Wildwood Flower - Evolution and Usage of The Song

Evolution and Usage of The Song

The tune was used by Woody Guthrie for the verses of his song "The Sinking of the Reuben James" (about the USS Reuben James). Guthrie's song modified it by adding a chorus.

Although originally a parlor song, the song had undergone quite a bit of the folk process by the time the Carter Family recorded it. For example, the original first verse was:

I'll twine 'mid the ringlets of my raven black hair,

The lilies so pale and the roses so fair,

The myrtle so bright with an emerald hue,

And the pale aronatus with eyes of bright blue.

The better-known Carter Family version begins:

Oh, I'll twine with my mingles and waving black hair,

With the roses so red and the lilies so fair,

And the myrtle so bright with the emerald dew,

The pale and the leader and eyes look like blue. (This appears to be a "mondegreen" - i.e., a case of misheard lyrics giving rise to altered lyrics.

Other variants exist; for example Iris DeMent sings "...The pale emanita and hyssop so blue...". Joan Baez sings "the pale and the leader and eyes look so blue," but retains the original reference to "raven black hair" on her self-titled debut album "Joan Baez" (1960). That is also the variant printed in "The Joan Baez Songbook" (1964). Most other singers (Roger McGuinn, for instance) substitute "amaryllis and violets so blue" here. Amongst folk singers, "oleander" is also substituted for "amaryllis".

Plant expert Ed Hume reports that he is unaware of a plant known as aronatus. In an unpublished monograph, Dr. Richard Blaustein, professor of sociology and anthropology at East Tennessee State University, has made a thorough analysis of the question, and identifies the amaranthus or amaranth (Latin: aramanthus), a flower of some literary heritage, as a possible source of the "aronatus" of the Maud Irving song.

However, Bryan Chalker, a well known country singer from Bath, England, following a visit to the Appalachians and collecting folk music, suggests that the last line is "The pale oleander and violets so blue." This is very close to the misheard "The pale and the leader and eyes look so blue." The oleander was introduced into America in 1841, so if the original date of the song is 1860, this is perfectly feasible. The word is also much more singable than aronatus. What's more, amaranthus do not have eyes looking blue—they are shades of white, pink and red. But other versions include the line "... the pale emelita and islip so blue" ("emelita" and "islip" being other flowers), and this line sounds very much like the Carter Family's hearing of "... pale and the leader and eyes look so blue."

Another famous mondegreen stems from a later verse:

I'll think of him never, I'll be wildly gay

I'll charm ev'ry heart, and the crowd I will sway.

Most contemporary singers render that second line,

I will charm every heart; in his crown, I will sway.

The final two lines provide the song's title and central theme:

I'll live yet to see him regret the dark hour

He won, then neglected, this frail wildwood flower.

The song was first recorded by the Carter Family in 1928 on the Victor label. The song has also become a standard instrumental piece for guitarists of all skill levels. In 1955, Hank Thompson and Merle Travis recorded an instrumental that reached number 5 on the Country charts.

In 1960, Joan Baez included it on her Vanguard debut album Joan Baez. Jean Ritchie recorded a version in 1955 and Hobart Smith in 1963, as did Mike Ness in 1999.

In 1961, the version entitled "Golden Wildwood Flower" reached #93 in the Music Vendor pop chart. This version was recorded by Tom And Jerry, the aliases of country instrumentalists Gerald Tomlinson and Jerry Kennedy.

In 1964, Don Bowman appropriated the tune as a background for "Wildwood Weed", a monologue about marijuana. Ten years later, performed by Jim Stafford, it peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In the 2005 film Walk the Line, Reese Witherspoon, playing June Carter, sings "Wildwood Flower" solo while strumming her autoharp. The film also features an instrumental version performed on guitar by Bill Frisell.

US band Trans Am included a somewhat unconventional rendition of "Wildwood Flower" on their EP Who Do We Think You Are.

Robin & Linda Williams recorded a version of the song, with the original title and lyrics, for their album Visions of Love. The title of the album is taken from the last line, "My visions of love have all faded away."

The original lyrics from the 1860 version are

"I will twine, I will mingle my raven black hair With the roses so red and the lilies so fair And the myrtle so bright with it's emerald hue The pale emanita and the hyssop so blue

I will dance, I will sing and my laugh shall be gay I will charm every heart, in his crown I will sway I woke from my dreaming, my idol was clay All portions of loving had all flown away

But he taught me to love him and promised to love And to cherish me over all others above My poor heart is wondering no misery can tell He left with no warning, no word of farewell

Well you told me you love me and called me your flower That was blooming to cheer you through life's dreary hour I live to see him regret life's dark hour He's gone and neglected this pale wildwood flower"

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