Here's the Traditional Ballad Index entry, where it's called "An Old Indian" (The Indian Song)
Old Indian, An (The Indian Song)
DESCRIPTION: "An old Indian sat in his little canoe, / A-floating along o'er the water so blue. / He sang of the days when these lands were his own, / Before the palefaces among them were known." A lament for the loss of the Indians' land and culture
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1932 (Creighton-NovaScotia)
KEYWORDS: Indians(Am.) lament
FOUND IN: US(MA,MW) Canada(Mar,Ont)
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Warner 30, "An Old Indian" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fowke/Mills/Blume, pp. 86-88, "The Indian's Lament" (1 text, 1 tune)
Beck 81, "The Indian's Lament" (1 text)
Peacock, pp. 157-158, "The Indian's Lament" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-NovaScotia 121, "Indian Song" (1 text plus a fragment, 2 tunes)
ST Wa030 (Partial)
Roud #1846
RECORDINGS:
Mrs. Tom Sullivan, "The Indian's Lament" (on Ontario1)
Mrs. Thomas Walters, "The Indian's Lament" (on PeacockCDROM) [one verse only]
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Steals of the White Man" (theme)
cf. "Logan's Lament" (theme)
cf. "The Fair Captive" (plot elements)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Poor Indian
File: Wa030Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Bibliography
Go to the DiscographyThe Ballad Index Copyright 2011 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.