Tune add: Adieu False Heart

Subject: RE: Tune add: Adieu False Heart
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Nov 25 - 05:36 AM

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Subject: RE: Tune add: Adieu False Heart
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 14 Nov 25 - 05:14 AM

Linda Ronstadt and Ann Savoy recorded it and named their duo album for it Adieu False Heart. Good job Eyolf, if you're still around.

Subject: Tune add: Adieu False Heart
From: Joe Offer
Date: 13 Nov 25 - 03:00 PM

From the first post.

Adieu False Heart

Trad (assumedly written in the 1860s or '70s)
Performed by Arthur Smith Trio on Harry Smith's Anthology of American Music vol.4
Tabbed by Eyolf Østrem

This is a deceptively simple tune, that just won't go away, so I had to tab it, although there is no Dylan content, whatsoever. I made it available in a sheet music (pdf format) version, in case anyone is interested.

---

Strum this pattern throughout (with a triplet feel),

  |----3-3----3-3-|
  |----0-0----0-0-|
  |----0-0----0-0-|
  |----0-0----0-0-|
  |---------------|
  |-3------3------|

while the bass picks the melody notes of the tab that follows:

Capo 2nd fret

                G
    .   .   .     :  .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .  .
  |-------------|----------------|-----------------|----------------|
  |-------------|----------------|--------(3)------|----------------|
  |-----0-------|-0--------------|-----0h2-4-------|-0--------------|
  |-0h2-----2p0-|----------------|-------------0h2-|----------------|
  |-------------|----------------|-----------------|----------------|
  |-------------|----------------|-----------------|----------------|

                    D
    :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
  |-----------------|(2)----------------------|(2)--------------|
  |-------------3---|(3)----------------------|(3)--------------|
  |-----0-0-4-------|-2-------------------0---|-4-2-------------|
  |-----------------|-------------------------|-----------------|
  |-----------------|-------------------------|-----------------|
  |-----------------|-------------------------|-----------------|

                                                       G
    :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .    :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
  |-----------------|----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
  |-------------3---|----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
  |-----0---4-------|-2--------------|-----0h2-4-------|-0---------------|
  |-----------------|----------------|-------------0h2-|-----------------|
  |-----------------|----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
  |-----------------|----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .       :   .   .   .   .   .
  |-----------------|-------------------|-------------------------||
  |-----------------|-------------------|-------------------------||
  |-------------2-2-|-0-----------4p2p0-|-------------------------||
  |-----0-2-0-0-----|-------------------|-2---0-------------------||
  |-----------------|-------------------|-------------------------||
  |-----------------|-------------------|-------------------------||

---

            A
  Adieu false heart, since we must part
                     E7
  May the joy of the world go with you
                                      A
  I've loved you long with a faithful heart
  
  but I never anymore can a-b'lieve you

I've seen the time I'd have married you
and been your constant lover
but now I'll gladly give you up
for one whose heart's more truer.

My mind is like the constant sun
from the east to the west it ranges
Yours is like unto the moon
It's every month a-changing

When I lay down to take my rest
no scornful morn to wake me
I'll go straight ways unto my grave
just as fast as time can take me.

Subject: ADD: Star Girl
From: GUEST,Ian Kirkpatrick
Date: 13 Nov 25 - 01:00 PM

Just to add on to this discussion, there's another song called Star Girl in WNC that Bobby McMillon used to sing. He learned it from Ralph Ellison. It has been recorded by Jake Xerxes Fussell as well in recent years. The lyrics are below:

STAR GIRL

Come here, star girl, and listen to me
You's onced my constant lover
But now I’d freely give you up
For one whose heart's more truer

Well it's onced I would have married you
And took you to some mountain
Where the grass is green and the flowers bloom
Beside a lonely fountain

My heart is like the constant sun
From the east to the west, it ranges
But yours is like the moon above
It's every month, it changes

I dreamt last night of seein' you
How happy it was seeming
But when I awoke, and oh how sad
To think that I'd been dreaming

When I lie down to take my rest
It'll be no-one can wake me
I'll go straight away unto my grave
As fast as time can take me

Adieu, false heart, since we must part
May the joys of the world roll with you
And I loved you once with a faithful heart
But never anymore will I believe you

Subject: RE: Tune add: Adieu False Heart
From: cnd
Date: 14 Jun 20 - 10:20 AM

From The Union Republican [Winston-Salem, NC], July 12th, 1917, p. 7:

"From a Pineview, N. C. Cousin.

"Local Editor: I am sending a song and hope to see it in the dear old U. R. in a few days. J. A. Holland, I hope you will get to see this. Will answer all cards and letters I received. JANIE CAMERON. Pineview, N. C.

 "Adieu false heart
 "Since we must part
 "May the joys of this world
 "Go with you,
 "I have seen the time
 "I'd have married you
 "And a been your constant lover,
 "Since you have been so free
 "In telling me
 "You had no mind to marry,
 "I'll be as free in telling thee
 "I am in no great hurry.
 "Your friends they do
 "Intend I know
 "By counsel to delay you
 "By hopes to advance
 "Some better chance
 "Kind fortunes may excuse them.
 "I own I am a poor young girl
 "But that will never grieve me
 "For I am blest with a jovial mind,
 "And that will soon relieve me.
 "Farewell, farewell you scornful thing
 "Since you can scorn,
 "I'll do the same.
 "And away I'll go
 "And another I'll try
   Adieu False Heart. [bolded in original]
 "And you'll be sorry for this,
 "By and by."

Subject: RE: Tune add: Adieu False Heart
From: cnd
Date: 14 Jun 20 - 10:10 AM

From The Frankfort [KY] Roundabout, February 9th, 1895, p. 8:

"Capt. Jacob Swigert has presented with us an old book, which he found among the books of his father, the late Jacob Swigert.... It is entitled 'A Constables Guide,' and across the title page is written 'Benjamin Edrington's Book.' The book was compiled by Charles Humphreys and was printed by Thomas Skillman at Lexington in 1813, and the paper upon which it was printed was handmade, and is now yellow with age. On the fly leaf is written 'I will Not Lend this Book to no one. Price $1.25. So buy and read at your leasure [sic].' And just below is the following:

 "Behold ye stranger passing by!
 "As you are now so once was I.
 "As I am now so you must be;
 "Prepare for defeat and follow me.

 "Adieu false heart,
 "Since we must part.
 "The joys of the world go with you.
       "I'll come no more unto your door
 "To tell you how I ----- you.

"At the bottom of the page is the name, written in a different hand, 'L. Batchelor.'"

Subject: RE: Tune add: Adieu False Heart
From: cnd
Date: 14 Jun 20 - 09:57 AM

It certainly does appear to be a fairly obscure song. I have found the song quoted in newspapers as early as 1895 and 1917, but not much else. Alan Lomax (click) and Charles Haywood (click) both said the song was a variant of Barbary Allen. Arthur Smith (as mentioned above) and fiddler Curly Ray Cline (click) both apparently claimed authorship of the song, but in both cases it was obviously done for recording rights-related reasons.

Most modern recordings are based off the 1938 Arthur Smith version (Discogs page; link to recording) to which Charlie provided the lyrics above, though popular female country singer Molly O'Day apparently sang it live on radio but never recorded it (click).

According to the Roud Index (click) the song was also collected by Cecil Sharp in 1918, and Wolfe in 1952.
- Cecil Sharp MSS, Folk Tunes p.4560 (1918)
- Arthur Davis, Folk-songs of Virginia pp.85-86 (1931)
- Charles K Wolfe, Folk Songs of Middle Tennessee pp.119-120 (1952)

Unfortunately, I have access to none of those books, so I cannot give more detail to their text

Subject: ADD: Adieu False Heart
From: Charlie Baum
Date: 14 Jun 20 - 01:14 AM

ADIEU FALSE HEART

Adieu false heart, since we must part
May the joys of the world go with you
I’ve loved you long with a faithful heart
But never anymore can i believe you

i’ve seen the time i’d have married you
And been your constant lover
But now i’d gladly give you up
For one who’s heart’s more truer

My mind is like a constant sun
From the east to the west it ranges
But yours is like unto the moon
It’s every month it changes

When i lay down to take my rest
No scornful one to wake me
i’ll go straightway unto my grave
Just as fast as time can take me


This bitter-sweet love song was recorded by Fiddlin' Arthur Smith and the Delmore Brothers in 1938 and more recently resurfaced in the reconstructed fourth volume of Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music. Little is known of its origins. It was collected in Campbell County, Virginia by a folklorist in 1931. Other than that there is no earlier trace.

Subject: RE: Tune Add: Adieu False Heart
From: Kayaker411
Date: 06 Sep 03 - 02:35 PM

The lyrics spot on. I play fiddle so I don't know about the notes you've tabbed. Thanks for the effort!!

Subject: Adieu False Heart
From: GUEST,Eyolf
Date: 02 Feb 01 - 01:21 PM

I don't know where this belongs, but I thought it might be of some use for someone over here: I made a tab (incl. sheet music this time) of the tune Adieu False Heart, released on Anthology of Amercian Music vol. 4. It can be found on my Bob Dylan site (My Back Pages) on the address:

http://hem.passagen.se/obrecht/backpages/chords/others/adieu_false_heart.htm

Any suggestions of corrections to the lyrics are welcome.

Eyolf

https://web.archive.org/web/20040110133507/http://hem.passagen.se/obrecht/backpages/chords/others/adieu_false_heart.htm