Because people asked: Little Sparrow
Jan. 25th, 2005 02:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kniteracyI talked about ballad extraction earlier today, and I said I'd post the road to my Little Sparrow if people were interested. Well, two people are interested already, and that's enough for me, so here you go.
The path to Little Sparrow
The Little Sparrow extraction was actually easier than The Shirt of Lace. Easier because there have been many versions of Little Sparrow collected in the last 120 years or so, easy because it's a common theme but no one has popularized a version of it that's become ubiquitous to the point of losing the others in the reverberation of that voice.
In 2001, Dolly Parton released a CD called Little Sparrow, a triumphant return to her Eastern Tennessee roots that contains some beautiful bluegrass standards and, notably, the best cover of a pop song I have ever heard realized by a country artist ("Shine," by Collective Soul, redone with fiddles instead of electric guitars, a masterpiece).
One thing that puzzled me, though, was the title track, "Little Sparrow." It was gorgeous, but wasn't it a version of "Come All You Fair and Tender Maidens?" The by-line is Dolly, though-- it must be her song. Except it's not. Here are the lyrics as printed on the album.
Little sparrow, little sparrow
Precious fragile little thing
Little sparrow, little sparrow
Flies so high and feels no pain
All ye maidens hede my warning
Never trust the hearts of men
They will crush you like a sparrow
Leaving you to never mend
They will vow to always love you
Swear no love but yours will do
Then they'll leave you for another
Break your little heart in two
Chorus:
Little sparrow, little sparrow
Precious fragile little thing
Little sparrow, little sparrow
Flies so high and feels no pain
If I were a little sparrow
O'er these mountains I would fly
I would find him, I would find him
Look into his lying eyes
I would flutter all around him
On my little sparrow wings
I would ask him, I would ask him
Why he let me love in vain
I am not a little sparrow
I am just the broken dream
Of a cold false-hearted lover
And his evil cunning scheme
Repeat Chorus
All ye maidens fair and tender
Never trust the hearts of men
They will crush you like a sparrow
Leaving you to never mend
Little sparrow, little sparrow
Oh the sorrow never ends
I want to believe the best of Dolly, really I do. But the tune she uses for Little Sparrow is so similar to the first one I found in W.K. McNeil's Southern Mountain Folksongs, I'm just not sure what to think. I remember praising her for being a fantastic songwriter when I first heard this, because it sounded so authentic. Of course it sounds authentic: it is authentic. Dolly has done what I do, only the liner notes say, written by Dolly Parton.
Here are the lyrics from Southern Mountain Folksongs, published in 1993. This version was collected by George foss from Florence Shiflett, Wyatt's Mountain Virginia, in 1962.
Come all you maids and pretty fair maidens,
Take warning how you love young men;
They're like the bright star in a summer's morning
First appear and then are gone.
It's once I had a own true lover
Indeed I really thought he was my own;
Straight way he went and he courted another
And left me here to weep and moan.
I wish I was a little sparrow,
Or some of those birds that fly so high;
It's after my true love I would follow,
And when he talked I would be nigh.
While he was talking to some other,
A-telling her of many those fine things;
It's on his bosom I would flutter
With my littel tender wings.
But now I ain't no little sparrow
Nor none of those birds that fly so high;
I'll go home full of grief and sorrow
And sing and pass the time by.
Some versions are about a swallow. The sparrow/swallow image does not predate 1900, according to McNeil. Authorities believe it may be based on the Scottish ballad "Jamie Douglas." A popular version of 1727 called "Waly Waly, Gin Love Be Bony" includes this verse, which also will make you think of "Waly Waly" or "The Water is Wide," or whatever name you know it by:
O waly, waly! but love be bony
A little time while it is new
But when 't is auld, it waxeth cauld,
And fades away like morning dew.
Here's another verse, often echoed in "Little Sparrow:"
But had I wist, before I kissed
That love had been sae ill to win,
I'd lock'd my heart in a case of gold
And pin'd it with a silver pin.
I didn't want to use the tune Dolly Parton used, even though I found it nearly note for note in McNeil. Instead, I wanted something more haunting, so I went to Cecil Sharp and Olive Dame Campbell, who collected several versions of this song.
Come All You Fair And Tender Ladies (1)
O don't you remember on yon green mountain
Where I and you first fell in love
Where the little birds was sweetly singing
And even too, the little doves?
Come all ye fair and tender ladies,
Be careful how you court young men;
They're like a star of a summer's morning,
They'll first appear and then they're gone.
They'll tell to you some pleasing story
They'll declare to you they are your own;
Straightway they'll go and court some other
And leave you here in tears to mourn.
I wish I were a littel swallow
And I had wings and I could fly;
Straight after my true love I would follow,
When they'd be talking I'd be by.
But I am no little swallow
I have no wings, nor I can't fly,
And after my true love I can't follow
And when they're talking I'll set and cry.
---
---
There's many a dark and rainy morning
Turns out to be a pretty day.
Come All You Fair And Tender Ladies (2)
Come all you young and tender ladies
Take warning how you court young men
They're like a bright star in a cloudy morning
They'll first appear and then they're gone
They'll tell to you some lovely story
And tell you their love is true
Straightway to some other girl and court her
And that's the love they have for you
I wish I were a little sparrow
Had sparrow's wings and I could fly
I would fly away to my false true-love
And while he would talk I would deny.
But I am not a little sparrow
Got no wings nor I can't fly
I will sit right down in grief and sorrow
And try to pass my troubles by
If I had knowed before I courted
That love had been so hard to win
I'd locked my heart with the keys of golden
And pinned it down with a silver pin.
There are two other very similar versions in Sharp/Campbell.
The tune I chose for my version is the tune for the second version here, a pentatonic tune that I liked very much because resolves in what feels like a major key to the modern listener, but there's a haunting quality to the melody because of its modal structure.
Oddly, Niles doesn't mention this song, although McNeil says it's very common in the southeastern US.
Here is the version I ended up with.
Little Sparrow
(Sharp/Campbell 'b'; pentatonic, home G)
Come all you fair and tender ladies
Take warning how you court young men
They're like a bright star in a summer's morning
They'll first appear and then they're gone
It's once I had my own true lover
Indeed I thought he was my own
Straight way he went and he loved another
And left me here to weep and mourn
I wish I were a little sparrow
Had sparrow's wings and I could fly
After my true love I would follow
And when he talked I would deny
When he was talking to some other
A-telling her those pretty things
It's on his bosom I would flutter
With my little tender wings
But I am not a little sparrow
I've got no wings and I can't fly
I will go home full of grief and sorrow
I'll sing my troubles all goodbye
If I had known before I courted
Love would be so hard to win
I'd-a locked my hear with keys of gold
And pinned it down with a silver pin
Come all you fair and tender ladies
Take warning how you court young men
They're like a bright star on a summer's morning
They'll first appear and then they're gone
I wanted to include as many sparrow verses as I could. I have an affinity for sparrows.
So there you go.
Love,
Harper
The path to Little Sparrow
The Little Sparrow extraction was actually easier than The Shirt of Lace. Easier because there have been many versions of Little Sparrow collected in the last 120 years or so, easy because it's a common theme but no one has popularized a version of it that's become ubiquitous to the point of losing the others in the reverberation of that voice.
In 2001, Dolly Parton released a CD called Little Sparrow, a triumphant return to her Eastern Tennessee roots that contains some beautiful bluegrass standards and, notably, the best cover of a pop song I have ever heard realized by a country artist ("Shine," by Collective Soul, redone with fiddles instead of electric guitars, a masterpiece).
One thing that puzzled me, though, was the title track, "Little Sparrow." It was gorgeous, but wasn't it a version of "Come All You Fair and Tender Maidens?" The by-line is Dolly, though-- it must be her song. Except it's not. Here are the lyrics as printed on the album.
Little sparrow, little sparrow
Precious fragile little thing
Little sparrow, little sparrow
Flies so high and feels no pain
All ye maidens hede my warning
Never trust the hearts of men
They will crush you like a sparrow
Leaving you to never mend
They will vow to always love you
Swear no love but yours will do
Then they'll leave you for another
Break your little heart in two
Chorus:
Little sparrow, little sparrow
Precious fragile little thing
Little sparrow, little sparrow
Flies so high and feels no pain
If I were a little sparrow
O'er these mountains I would fly
I would find him, I would find him
Look into his lying eyes
I would flutter all around him
On my little sparrow wings
I would ask him, I would ask him
Why he let me love in vain
I am not a little sparrow
I am just the broken dream
Of a cold false-hearted lover
And his evil cunning scheme
Repeat Chorus
All ye maidens fair and tender
Never trust the hearts of men
They will crush you like a sparrow
Leaving you to never mend
Little sparrow, little sparrow
Oh the sorrow never ends
I want to believe the best of Dolly, really I do. But the tune she uses for Little Sparrow is so similar to the first one I found in W.K. McNeil's Southern Mountain Folksongs, I'm just not sure what to think. I remember praising her for being a fantastic songwriter when I first heard this, because it sounded so authentic. Of course it sounds authentic: it is authentic. Dolly has done what I do, only the liner notes say, written by Dolly Parton.
Here are the lyrics from Southern Mountain Folksongs, published in 1993. This version was collected by George foss from Florence Shiflett, Wyatt's Mountain Virginia, in 1962.
Come all you maids and pretty fair maidens,
Take warning how you love young men;
They're like the bright star in a summer's morning
First appear and then are gone.
It's once I had a own true lover
Indeed I really thought he was my own;
Straight way he went and he courted another
And left me here to weep and moan.
I wish I was a little sparrow,
Or some of those birds that fly so high;
It's after my true love I would follow,
And when he talked I would be nigh.
While he was talking to some other,
A-telling her of many those fine things;
It's on his bosom I would flutter
With my littel tender wings.
But now I ain't no little sparrow
Nor none of those birds that fly so high;
I'll go home full of grief and sorrow
And sing and pass the time by.
Some versions are about a swallow. The sparrow/swallow image does not predate 1900, according to McNeil. Authorities believe it may be based on the Scottish ballad "Jamie Douglas." A popular version of 1727 called "Waly Waly, Gin Love Be Bony" includes this verse, which also will make you think of "Waly Waly" or "The Water is Wide," or whatever name you know it by:
O waly, waly! but love be bony
A little time while it is new
But when 't is auld, it waxeth cauld,
And fades away like morning dew.
Here's another verse, often echoed in "Little Sparrow:"
But had I wist, before I kissed
That love had been sae ill to win,
I'd lock'd my heart in a case of gold
And pin'd it with a silver pin.
I didn't want to use the tune Dolly Parton used, even though I found it nearly note for note in McNeil. Instead, I wanted something more haunting, so I went to Cecil Sharp and Olive Dame Campbell, who collected several versions of this song.
Come All You Fair And Tender Ladies (1)
O don't you remember on yon green mountain
Where I and you first fell in love
Where the little birds was sweetly singing
And even too, the little doves?
Come all ye fair and tender ladies,
Be careful how you court young men;
They're like a star of a summer's morning,
They'll first appear and then they're gone.
They'll tell to you some pleasing story
They'll declare to you they are your own;
Straightway they'll go and court some other
And leave you here in tears to mourn.
I wish I were a littel swallow
And I had wings and I could fly;
Straight after my true love I would follow,
When they'd be talking I'd be by.
But I am no little swallow
I have no wings, nor I can't fly,
And after my true love I can't follow
And when they're talking I'll set and cry.
---
---
There's many a dark and rainy morning
Turns out to be a pretty day.
Come All You Fair And Tender Ladies (2)
Come all you young and tender ladies
Take warning how you court young men
They're like a bright star in a cloudy morning
They'll first appear and then they're gone
They'll tell to you some lovely story
And tell you their love is true
Straightway to some other girl and court her
And that's the love they have for you
I wish I were a little sparrow
Had sparrow's wings and I could fly
I would fly away to my false true-love
And while he would talk I would deny.
But I am not a little sparrow
Got no wings nor I can't fly
I will sit right down in grief and sorrow
And try to pass my troubles by
If I had knowed before I courted
That love had been so hard to win
I'd locked my heart with the keys of golden
And pinned it down with a silver pin.
There are two other very similar versions in Sharp/Campbell.
The tune I chose for my version is the tune for the second version here, a pentatonic tune that I liked very much because resolves in what feels like a major key to the modern listener, but there's a haunting quality to the melody because of its modal structure.
Oddly, Niles doesn't mention this song, although McNeil says it's very common in the southeastern US.
Here is the version I ended up with.
Little Sparrow
(Sharp/Campbell 'b'; pentatonic, home G)
Come all you fair and tender ladies
Take warning how you court young men
They're like a bright star in a summer's morning
They'll first appear and then they're gone
It's once I had my own true lover
Indeed I thought he was my own
Straight way he went and he loved another
And left me here to weep and mourn
I wish I were a little sparrow
Had sparrow's wings and I could fly
After my true love I would follow
And when he talked I would deny
When he was talking to some other
A-telling her those pretty things
It's on his bosom I would flutter
With my little tender wings
But I am not a little sparrow
I've got no wings and I can't fly
I will go home full of grief and sorrow
I'll sing my troubles all goodbye
If I had known before I courted
Love would be so hard to win
I'd-a locked my hear with keys of gold
And pinned it down with a silver pin
Come all you fair and tender ladies
Take warning how you court young men
They're like a bright star on a summer's morning
They'll first appear and then they're gone
I wanted to include as many sparrow verses as I could. I have an affinity for sparrows.
So there you go.
Love,
Harper
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no subject
Date: 2005-01-25 02:59 pm (UTC)You rule, my star.
no subject
Date: 2005-01-25 03:11 pm (UTC)I really enjoy hearing how other people work on songs. I hope you're going to record those soon...
no subject
Date: 2005-01-25 05:32 pm (UTC)Which got fitted into a play about WWII at our local theatre a long time ago, but I never knew where it came from (still don't, really!). But I've just googled on the first line and found two versions, both slightly different from each other and from the one I remember.
Thanks for the above, anyway! I like re-remembering old songs....
no subject
Date: 2005-01-25 07:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-25 08:55 pm (UTC)She stole it, filed off the serial numbers, and now it's hers...the dirty duplicitous thievin' hoor...
Then again, all music is derivative in some sense or another. It's all a skein, and we tease threads out from time to time and call them our own.
I just don't know. Can't call it. Luckily enough, it doesn't matter so much to me, what Dolly did or didn't.
Your extraction business, that's interesting. You've got to stop under-rating yourself, at the heart of ye. You're something else, quite. Rara avis.
no subject
Date: 2005-01-26 06:34 am (UTC)I remember reading a story once when I was a kid about a society that didn't want any derivative works, so they forced artists to compose and perform in a vacuum, without any knowledge of what other artists were doing. The story was about a piano player and what happened to him when someone slipped him a cassette of The Well-Tempered Clavier. I don't want to live in a world like that, but I don't want people telling me I've reconstituted a Dolly Parton song, either. There's a balance, somewhere, somehow. Can I find it? I don't know. Somehow I doubt it. The world is a crazy place.
There's so much beautiful material in all that folky stuff. I think there might be a place in that little world for me, if I do it right.