Origin: If'n I Was Your True Love (Terrea Lea)

Subject: A lovely song: If'n I Was Your True Love
From: Claire K.
Date: 22 Aug 97 - 04:56 PM

A few months back I found a great LP--used, of course--called "Terrea Lea: Folk Songs and Ballads." Most of the selections appear to be Appalachian-style songs. One in particular which stands out it "If'n I Was Your True Love."

It starts out:

If'n I was your true love and you were my beau
I'd go to some city, tell the whole wide world so.

But I'm not your true love and you're not my beau
So I'll go to some waterfall and hang my head low.

The blurb on the record jacket says: "...is a mountain ballad I learned from Marian Kerby, a collector and performer who has gone into the hills and learned songs from the people who know of no other than folk music. The simplicity of the lyric and melody makes it all the more beautiful."

Has anyone heard of this song? Does it have antecedents? Are there other songs that share its tune? (sorry that I can't hum it for you over the internet. 8-))

My philosphy about folk music seems to be "the more obscure the better." This is great for discovering new things, but a bit frustrating for tracking down sources.

Claire K.

Subject: RE: Origin: If'n I Was Your True Love (Terrea Lea)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 07 Aug 11 - 02:46 PM

Amazon.com has the album available for download, but the songs are mislabeled.

If you want to hear a clip of IF'N I WAS YOUR TRUE LOVE, you'll have to click MY BOY WILLIE and vice versa.