Jean Redpath sings "The Banks O' Red Roses"

Jean Redpath sings Three Scottish Songs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z97eYzFuvDI 

 

Jean Redpath performing three songs of her native Scotland. Her notes to the songs are found below.

 

I. The Bonnie Lass of Fyvie

Practically every town and village in Scotland is honored in song, with Fyvie perhaps getting more than its fair share. Located on the River Ythan, in the northeastern Scottish country of Aberdeen, Fyvie is widely known through its place-name reference in this song and the ballad of "The Trumpeter of Fyvie" (Tifty's Annie", Child No. 233). This is one of the most popular songs in northeastern Scotland.

 

II. Willie's Rare

This lyric lament is probably all that remains from a once longer ballad. It is sometimes considered a variant of "Rare Willie Drowned in Yarrow" (Child No. 215), and is listed as such in numerous anthologies. The source is William Thomson's "Orpheus Caledonius", 1733, one of the earliest published collections of Scots songlore.

 

III. The Fife Overgate

Several forms of this ribald Scots ballad are known, but the version sung here is mostly from my own family tradition in Leven, Fifeshire. The tune, refrain and half of the text were learned from my mother's singing, with the remaining verses conflated from several other sources. The first verse is unique in that it places the song in an East Fife setting. And here is a link to my Jean Redpath playlist:   

 • Jean Redpath (1937-2014)  

 

Jean Redpath sings "The Banks O' Red Roses"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12tyMUsUR28 

 

Jean Redpath sings the murder ballad "The Banks of Red Roses" (Roud #603) from her 1962 album "Skipping Barefoot through the Country."

 

She writes that it is related to a beautiful Irish pastoral song of the same name by dint of its first two verses.

Jean attributes this Scottish version was collected by Hamish Henderson from a blind fiddler in Elgin, Morayshire.

She learned it from Ella Ward in Edinburgh.

 

And here is a link to my Jean Redpath playlist:   

 • Jean Redpath (1937-2014)  

Jean Redpath (1937-2014)

 

Written by[Traditional]

 

LanguageEnglish

 

Comments  aka "The Banks of Roses" [Roud 603; G/D 7:1444; Ballad Index Doe315; trad.]. In Ireland and England this is usually a love song in which the wayward hero produces a symbolic instrument, fiddle, tune-box, flute or even tuning fork, with which he (Johnny) serenades his girl (Mary).  In other versions (usually American), there is another verse where Johnny takes out his knife and plunges into the heart of his Mary.

 

 

On the Banks of the Roses me love and I sat down
And I took out me fiddle for to play me love a tune
And in the middle of the tune-o she smiled and she said
Ere Johnny, lovely Johnny won't ya leave me

When I was a young one I heard me father say
That he'd rather see me dead and buried in the clay
Sooner than be married to any runaway
By the lovely sweet banks of the roses

And then I am no runaway and soon I'll let them know
That I can take a bottle or can leave it alone
And if her daddy doesn't like it he can keep his daughter at home
And young Johnny will go rovin' with some other

And when I get married t'will be in the month of May
When the leaves they are green and the meadows they are gay
And me and me true love we'll sit and sport and play
By the lovely sweet banks of the roses

 

 

On the banks of red roses me love and I sat down
And I took out me fiddle for to play me love a tune.
In the middle of the tune though she sighed and she said,
'Oh me Johnny, lovely Johnny, would you leave me'

 

Oh, when I was a young girl I heard me mother say
That I was a foolish lass and easy led astray.
And before that I would work, I would sooner sport and play
With me Johnny on the Banks of Red Roses.

Well he took her to his lodge and he treated her to tea,
Saying, 'Drink me dearest Mary and come along with me,'
Saying, 'Drink me dearest Mary and come along with me
To the sweet and lovely Banks of Red Roses.'

[Instrumental]

And then they walked and they talked till they came unto a cave
Where Johnny all the day had been digging up a grave,
Where Johnny all the day had been digging up a grave
For to leave his lassie low among the roses.

Then he took out a pen knife, it was both long and sharp,
And he plunged it right into his own dear Mary’s heart.
And he plunged it right into his own dear Mary’s heart
And he left her lying low among the roses

 

Song Details

Author: Unknown. The earliest date of circulation in print or manuscript - 1790 (Madden Collection)

 

Brief: A dark story of seduction and premeditated murder where Mary meets Johnny on the banks of the Roses and bids him to never leave her. Johnny takes her  to his home for a lovely cup of tea and invites her to take a stroll to the sweet and lovely Banks of Red Roses. They walked and talked and he lures her to a cave where he had pre-prepared her grave. It was there that he lunged a knife into her heart and buried her low among the roses.

 

Other Titles: The Banks of the Roses, Banks O' Red Roses - there are many versions of the song with some leaving out portions of the plot.

Category: Traditional Irish Folk Song

 

De Danann: Irish Folk band originating in Galway, Ireland. They began performing in 1975 and disbanded in 2003. They re-grouped in 2009 with a new line-up except for Frankie Gavin (fiddle) - original foundation member... more.

Covers: Lizzie Higgins, Sarah Makem, June Tabor, Ruby Kelbie, Jean Redpath, The Dubliners, Battlefield Band, Pete Coe, Jon Boden, Kathleen Boyle, Jeanie Roy Collins, Jennifer Clark...

Album: The Best Of DeDannan

 

When I was a wee thing, I heard my mother say
That I was meant for rambling and would easy go astray
And before that I would work, I would rather sport and play
With my Johnny on the banks of red roses

On the banks of red roses, my love and I sat doon
He took out his tuning box to play his love a tune
In the middle of the tune, his love got up and cried
Oh Johnny, lovely Johnny, would you leave me?

So they walked and they talked until they came upon a cave
Where the night before her darling had spent digging on her grave
Aye, the night before her darling had spent digging on her grave
On the bonnie, bonnie banks of red roses

Oh no, oh no, cried she, that grave's not meant for me
Yes, oh yes, my darling, that your bridal bed shall be
Yes, oh yes, my darling, that your bridal bed shall be
And he's made her to lie down on red roses 

 

And all on his way homeward, his heart was filled with fear
Every maid he came upon, he thought it was his dear
Yes, every maid he came upon, he thought it was his dear
Who he made to lie down on red roses

Recorded by Jean Redpath.

Probable source : Hamish Henderson.
also by Buffy Ste Marie on Many a Mile