Origin: A-Roving on a Winter's Night (female versn

Subject: RE: Origin: A-Roving on a Winter's Night (female versn
From: Amos
Date: 14 Jul 13 - 01:15 PM

I suspect "butter rose" should be "budding rose" or "budded rose".


A

Subject: RE: Origin: A-Roving on a Winter's Night (female v
From: GUEST,Dan O'Neill
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 08:06 PM

Does anyone know the chords for Doc's version of A-roving of a winters night?

Subject: RE: Origin: A-Roving on a Winter's Night (female versn
From: Fred McCormick
Date: 26 Jan 08 - 06:02 AM

Surprised that no-one seems to have mentioned Doc's own wonderful performance of this song, unless I've missed it. It was on the LP Home Again, Vanguard, VSD-79239, which I am almost certain has been reissued on CD.

Subject: RE: A roving on a winter's night-need female version
From: Joe Offer
Date: 18 Dec 07 - 05:34 PM

refresh with temporarily altered thread title to see if we can get that Dolly Greer version...

Subject: DT Correction: A-Rovin' On a Winter's Night
From: Joe Offer
Date: 18 Dec 07 - 03:16 PM

I don't have the Watson Family Tradition recording, but I do have the Oak Songs of Doc Watson songbook, which has lyrics very close to what are in the Digital Tradition. I think I'd trust the songbook over the DT. Here are the lyrics from the songbook:

A-ROVIN' ON A WINTER'S NIGHT
(additional words & music by Dolly Greer and Doc Watson)

A-rovin' on a winter's night,
And a-drinkin' good old wine;
Thinkin' about that pretty little girl,
That broke this heart of mine.

She is just like a butter rose
That blooms in the month of June.
Or like some musical instrument
That's just been lately tuned.

Perhaps it's a trip to some foreign land
A trip to France or Spain.
But if I should go ten thousand miles
I'm a-comin' back again.

And it's who's a-gonna shoe your poor little feet
Who's a-gonna glove your little hands.
Who's a-gonna kiss your sweet little lips
Honey who's a-gonna be your man?

I'll love you till the sea runs dry
And the rocks all melt in the sun.
I'll love you till the day I die
Though you will never be my own.

A-rovin' on a winter's night,
And a-drinkin' good old wine;
Thinkin' about that pretty little girl,
That broke this heart of mine.

Source: The Songs of Doc Watson songbook, Oak Publications


note: A pretty good translation of My Luve Is Like A Red Red Rose
into U.S. country terms. RG

@parting @fidelity
filename[ REDREDR2
JN

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Notes from Doc Watson:

To me, "A-Rovin' on a Winter's Night" is just about one of the prettiest old-time love songs that you could hope to find anywhere. I'll never forget the night when Ralph Rinzler and I went down to Dolly and Len Greer's house. Outside you could hear the sound of those little frogs that you hear in the spring around the edge of a stream or a swampy area, and in the distance you could hear an occasional whippoorwill. It was in this setting that Dolly sang "A-Rovin' on a Winter's Night." I had never heard it before and I thought it was so beautiful.

You can picture an old boy who had an indescribable love for a girl. He knows that he has to go on a long journey, but doesn't give his reasons. He knows, just as well as he knows that his heart's thumping in his chest from his excitement at looking at the girl, that she's not going to be his when he returns. He's going to try and drown that sorrow by getting out and roaming around with some of his buddies and soakin up a little good vintage wine - kind of warm his heart and cool off that dread of losing that pretty girl.

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I think this is a good excuse for me to pick up that Tradition CD, since it has the Dolly Greer recording of the song. Thanks for pointing it out, Roberto. Anybody have the recording?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A roving on a winter's night
From: Joe Offer
Date: 18 Dec 07 - 02:52 PM

This thread had been closed because of Spam, so Roberto sent the following request to me. The thread has now been reopened. Note that Roberto is requesting a woman's version of this song, so there are some significant differences from the Doc Watson version.
-Joe-

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Here's Roberto's request:

I'd like to get the lyrics of the song as sung by Dolly Greer, in The Doc Watson Family Tradition (Rounder). Two major difficulties, where I've put question marks. Thank you. Roberto

A-roving on last winter's night
A-drinking good old wine
And a-calling (?) off that pretty little girl
That broke this heart of mine

For she is like a bud of rose
That blooms in the month of June
She's like a music instrument
That's just been lately tuned

Oh, who's a-gonna shoe your poor little feet?
And it's who's a-gonna glove your hands?
Oh, it's who's a-gonna kiss your ruby red lips
And it's who's a-gonna be your man

Oh, papa will shoe my poor little feet
And mama will glove my hand
And (?) you can kiss my ruby red lips
And (?) you can be my man

Perhaps it's a trip to a foreign land
A trip to France or Spain
But if I go ten thousand miles
I'm a-coming back again

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A roving on a winter's night
From: voyager
Date: 05 Jul 05 - 01:57 PM

Here's a plug for Chris Jones rendition on the DocFest CD.
I can never listen to this track just once.

Voyager

PS - Blue clicky thing -->

DocFest CD - A Rovin' On a Winters Night

Subject: Lyr Add: I LOVE YOU WELL (from Vance Randolph)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 08 Sep 04 - 09:02 PM

Turtle Old Man posted a version in thread 18958: Blackest Crow - collected by M. Henry in "Folk Songs of the Southern Highlands" that is interesting.

Here is another version that hangs together well, from Randolph, Ozark Folksongs, vol. 4, No, 760E, collected in Missouri, 1939.

I LOVE YOU WELL

The time draws near, my dearest dear,
When you and I must part,
The grief and woe you never can know
Of my poor tender heart.
What I have suffered for your sake,
It's you I love so dear,
I would be glad if you'd go with me,
Or I could tarry here, here, here.
Or I could tarry here.

Your company, my dearest dear,
Your company unto me,
It makes me think when you're away
That every day is three.
That every day is three, true love
And every hour is ten.
It makes me weep when I should sleep,
And say I've lost a friend, friend, friend,
And say I've lost a friend.

The blackest crow, my dearest dear,
Shall turn its colors white,
If ever I prove false to you
Bright days shall turn to night.
Bright days shall turn to night, true love
The elements shall mourn,
If ever I prove false to you
The raging seas shall burn, burn, burn,
The raging seas shall burn.

When I am distant and afar,
Think of your loving friend,
And every opportunity
A letter to me send.
And when the wind blows far and low,
Send me a sigh or two,
You may be sure that I'll repay
When the wind blows far to you, you, you,
When the wind blows far to you.

There's one thing more, my dearest dear,
If I should be so bold
As to place a round within your heart
My secrets to unfold.
As to place a round within your heart
That never could be removed,
That this whole world might plainly see
How truly I love thee, thee, thee,
How truly I love thee.

The word repetition in the last two lines reminds of the 'heart, heart, heart, heart' in the Belden text, above.

Subject: ADD: The Lover's Lament
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Sep 04 - 05:31 PM

This ones ties the versions together pretty well.
^^
Version A
The Lover's Lament

My dearest dear, the time draws near
When you and I must part;
But little do you know the grief or woe
Of my poor troubled heart.

REFRAIN
Oh hush, my love, you will break my heart,
Nor let me hear you cry;
For the best of friends will have to part,
And so must you and I

As walked out one clear summer night,
A-dinking of sweet wine,
It was then I saw that pretty little girl
That stole this heart of mine.
REFRAIN

Her cheeks was like some pink or rose
That blooms in the month of June,
Her lips was like some musical instrument,
That sung this doleful tune.
REFRAIN

Ah, who will shoe your feet, my love,
And who will glove your hands,
And who will kiss your red, rosy lips
When I am gone to the foreign land?
REFRAIN

My father, he will shoe my feet,
My mother will glove my hands,
And you may kiss my red, rosy lips,
When you come from the foreign land.
REFRAIN

You are like unto some turtle dove,
That flies from tree to tree,
A-mourning for its own true love
Just as I mourn for thee.
REFRAIN

You are like unto some sailing ship
That sails the raging main,
If I prove false to you, my love,
The raging seas will burn.
REFRAIN


VERSION B

I wish your breast was made of gladd,
All in it I might behold;
Your name in secret I would write
In letters of bright gold.
REFRAIN

Your name in secret I would write
Pray believe in what I say;
You are the man that I love best
Unto my dying day.
REFRAIN



from American Songbag, Carl Sandburg, 1927

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Click to play

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Click to play Sandburg Arrangement

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A roving on a winter's night
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 08 Sep 04 - 05:24 PM

A tangled web indeed. See also The Blackest Crow, where there are links to further related threads.

Subject: ADD: My Dearest Dear
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Sep 04 - 05:17 PM

Although we have a tangled web of related songs, we're missing one that actually carries the title of "My Dearest Dear." this is #40 from Eighty English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians (Sharp/Karpeles, 1968)
^^
My Dearest Dear

My dearest dear, the time draws near
When I and you must part.
And no one knows the inner grief
Of my poor aching heart
Or what I suffer for your sake
For the one I love so dear.
I wish that I could go with you
Or you would tarry here.

I wish your breast were made of glass
And in't I might behold;
Your name in secret I would write
In letters of bright gold.
Your name in secret I would write,
Pray believe me what I say;
You are the man that I'll love best
Unto my dying day.

But when you're on some distant shore,
Think on your absent friend.
And when the wind blows high and clear
A line or two pray send;
And when the wind blows high and clear
Pray send it, love to me,
That I may know by your hand-write
How times have gone with thee.

Sung by Mrs. Mary Sands at Allanstand, North Carolina

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Click to play

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A roving on a winter's night
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 08 Sep 04 - 01:24 PM

The song Pete Peterson refers to, "The Wreck of Number Nine (On a cold winter night)," J. E. Mainer's version, is reproduced in "Long Steel Rail," by Norm Cohen. The song was written by Carson J. Robinson and recorded by Vernon Dalhart in 1927.

Mainer's version is in the DT with the title "On a Cold Winter's Night."

Checking ballad lists turns up several 'my dearest dear,' and 'cold winter(s) night,' but unrelated to either of these. Almost as common as 'it was a dark and stormy night.'

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A roving on a winter's night
From: Midchuck
Date: 08 Sep 04 - 01:17 PM

There are nice recordings by Stecher and Brislin, and by FinestKind, both of which follow Doc's melody and lyrics closely.

P.

Subject: ADD: Banishment
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 08 Sep 04 - 12:57 PM

The Belden text from 1906 at the head of the list in the Traditional Ballad Index was taken from the Civil War diary of E. J. Sims, "sent to me in 1906..."
Belden's text is incomplete, as shown.

BANISHMENT

My dearest dear, the time draws near
When you and I must part,
But little do you know of the grief and the woe
Of my poor troubled heart heart heart heart.

Or what I suffer for your sake,
You who I hold so dear,
-------
-------

I've one request to make of you,
If I may be so bold:
To place a room within your heart
My secrets for to hold

-------
-------
That this vain world may never know
How deep I am in love with you.

I wish my heart was made of glass,
That in it you might behold
Your name in secret there lies wrote
In letters bright as gold.

-----
-----
If I prove false to you, my love
The raging sea will burn.

If I prove false to you, my love,
-----
The crow that is so black
Will surely turn to white.

Oh, do you see your turtle dove
A-sitting on yonder barn,
A-mourning for its own true love
A I do mourn for mine?

Sounds like a folk version of a composed 19th c. piece. The last verse could be an addition from another song.

Belden, H. M., editor, 1940 (1973). Ballads and Songs, Univ. Missouri Studies, vol. XV, no. 1.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A roving on a winter's night
From: GUEST,Pete Peterson
Date: 08 Sep 04 - 08:59 AM

Is it possible that the song referred to is the one that starts out,

On a cold winter night, not a star was in sight
And the north wind was howling down the line

if so the correct title is "The Wreck of Old Number Nine" and Doc learned it from the JE Mainer recording. Can post more details if that's right.

Subject: ADD Version: Winter's Night (Lomax)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Sep 04 - 02:53 AM

Winter's Night

As I rode out last winter's night,
A-drinkin' of sweet wine,
Conversin' with that pretty little girl
That stole this heart of mine.

CHORUS:
So fare you well, my own true love,
So fare you well for a while.
I'm goin' away, but I'm comin' back,
If I go ten thousand miles.

She is like some pink or rose
That blooms in the month of June,
Or like some musical instrument
Just lately put in tune.
CHORUS

'O who will shoe your feet, my love,
And who will glove your hands,
And who will kiss your red, rosy cheeks,
While I'm gone to the foreign land?'

'My father will shoe my feet, my love,
My mother will glove my hand,
And you may kiss my red, rosy cheeks
When you come from the foreign land.'
CHORUS

'O don't you see that lonesome dove
A-flyin' from vine to vine,
A-mournin' for the loss of a mate,
And why not me for mine?

' Ten thousand miles away, my love,
You know that never can be,
For the parting of our old true love
Would be the death of me.'

'If I prove false to you, my love,
The rocks shall melt in the sun,
The fire shall freeze till evermore be,
And the raging seas shall burn.'
CHORUS

Source: The Folk Songs of North America, Alan Lomax, 1960
taken from Page 14 of The Folk Songs of Alabama, Byron Arnold, 1950

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Click to play

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A roving on a winter's night
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Sep 04 - 02:11 AM

The lyrics in the Digital Tradition are almost exactly what I found in Doc's songbook, The Songs of Doc Watson (Oak Publications, 1971. Doc says he first heard the song sung by Dolly Greer. The book cites "additional words and music by Dolly Greer and Arthel "Doc" Watson. Copyright, 1967, 1971, Ryerson Music Publishers.
One major difference: the DT has:

She is just like a bud of rose

The Doc Watson songbook and recording (Vanguard Years box set) have:

She is just like a butter rose

There's a great recording of this song on the Voices of Winter CD by Priscilla Herdman, Anne Hills, and Cindy Mangsen - they also sing "butter rose," whatever that is.
This is one of those songs with a jillion versions - or at least it shares verses with a jillion different songs. It's called "Winter's Night" in The Folk Songs of North America (Alan Lomax) - very similar lyrics. It also has a lot in common with Lass of Roch Royal," Child #76.

Here's the Traditional Ballad Index entry for "My Dearest Dear":

My Dearest Dear

DESCRIPTION: "My dearest dear, the times draws near When I and you must part, And no one knows the inner grief Of my poor aching heart." The (girl) wishes that they could stay together; (s)he promises to love (him) till (s)he dies, and begs that he write to her
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1906 (Belden)
KEYWORDS: love separation lyric nonballad parting
FOUND IN: US(SE,So,SW)
REFERENCES (11 citations):
Bronson 76, "The Lass of Roch Royal" (23 versions, of which #18, #20, and #22 perhaps go here)
Belden, pp. 484-486, "Banishment" (1 text)
Randolph 18, "Oh Who Will Shoe My Foot?" (8 texts, 5 tunes; the "B," "D," "F," and "H" versions are of this sort); 760, "I Love You Well" (4 texts plus an excerpt, 1 tune) {#18F=Bronson's #18}
Davis-Ballads 21, "The Lass of Roch Royal" (of the various texts in the appendices, at least "G" seems to belong here) {Bronson's #20}
Brewster 90, "The True Lover's Farewell" (1 text, which despite the title appears closer to this song than that)
Sharp/Karpeles-80E 40, "My Dearest Dear" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fuson, p. 112, "When You and I Must Part" (1 text)
Abrahams/Foss, pp. 52-53, "Time Draws Near" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSNA 108, "Winter's Night" (1 text, 1 tune, beginning with lyrics from this song but with final verses more characteristic of "The Storms Are on the Ocean")
Sandburg, pp. 126-127, "The Lover's Lament" (1 text plus a fragment, 1 tune)
DT, (REDREDR2)
Roud #3601
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Who Will Shoe Your Pretty Little Foot" (floating lyrics) and references there
cf. "Fare You Well, My Own True Love (The Storms Are on the Ocean, The False True Lover, The True Lover's Farewell, Red Rosy Bush, Turtle Dove)"
ALTERNATE TITLES:
A-Roving on a Winter's Night
Notes: This is basically a lyric piece assembled from all sorts of floating materials. The first two lines are characteristic; what follows can come from almost anywhere. Doc Watson sings a version which combines parts of this song (notably the verse "A-roving on a winter's night") with portions of "My Love Is Like a Red, Red Rose" (see DT REDREDR2). - RBW
File: SKE40

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Subject: Info rqd: Winter's Night - Doc Watson
From: GUEST,Don
Date: 07 Sep 04 - 11:20 PM

I would like some info for liner notes on a song I heard by Doc Watson called 'A Winter's Night' or 'On A Winter's Night'. As much info as possible please.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A roving on a winter's night
From: masato sakurai
Date: 01 Jul 02 - 07:53 PM

This song is related to "My Dearest Dear". See the entry in The Traditional Ballad Index (Click here).

~Masato

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A roving on a winter's night
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 01 Jul 02 - 12:56 PM

John Gorkas version of this song is the sweetest version I've heard!

:-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A roving on a winter's night
From: masato sakurai
Date: 01 Jul 02 - 08:59 AM

Music is in The Songs of Doc Watson (Oak, 1971, pp. 52-53; with guitar break).

~Masato

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Click to play

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A roving on a winter's night
From: MMario
Date: 01 Jul 02 - 08:46 AM

another one we are still looking for the tune.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A roving on a winter's night
From: GUEST,philh (who's cookie won't reset!)
Date: 30 Jun 02 - 03:22 PM

Thanks, Don't know why my searches didn't find it.

Phil

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A roving on a winter's night
From: masato sakurai
Date: 30 Jun 02 - 02:41 PM

A-ROVING ON A WINTER'S NIGHT (Doc Watson) in the DT.

~Masato

Subject: A roving on a winter's night
From: GUEST,philh (who's cookie won't reset!)
Date: 30 Jun 02 - 02:30 PM

I cann't find the lyrics to this on the DT. Recorded by Peter Bellamy (with Lisa Null & Bill Shute) in 1977 & attributed to 'Doc Watson family repertoire'. I'd be gratefull for any further info.

Phil