Johnny Appleseed's Song

DESCRIPTION: "I love to plant a little seed Whose fruit I never see; Some hungry strange it will feed, When it becomes a tree." "I love to sing a little song... And round me see the children throng." "So I can never lonely be." "The tree will tell my deed"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1931 (Allsopp)
KEYWORDS: food nonballad travel children
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
ADDITIONAL: Fred W. Allsopp, Folklore of Romantic Arkansas, Volume II (1931), p. 272, (no title) (1 text)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Johhny Appleseed Grace" (subject)
NOTES [89 words]: Checking Granger's Index to Poetry, I find half a dozen "Johnny Appleseed" songs, none of which are this piece. The way Allsopp presents the poem, it might be traditional, so I've indexed it -- though I suspect it's just Allsopp not documenting sources.
Whether the poem actually goes back to John Chapman (c. 1775-1847) is obviously open to doubt.
It's ironic to note that Johnny Appleseed, though his work brought him fame and praise, in fact was introducing non-native species in many areas, and hence damaging the environment. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.3
File: FORA272

Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List

Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography