Mabel Clare

DESCRIPTION: The singer recalls walking in the garden to gather roses to "braid in [Mabel's] golden/shiny hair." But now he gathers with others to bid her farewell, as she has died
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1952 (Browne-AlabamaFolkLyric)
KEYWORDS: love hair flowers death
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Browne-AlabamaFolkLyric 96, "Mabel Clare" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Roud #11387
NOTES [79 words]: Browne-AlabamaFolkLyric notes that there was an 1862 song "Mabel Clare" with words by R. Hunt and music by A. J. Higgins. Based on the version on p 67 of Dime-Song-Book #2, it is similar in plot (it recalls beautiful Mabel, who is now dead), but omits the flower-gathering theme that is in both Browne-AlabamaFolkLyric's texts, and the words are quite different. Like Browne-AlabamaFolkLyric, I suspect one inspired the other, but they don't really look like the same song. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.6
File: Brne096

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