Origin: Dark Eyed Molly (Archie Fisher)

Subject: Who wrote 'Dark Eyed Molly?'
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 11 May 03 - 07:03 PM

Our group is going to be performing this song, so I wanted to check the lyrics, because the ones in the DT differ slightly from my memory. I'd always assumed that Archie Fisher wrote the song. I had also heard from a source I assumed to be authoritative that he had titled the song "Dear Dark Eyes" and Stan Rogers changed the title when he recorded it.

I found the Folk-Legacy page with the CD re-release of Archie Fisher's "A Man With a Rhyme", and found that the title actually is "Dark Eyed Molly." But I also noticed that while "Witch of the West-Mer-Land" and "Western Island" each have (Fisher) after the title, "Dark Eyed Molly" does not.

So, did Archie write this one or not? And if not, who did?

Aloha,
Mark

PS: I also discovered that among the musicians on this album were my old friend Lani Herrmann (soon to be visiting her native Hawaii--hooray!) and the Mudcat's own Kath Westra. I think it's about time for me to buy it.

Subject: RE: Who wrote 'Dark Eyed Molly?'
From: Deckman
Date: 11 May 03 - 07:20 PM

Hi Mark ... I've always thought it was Archie Fisher. I still think you need to get to Seattle in a couple of weeks. CHEERS, Bob

Subject: RE: Who wrote 'Dark Eyed Molly?'
From: Bill D
Date: 11 May 03 - 07:26 PM

yep..Archie Fisher

Subject: RE: Who wrote 'Dark Eyed Molly?'
From: kendall
Date: 11 May 03 - 07:44 PM

It's an interesting melody, I think Archie got it from the Basque.

Subject: RE: Who wrote 'Dark Eyed Molly?'
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 11 May 03 - 07:54 PM

Notes on Man With a Rhyme re-issue cd say it is from a few lines of Gaelic poetry and a Basque melody. Archis Fisher is recognized as the composer on most sites. Fairport Convention did a cover as well as Stan Rogers.
There is a Scottish fiddle tune with the title Black Eyed Molly.

Now the theme is similar to versions of Black-eyed Mary aka Farewell Ballymoney aka The Irish Girl, Handsome Molly, etc. It will take a bit of looking to run down whether it has an ancestral traditional song.

Subject: RE: Who wrote 'Dark Eyed Molly?'
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 11 May 03 - 08:33 PM

Sounds like a consensus. That's good to know, since I always thought it was his. I guess his name was just inadvertently omitted on the title list. Sandy would know.

I presume that "Blinkbonnie Fair" is a dance, or a dance tune.

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: Tune Add: DARK EYED MOLLY (Archie Fisher)
From: MMario
Date: 28 May 03 - 10:33 AM

X:1
T:Dark Eyed Molly
C:Archie Fisher
N:'Songs from Fogarty's Cove'
I:abc2nwc
M:3/4
L:1/8
K:E
B,4A,2|(G, E,3)B, B,|E4F2|G6-|
w:Deep and dark_ are my true love's eyes,_
G2z2F E|C6-|C2z2D E|D4C2|B, G,- G,4|
w:Black-er still_ is the win-ter's turn-ing,_
z6|z4B, B,|E2F2G2|(A6|D3E3/4 D/2 C D)|
w:As the sad-ness of part_____
E6|E6|z4E2|E4D2|C6-|C2z2D E|
w:-ing proves. And bright-er now_ is the
(D/2 C/2 B,3)B,2|B, G,- G,4|z6|z4B,2|E2F2G2|
w:lan__-tern burn-ing_ That light-ens my
A6|(D3E/2 D/2 C D)|E6-|E6-|E6-|E6
w:path to____ love.___

Subject: RE: Who wrote 'Dark Eyed Molly?'
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 28 May 03 - 11:10 PM

Archie was to be doing a Summer 2003 tour in the US with Garnet Rogers, but the US Immigration authorities decided he was too much of a risk to allow into the country and denied him a work permit.

Subject: RE: Who wrote 'Dark Eyed Molly?'
From: GUEST,Dan In Nova Scotia
Date: 29 May 03 - 08:29 AM

G'Day,

I heard Archie at a festival in Whitby where he said that Dark Eyed Molly was from an old Basque lullabye. I am told by friends that there is also another, a female folk singer who's name I cannot recall, who sings it in its original state. She is a performer somewhere in the UK, (but that could be one of thousands). Good luck hunting. Cheers,

Dan

Subject: RE: Who wrote 'Dark Eyed Molly?'
From: GUEST,Holly Glick
Date: 24 Jan 05 - 07:08 PM

Hi - my friend and I would love to do this song, but I need to find the flute music to it. Search as I might, I cannot find it. If anyone knows it, knows a site that has it on there, or where I can buy it, please contact me - my e-mail is [e-mail]. Thank you for any help that you can provide me!!

Holly

Subject: RE: Who wrote 'Dark Eyed Molly?'
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Jan 05 - 09:16 PM

Archie Fisher is indeed the author, much to his delight , since it was released on an Eva Cassidy album and fair sorted his pension plan out!

Subject: RE: Who wrote 'Dark Eyed Molly?'
From: Songsmith
Date: 25 Jan 05 - 12:44 AM

Archie is on the program for the Stan Rogers Festival this year.

Subject: RE: Who wrote 'Dark Eyed Molly?'
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 25 Jan 05 - 01:17 AM

Holly, the blurb for the book Stan Rogers: Northwest Passage says it has lyrics to Stan's songs. He also had a songbook which may be out of print. The music for "Dark-Eyed Molly" might be in one of those. I don't know if there's an Archie Fisher songbook.

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Who wrote 'Dark Eyed Molly?'
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 25 Jan 05 - 11:55 AM

It's on p. 36 of the songbook "Stan Rogers: Songs From Fogarty's Cove" credited words and music to Archie Fisher, Keady Music.

Linn

Subject: RE: Who wrote 'Dark Eyed Molly?'
From: Strollin' Johnny
Date: 25 Jan 05 - 12:29 PM

Haven't you got ears?

Subject: RE: Who wrote 'Dark Eyed Molly?'
From: GUEST,archi e fisher
Date: 23 Mar 07 - 08:59 PM

Mmmmm...just caught up with this one ...The tune came from an itinerant guitarist who visited Edinburgh in the 60s called Johnny Saturday... He was travelling with a Chris Wertenbaker who I think is the brother of the writer Timberlake Wertenbaker. I loved the tune and when I played it to my mother she began to hum along as she thought it was a Gaelic song air that she had heard when she was younger.. She told me a rough outline of the story ...(it's always unrequited love in Gaeldom)and the song came out ... only the name has been changed to protect a lovely lassie's reputation!
And by the way ... I'm still tuning my pension scheme.
AF

Subject: RE: Who wrote 'Dark Eyed Molly?'
From:
Date: 23 Mar 07 - 10:03 PM

Welcome, Archie, if I may use your Christian name, to the Mudat! Thank you for your many fine songs and hope to hear of new CDs soon.

Subject: RE: Who wrote 'Dark Eyed Molly?'
From: kendall
Date: 24 Mar 07 - 07:54 AM

If this is really Archie Fisher, how come you spelled your name like that?

Subject: RE: Who wrote 'Dark Eyed Molly?'
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 24 Mar 07 - 08:08 AM

Because he can't type any better than you Kendall.
It's a musician thing.

Don

Subject: RE: Origin: Dark Eyed Molly
From: GUEST,Bob Morgan
Date: 23 Aug 07 - 07:12 PM

Dark Eyed Molly is on Stan Rodgers' Northwest Passage album. I don't believe it is on Fogerty's Cove.

Subject: RE: Origin: Dark Eyed Molly
From: Cluin
Date: 23 Aug 07 - 08:15 PM

Well, let's just clear things up a bit.

Dark Eyed Molly (written by Archie Fisher) was recorded by Stan Rogers on his "Turnaround" album in 1978, not his "Northwest Passage" album. Dark Eyed Molly was one of the few non-Stan-written songs that he recorded, apart from trad songs. Another Archie Fisher song, "Witch of the Westmorland" (sic) was recorded by Stan Rogers on his live "Between the Breaks" album.

But the lyrics and chords to "Molly", as Stan did it, were included in his printed song book, Songs from Fogaty's Cove.

Subject: RE: Origin: Dark Eyed Molly
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 24 Aug 07 - 05:37 AM

And a wonderful piece of writing and performing it is too.
One of my favourite songs, written by one of my favourite writers and sung by one of my favourite singers. Heaven!

And Archie does a pretty damn good version of it too!

Subject: RE: Origin: Dark Eyed Molly
From: GUEST
Date: 23 Jul 08 - 07:10 PM

Archie Fisher definitely did write Dark Eyed Molly. Don't know why it is not credited to him on the label -strange.

Subject: RE: Origin: Dark Eyed Molly
From: breezy
Date: 04 May 09 - 06:29 PM

Do , get to hear Nathan Rogers sing it and I can already guess, nay , know, what you will be saying after.

I am lucky to have had that pleasure.

Nathan is in the U K this summer 2009 and his tour is very extensive

go see and hear, miss him not , if only to acknowledge a legacy !