these promises, and just left her (not pregnant I assume). He got what he wanted, so she decided would quit weeping and pining for him, and start acting as if she was happy by singing and dancing and dressing her hair with all these wild flowers and greenery (myrtle) I did rewrite a line or two and put the verses in the right order by simply changing it to make sense. I actually don't believe Maude Irving wrote this song maybe J. P Webster could have wrote the music to a poem that had been around before 1860 which was when the words and music where supposed to have been written because it's titled (I'll twine mid the ringlets), which is not an appropriate title for it (The wildwood flower) is a better title I think. I've looked at all the other versions of it including Iris Dement's version which the verses are out of order too. I did use some of her lines when I rearranged the song (and I am a big fan of Iris Dement), the way I feel it was originally written. Take a look at the way I rearranged it and give me your opinion.
Thanks Colonel Garry A. Sanders
|
sj
