Southern Girl's Reply, The (True to the Gray)

DESCRIPTION: "I cannot listen to your words, The land's too far and wide, Go seek some happy northern girl To be your loving bride." The southern girl tells how her youngest brother and lover were slain in the Civil War; she will not marry one who fought to kill them
AUTHOR: Original words ("True to the Gray") by Pearl Rivers
EARLIEST DATE: 1941
KEYWORDS: Civilwar courting rejection
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Warner-TraditionalAmericanFolkSongsFromAnneAndFrankWarnerColl 156, "The Southern Girl's Reply" (1 collected text plus the original Rivers poem, 1 tune)
Scott-TheBalladOfAmerica, pp. 251-252, "The Southern Girl's Reply" (1 text, tune referenced)
DT, STHREPLY*
Roud #7484
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Bonnie Blue Flag" (tune & meter) and references there
NOTES [48 words]: The "Fitzhugh Lee" referred to in the first stanza was Robert E. Lee's nephew, and a cavalry officer. One of the senior generals under Jeb Stuart, he eventually commanded what remained of the cavalry of the Army of Northern Virginia after Stuart's death and Wade Hampton's transfer. - RBW
File: Wa156

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