It’s the first ballad we’ve taken up with distinctively Irish origins. So I poisoned that dear little girl. The melody is in a pentatonic mode; it’s a scale that leaves out the four and the seven (1, 2, 3, 5, 6) and the sixth note is very strong. It’s pretty clear that the song Yeats heard was “You Rambling Boys of Pleasure.” (, “You Rambling Boys of Pleasure,” by Andy Irvine, Yeats’s version grew to be its own song. Excerpted from Traditional Songs with Jody Stecher. Upon that scaffold high Once she lost her senses to the drug he stabbed her then tossed the body and the blade into the river. Down in the Willow Garden tells the story of a man who gave his lover wine that was drugged. Down in the Willow Garden is an old traditional Appalachian “Killin’ song”. Down in the Willow Garden, also known as Rose Connelly is a traditional Appalachian murder ballad about a man facing the gallows for the murder of his lover: he gave her poisoned wine, stabbed her, and threw her in a river. Which my true love she did not know I’d had a bottle of the burgundy* wine Subject: Info Request: Down in the Willow Garden From: CeltArctic Date: 29 Dec 99 - 11:52 PM Hi guys, After a long absence, I once again feel the need to seek the imput and infinite knowledge of my friends on the Mudcat. I had a bottle of burgundy wine, My true love she did not know. Please take a moment to review my edit . My father oft had told me That money would set me free I just went upstairs and played it again (first time in a year or two.) Down in the willow garden Where me and my true love did meet, It was there we were courtin', My love fell off to sleep. To purchase this complete guide from Acoustic Guitar, including 65 minutes of downloadable video instruction, click here. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. It's all still right there when I close my eyes and sing. O’Brien grew up in West Virginia, and has done several projects tied to the connection between Irish and American musical traditions. The song and the story that became “Down in the Willow Garden” in America took a slightly different course within Ireland. Whose name was Rose Connolly This excerpt of “Down in the Willow Garden” is arranged to be played with a plectrum. Don’t worry, gentle reader, we’ll slow down a bit from the pace of last week, but I hope you’ll find a few things worth taking away from our discussion. Down in the willow garden Where me and my love did meet As we sat a-courtin' My love fell off to sleep I had a bottle of Burgundy wine My love she did not know So I poisoned that dear little girl On the banks below I drew a sabre through her It was a bloody knife I threw her in the river Which was a dreadful sign My father often told me Label: RCA Victor - 20-2416 • Format: Shellac 10. It is overkill, though it is lovely. Note the enthusiastic audience reception. “Sally” is just another name for “willow.” The only real clue in this American version to its Irish origins is the girl’s name, which is Rose Connelly. I threw her in the river. The devil** is waiting for me Down in the Willow garden Where me and my love did meet As we sat a-courtin' My love fell off to sleep I had a bottle of Burgundy wine My love she did not know So I poisoned that dear little girl On the banks below I drew a sabre through her It was a bloody knife I threw her in the river Which was a dreadful sign My father often told me A similar arrangement, acknowledging the Transatlantic elements of the song can be found in Dan Tyminski’s performance. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. My father often told me So, we have here a pretty straightforward murder ballad, in the “first-person confession” style, like “Banks of the Ohio,” or “Lily of the West.” The tale is similar to “Omie Wise” as well, but without the dialogue. The chords provided are my interpretation and their accuracy is not guaranteed. On the banks below. The lyrics greatly vary among earlier versions, but professional recordings have stabilized the song in a cut-down form. There a number of variations on the lyrics, but the lyrics of the song, as I usually sing it, are below (from memory). It all felt (feels) so real.I learned to play the song, to close my eyes and see the story unfold. Yeats’s poem is far less explicit about the nature of the exchange between the two lovers, and thereby more haunting, I think. I drew a sabre through her It was a bloody knife I threw her in the river Which was a dreadful sign My father often told me Here is a sad ballad with a death by triple means: poison, stabbing, & drowning. The Chieftains are a Grammy winning Irish musical group founded in 1962 (Dublin, Ireland), known for performing and popularizing Irish traditional music. “Down in the Willow Garden” is a double murder ballad—only one person is murdered but she’s murdered twice, first with poison wine and then with a saber. This excerpt of “Down in the Willow Garden” is arranged to be played with a plectrum. For our first post this week, we’ll introduce the ballad a bit, with some of its earliest recorded performances, and a discussion of its ties back to Ireland and how it grew differently there. “Sally” is just another name for “willow.” The only real clue in this American version to its Irish origins is the girl’s name, which is Rose Connelly. View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1947 Shellac release of Bringin' In The Georgia Mail / Down In The Willow Garden on Discogs. Down in the willow garden Where me and my love did meet, As we set there a courtin', My love fell off to sleep.. It was a bloody knife. I threw her in the river. D.K. The song has been recorded a number of time since. Watch the video for Down In The Willow Garden from The Chieftains's Voice of Ages for free, and see the artwork, lyrics and similar artists. Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. “Sally” is just another name for “willow.” The only real clue in this American version to its Irish origins is the girl’s name, which is Rose Connelly. It does break the mode, but it sounds really good. By Jody Stecher | Excerpted from Traditional Songs with Jody Stecher. For I did murder that dear little girl Down in the willow garden Where me and my love did meet As we sat a-courtin' My love fell off to sleep I had a bottle of Burgundy wine My love she did not know So I poisoned that dear little girl On the banks below. Later this week, I’ll offer some thoughts, or at least some questions, about women and children and the murder ballad. It’s the first ballad we’ve taken up with distinctively Irish origins. It was there I murdered that dear little girl Down on the banks below. The song and the story that became “Down in the Willow Garden” in America took a slightly different course within Ireland. And on my leaning shoulder she laid her snow-white hand. It originated in the 19th century, probably in Ireland, before becoming esta The song and the story that became “Down in the Willow Garden” in America took a slightly different course within Ireland. Traditional Down In The Willow Garden sheet music arranged for Solo Guitar Tab and includes 2 page(s). Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Paroles de la chanson Down in the willow garden par Moriarty Down in the willow garden Where me and my love did meet As we sat a-courtin' My love fell off to sleep I had a bottle of Burgundy wine My love, she did not know So I poisoned that dear little girl On the banks below I drew a saber through her It was a bloody knife I threw her in the river Somehow F&J just sounded bawdy and violent in a way that didn't surprise me. There, the original’s descendant became “Down by the Salley Garden,” which William Butler Yeats published as a poem in 1889, basing it off a fragment of a folk song lyric he had heard. It was a bloody knife. The song has also been performed by a variety of others over the years outside of the bluegrass context, including recordings by the Everly Brothers and Art Garfunkel. “Down in the Willow Garden” — live version, by Charlie Monroe (Spotify). My love fell off to sleep. 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