Play recording: Dark is the Colour of my True Love’s Hair
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- Teideal (Title): Dark is the Colour of my True Love’s Hair.
- Uimhir Chatalóige Ollscoil Washington (University of Washington Catalogue Number): 781509.
- Uimhir Chnuasach Bhéaloideas Éireann (National Folklore of Ireland Number): none.
- Uimhir Roud (Roud Number): 3130.
- Uimhir Laws (Laws Number): none.
- Uimhir Child (Child Number): none.
- Cnuasach (Collection): Joe Heaney Collection, University of Washington, Seattle.
- Teanga na Croímhíre (Core-Item Language): English.
- Catagóir (Category): Song.
- Ainm an té a thug (Name of Informant): Joe Heaney.
- Ainm an té a thóg (Name of Collector): Esther Warkov.
- Dáta an taifeadta (Recording Date): 02/1978 – 03/1978.
- Suíomh an taifeadta (Recording Location): University of Washington, United States of America.
- Ocáid an taifeadta (Recording Occasion): Workshop.
- Daoine eile a bhí i láthair (Others present): Mike Seeger.
- Stádas chóipcheart an taifeadta (Recording copyright status): unavailable.
Dark is the colour of my true love’s hair
Her face is like some rose so fair
Her slenderest waist and her neatest hands
I love the ground she walks upon.
I went to the river to mourn and weep
But satisfied I could never be
I wrote a letter in a few short lines
I died a death a thousand times.
Then I sat down and I wrote a song
I wrote it neat, and I wrote it long
And with every line I shed a tear
And the last line said, ‘Farewell, my dear.’
So fare thee well, my own true love
I thought you were as true as the stars above
But since pleasure on earth I can never see
I’d never do to you what you did to me.
The winter is gone and the leaves are green
The time has passed since we have been
But I hope to God the day will come
When you and I will be as one.
So dark is the color of my true love’s hair
Her face is like some rose so fair
Her slenderest waist and her neatest hands
I love the ground she walks upon.
Notes
This performance was recorded during a seminar in which Joe was joined by folksinger and scholar Mike Seeger, whose own performance of the song follows Joe’s. Mike’s song is not, however, the commonly-heard American variant, ‘Black is the color of my true love’s hair,’ but a variant of the song Joe sings as My Boy Willie (Roud 273; Laws K12).
Curiously, Joe’s version of this song appears also to have an American origin. He told Kenneth Goldstein (UW 90-39.01) that he learned it from Seán ‘ac Dhonncha, who in turn learned it from the Clare piper, Willie Clancy, who had himself learned it from the singing of Jean Ritchie whom he had encountered at a festival in Warsaw.
This was recorded while Joe was Artist in Residence at University of Washington.