Lyr Req: I'll Hang My Harp on a Willow Tree (Bayly

Subject: Lyr Add: I'LL HANG MY HARP ON A WILLOW TREE^^^
From:
Date: 15 Oct 96 - 10:41 PM

My grandmother Alice Duffield sang me the following song recently on the occasion of her 100th birthday.

She stated that her mother sang it when she was a child, which places the time of her hearing it in the 1900-1910 range. Her father was alternately a manager, owner, clerk, and labor arbitrator in coal mines throughout the southeastern United States. Because of their remote living conditions, I believe this song to be a genuine ballad about one of the crusades.

I would like to find out any information I can about it, Even if it turns out it is a dance hall tune from the 1890s. I would especially like to find a recording if it has been covered by a folk singer recently. Music would also be nice, as Alice has not been able to carry much of a tune since she hit her eighties. Please help if you can.

The lyrics follow:

I'll hang my harp on the willow tree
And away to the war I'll go.
My peaceful home has no charm for me,
The battlefield no pain.
The lady I love will soon be a bride
With a diadem on her brow.
Oh, why did she flatter my boyish pride?
She's going to leave me now.

She took me away from my warlike lord
And gave me a silken suit.
I thought no more of my master's sword
While I played on my mistress's lute.
She seemed to think me a boy above
Her pages of low degree.
Had I but loved with a boyish love
It would have been better for me.

One tress of her golden hair I'll twine
With my helmet's sable plume.
And then on the fields of Palestine
I'll seek an early doom.
And if by Saracen I fall
Mid the noble and the brave,
A tear from my lady love is all
I ask for a warrior's grave.

HTML line breaks added. -JoeClone, 20-Sep-01.

Subject: RE: Unknown, 'to me anyway' song from crusades
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 20 Sep 01 - 12:48 AM

This song is in DT under the title "The Saracen," but it looks like the DT got it from the above message!

The real title is "I'll Hang My Harp on a Willow Tree," and it was written by the English poet-dramatist Thomas Haynes Bayly (1797–1839).

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Music Library has images of the sheet music on its web site. Search this page until you find "I'll Hang My Harp on a Willow Tree" and then click on one of the links to see any page of the sheet music.

The Library of Congress has several copies of the lyrics.

It was recorded by Christina Smith, Brown Ale, Orchid, and Walter Pardon.

Subject: Unknown, 'to me anyway' song from crusades
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 20 Sep 01 - 12:59 AM

p.s. I sent an e-mail to [e-mail] but it came back, "user unknown."

Subject: RE: Unknown, 'to me anyway' song from crusades
From: M.Ted
Date: 20 Sep 01 - 01:13 AM

I never cease to marvel at how quickly people can get solutions to questions, but this is another sort of amazing feat--an answer to a question after almost five years--how did you manage this, Jim? did you save the question, or come across it in some other way?

Subject: RE: Unknown, 'to me anyway' song from crusades
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 20 Sep 01 - 11:36 AM

M. Ted: I found it listed in the thread called PermaThread™ Unanswered Requests. You'll have to ask George Seto how HE finds the unanswered requests!

In retrospect, this problem probably wasn't worth all the time I spent on it, considering that the original requester is long gone and unlocatable. I wonder if her grandmother is even still living?

Anyway, questions that were unanswerable 5 years ago are often answerable now. There is MUCH more information on available the Internet than there was even a year or two ago, and we have better search tools, too.

Subject: RE: Unknown, 'to me anyway' song from crusades
From: MMario
Date: 20 Sep 01 - 11:43 AM

that's okay Jim, it is also one of the "missing tunes" and your research will let me do up the tune. (Might as well since it is already in the DT)

Subject: RE: Unknown, 'to me anyway' song from crusades
From: jeffp
Date: 20 Sep 01 - 12:18 PM

If it's any comfort to you Jim, I have printed out the sheet music and am planning to learn the song. Does anybody have any idea of the provenance of the song? W. Guernsey is listed on the sheet music as the arranger, but there is no indication of a composer. Could it be the very prolific "Anon."?

jeffp

Subject: RE: Unknown, 'to me anyway' song from crusades
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 20 Sep 01 - 01:36 PM

Jeff P: Yes, it is a comfort to me!

Now that I've compared the lyrics I found on the 'Net, I see that a verse is missing from the version above. This is the actual third verse:

Then I'll hide in my breast every selfish care;
I'll flush my pale cheeks with wine.
When smiles awake the bridal pair,
I'll hasten to give them mine.
I'll laugh and I'll sing, though my heart may bleed,
And I'll walk in the festal train;
And if I survive it, I'll mount my steed
And I'll off to the wars again.

And if I survive, &c.

Also, the last 2 lines of each verse are to be repeated.

Subject: RE: Unknown, 'to me anyway' song from crusades
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 20 Sep 01 - 01:42 PM

"I thought no more of my master's sword while I played on my mistress's lute."

Anyone see any Freudian symbolism here, or is it just me?

By the way, the printed versions I found on the 'Net have "master's lute," not "mistress's lute," but I like "mistress's lute" better.

Subject: RE: Unknown, 'to me anyway' song from crusades
From: jeffp
Date: 20 Sep 01 - 01:59 PM

An interesting note for the proofreaders among us - the Wrigley version of the song sheet (available at the LoC link above) has a typo in the first verse. The word "my" is repeated in the next-to-last line.

jeffp

Subject: RE: Unknown, 'to me anyway' song from crusades
From: M.Ted
Date: 20 Sep 01 - 02:08 PM

I may have a go at the song myself--if for no other reason than it's timeliness --"And then on the fields of Palestine , I'll seek an early doom."

Subject: RE: Unknown, 'to me anyway' song from crusades
From: MMario
Date: 20 Sep 01 - 04:14 PM

NWC file sent to JoeO.

NWC, miditxt or midi available by e-mail (pm me if you would like it)

Subject: RE: Unknown, 'to me anyway' song from crusades
From: harpgirl
Date: 08 Oct 01 - 09:25 AM

refresh