"Pretty Fair Damsel" Performance
Added 2018-06-10 13:01:00 +0000 UTCI learned this classic British love song from the recordings of Morgan Sexton out of east Kentucky and Tom Ashley out of east Tennessee. Thanks to Patrick for requesting this song; it has been years since I've heard or sang it.
gCGCD
Pretty fair damsel in the garden
Brave young soldier riding by,
He rode up to the gate to greet her
Saying pretty fair miss will you fancy me?
I have a true love in the army
And he's been gone these seven long years,
And if he stays gone seven longer
No other man can marry me.
Perhaps he's on some ocean drowned
Perhaps he's in some battle slain,
Perhaps he's to some fair girl married
My pretty fair miss you'll never see him again.
Well if he's drowned I hope he's happy
Or if he's in some battle slain,
Or if he's too some fair girl married
I love the girl who married him.
Then he slid down off from him saddle
And from his finger drew a ring,
He said I am your loving soldier
I have returned to marry thee.
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Comments
What a great tune, another fav. U done it again cliff.
louie goodwin
2018-06-14 12:47:17 +0000 UTCIt is just a lovely tune. Thank you for sharing.
Justin Hoffmann
2018-06-11 01:36:22 +0000 UTCYes, some of this music just comes out better slowly. I love to emphasize notes with deep string-bends, slides and brushes and to let the banjo resonate--bluegrass and even what passes for "Round Peak" these days have little respect for the tonal range of the banjo. I was heavily influenced by early blues recordings and local African-American church singing during my youngest years in Savannah, Georgia which might explain why I drag things out like this.
Clifton Hicks
2018-06-10 18:53:32 +0000 UTCI guess I'm smiling at the punchline of the song. The girl in the garden has spent the past 7 years waiting on her beau to return from the Army and this young "stranger" is saying everything in the world to persuade her that her old fling is long gone and not returning. Once he's satisfied himself with questions he hops off the horse and shows her their engagement ring--lo and behold: he is her long lost suitor. He's been gone so long that she didn't recognize him! There are more verses to this song that I do not recall where it explains the irony better.
Clifton Hicks
2018-06-10 18:48:18 +0000 UTCLove your slowed casual style of playing. What's the rush right ? I think most folks associate the banjo with lightning fast Beverly Hillbillies style of playing. I know I once did. It wasn't until I discovered the oldtime mountain stuff, that it caught my attention. And even better to have someone pass it on to us. This is great.
Kurosh Ghodshowghi
2018-06-10 18:37:22 +0000 UTCRoscoe Holcomb does a version of this too except he plays on a 6 string
Patrick Campbell
2018-06-10 14:27:23 +0000 UTCAgreed! Beautiful! Your love and joy for the music really shines through, Clifton. I don’t know if that smile towards the end was from the music or something you saw externally, but it made me smile first thing this Sunday morning! Thank you for that.
Mike Rebitzke
2018-06-10 13:57:03 +0000 UTCBeautiful !
clarence s klingebeil
2018-06-10 13:32:06 +0000 UTC
