Willow Tree (IV), The

DESCRIPTION: "As I passed by a willow tree, willow tree, That willow leaf blew down on me. I picked it up, it would not break. I passed my love, he would not speak." The singer recalls meetings, wishes she were understood, and says she would be happy if he came back
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1973 (Hamer)
KEYWORDS: love courting abandonment floatingverses
FOUND IN: Britain(England(West))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Hamer-GreenGroves, p. 46, "The Willow Tree" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #18831
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "My Blue-Eyed Boy" (theme, lyrics) and references there
NOTES [65 words]: Roud links this with "My Blue-Eyed Boy," which in turn links with "The Butcher Boy." I see his point; a lot of this is free-floating material. But the "willow leaf" motif is unusual, and the tune, which uses both a sharped and a flatted fifth (transcribed by Hamer as a sharped fourth) looks very unusual. So I've split them, while freely admitting the close similarity and likely kinship. - RBW
Last updated in version 5.0
File: HaGr046

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