Banks of the Dee (I), The

DESCRIPTION: "'Twas summer, and softly the breezes were blowing, And sweetly the nightingales sang in the trees." The girl remembers her Jamie, now gone "to quell the proud rebels." She earnestly hopes for his speedy return to her and the banks of the Dee
AUTHOR: Words: John Tate / Music: "Langolee" (traditional)
EARLIEST DATE: 1803 (The Scots Musical Museum); reportedly printed in the Philadelphia Ledger, 1885 (Dichter/Shapiro)
KEYWORDS: love separation soldier
FOUND IN: Britain US(MA,NE) Canada(Ont)
REFERENCES (8 citations):
Greig/Duncan8 1525, "The Banks of the Dee" (1 fragment, 1 tune)
Whitelaw-BookOfScottishSong, pp. 136-137, "The Banks of the Dee" (1 text)
Vikár/Panagapka-SongsNorthWoodsSungByOJAbbott 50, "The Banks of the Dee" (1 text, 1 tune)
Sturgis/Hughes-SongsFromTheHillsOfVermont, pp. 22-25, "The Banks of the Dee" (1 text, 1 tune)
Thompson-BodyBootsAndBritches-NewYorkStateFolktales, pp. 337-338, "(no title)" (1 text)
Rabson-SongbookOfTheAmericanRevolution, p. 26, "The Banks of the Dee" (1 text, tune on p. 27)
cf. Gardner/Chickering-BalladsAndSongsOfSouthernMichigan, p. 477, "The Banks of the Dee" (source notes only)
DT, BNKSDEE*
Roud #3847
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 16(13c), "The Banks of the Dee" ("'Twas summer when softly the breezes were blowing"), W. Armstrong (Liverpool), 1820-1824; also Harding B 41(1)[many illegible words], 2806 b.9(238), Harding B 20(6), Johnson Ballads 8, Harding B 11(156), 2806 c.15(67), Firth c.13(247), Firth b.26(496), Harding B 26(30), Harding B 26(31), Harding B 22(9), Harding B 25(110), "[The] Banks of the Dee"
SAME TUNE:
Cawsand Bay (file: OBB168)
Langolee (DT, LANGLEE)
The Banks of Champlain (Huntington-SongsTheWhalemenSang, pp. 161-162, probably originally sung to this tune)
Oliver Arnold's parody of Banks of the Dee (DT, BNKSDEE2, said by Spaeth to date from 1775)
Johnie Miller of Glenlee (File: LyCr170)
Volunteers of Ireland Song (Winstock-SongsAndMusicOfTheRedcoats, pp. 78-86)
A Parody on The Banks of the Dee ("'Twas winter and blue Tory noses were freezing") (Rabson-SongbookOfTheAmericanRevolution, pp. 27-28)
NOTES [147 words]: Some have questioned if this song is traditional, but the tune assuredly is. The texts of "Langolee" (properly "new Langolee"; see Bruce Olson's notes in the Digital Tradition), however, are absolutely hopeless and untraditional. As a result, I decided to list "The Banks of the Dee" as the main entry.
It appears that "Banks of the Dee" was the main mechanism by which the tune became known. Huntington's song "The Banks of Champlain," for instance, although no tune is given, has "Langolee" written all over it -- and no doubt the title of Tait's piece inspired the American song.
It's interesting to note that, although there are several American songs about the American Revolution, this seems to be the only one from the British standpoint. Still more interesting, it shows little interest in the political aspect of that conflict; the girl just wants her Jamie to return. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.7
File: DTbnksde

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