Down Among the Budded Roses

DESCRIPTION: Singer tells his sweetheart that she should not forget the promise she made to him among the roses. "Down among the budded roses/I am nothing but a stem." He asks her to be his in heaven, where their hearts will be united forever. Or something like that
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (recording, Charlie Poole)
LONG DESCRIPTION: Singer tells his sweetheart that, though they have parted, she should not forget the promise she made to him among the roses in the lane. "Down among the budded roses/I am nothing but a stem." He says they will never meet again on earth, but asks her to be his in heaven, where their hearts will be united forever. Or something like that
KEYWORDS: grief loneliness love promise farewell parting separation death nonballad lover
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Rorrer-RamblingBlues-LifeAndSongsOfCharliePoole, p. 72, "Budded Rose" (1 text)
Roud #6577
RECORDINGS:
[Clarence] Ashley & [Gwen] Foster, "Faded Roses" (Vocalion 02666, 1934)
[Walter "Kid" Smith & the] Carolina Buddies, "Down among the Budding Roses" (Jewel 20004/Oriole 8004/Perfect 144/Romeo 5004. 1930)
Happy Valley Family, "Down Among the Budding Roses" (Perfect 6-08-53, 1936)
Roy Harvey & the North Carolina Ramblers, "Budded Roses" (Brunswick 268, 1928)
Daddy John Love, "Budded Roses" (Bluebird B-6675, 1936)
Asa Martin, "Budded Roses" (Perfect 13089, 1935)
Charlie Poole & the North Carolina Ramblers, "Budded Rose" (Columbia 15138-D, 1927)
Red Fox Chasers, "Budded Roses" (Supertone 9492, 1929)
Shelton Bros., "Budded Roses" (Decca 5180, 1936)
Kid Willliams & Bill Morgan, "Down Among the Budded Roses" (Homestead 16116, c. 1929)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "I'll Be With You When the Roses Bloom Again" (a line or two)
cf. "Bye and Bye You Will Forget Me (I)" (lyrics)
SAME TUNE:
Whitey & Hogan, "Answer to Budded Roses" (Decca 5817, 1940; rec. Nov. 8. 1939)
NOTES [197 words]: This sounds like nothing so much as a stripped-down version of "I'll Be With You When the Roses Bloom Again", minus the soldier bit. But except for that line, the lyrics seem to be independent, so I split them. I index this one mostly to keep the two straight. It's unclear, incidentally, whether the singer is dying or lighting out for the territories. - PJS
Dr. Thomas L. McAbee of Livermore, California writes of the "Answer to Budded Roses":
This song, as noted, borrows the tune from "Down Among The Budded Roses." The "Answer" was written by my father, Leonard Bratton McAbee, Sr., for my mother Maggie Goble McAbee. They were dear friends of the Briarhoppers and Whitey and Hogan in particular. My father served as MC for Whitey and Hogan occasionally. My parents introduced me to them in the late 1970s in Charlotte, NC, and they confirmed that my dad had written the song (and that Decca paid them nothing for the recording!).
My parents both passed away in 2010 and my brother holds our only family copy of the 78 RPM on which the song was cut. I have no legal method of proving authorship, just memories from my childhood and conversations with the recording artists. - (RBW)
Last updated in version 3.2
File: RcDATBR

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