Wildwood Flower
Encyclopedia
"Wildwood Flower" is an American
song, best known through performances and recordings by the Carter Family
. However, the song predates them. The original title was "I'll Twine 'Mid the Ringlets". The song was written in 1860, with words by Maud Irving and music by Joseph Philbrick Webster
(1819–1875).
for the verses of his song "The Sinking of the Reuben James
" (about the USS Reuben James
). Guthrie's song had a tune of his own devising on the chorus.
Although originally a parlor song, the song had undergone quite a bit of the folk process
by the time the Carter Family recorded it. For example, the original first verse was:
The better-known Carter Family version begins:
Other variants exist; for example Iris DeMent
sings "...The pale emanita and hyssop
so blue...". Joan Baez
sings "the pale and the leader," but retains the original reference to "raven black hair" on her self-titled debut album "Joan Baez" (1960). That is also the variant printed in "The Joan Baez Songbook" (1964). Most other singers (Roger McGuinn
, for instance) substitute "amaryllis
and violets so blue" here.
Plant expert Ed Hume reports that he is unaware of a plant known as aronatus. In an unpublished monograph, Dr. Richard Blaustein, professor of sociology and anthropology at East Tennessee State University, has made a thorough analysis of the question, and identifies the amaranthus or amaranth
(Latin: aramanthus), a flower of some literary heritage, as a possible source of the "aronatus" of the Maud Irving song.
However, Bryan Chalker, a well known country singer from Bath, England, following a visit to the Appalachians and collecting folk music, suggests that the last line is "The pale oleander and violets so blue." This is very close to the misheard "The pale and the leader and eyes look so blue." The oleander was introduced into America in 1841, so if the original date of the song is 1860, this is perfectly feasible. The word is also much more singable than aronatus. What's more, amaranthus do not have eyes looking blue—they are shades of white, pink and red.
Another famous mondegreen
stems from a later verse:
Most contemporary singers render that second line,
The final two lines provide the song's title and central theme:
The song was first recorded by the Carter Family in 1928 on the Victor
label.
The song has also become a standard instrumental piece for guitarists of all skill levels. In 1955, Hank Thompson
and Merle Travis
recorded an instrumental that reached number 5 on the Country charts.
In 1960, Joan Baez
included it on her Vanguard debut album Joan Baez. Jean Ritchie
recorded a version in 1955 and Hobart Smith
in 1963, as did Mike Ness
in 1999.
In 1974, Don Bowman appropriated the tune as a background for "Wildwood Weed", a monologue about marijuana
. Performed by Jim Stafford
, it peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Country chart.
In the 2005 film Walk the Line
, Reese Witherspoon
, playing June Carter, sings "Wildwood Flower" solo while strumming her autoharp
. The film also features an instrumental version performed on guitar by Bill Frisell
.
US band Trans Am
included a somewhat unconventional rendition of "Wildwood Flower" on their EP Who Do We Think You Are.
Robin & Linda Williams recorded a version of the song, with the original title and lyrics, for their album Visions of Love. The title of the album is taken from the last line, "My visions of love have all faded away."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
song, best known through performances and recordings by the Carter Family
Carter Family
The Carter Family was a traditional American folk music group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Their music had a profound impact on bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop and rock musicians as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s. They were the first vocal group to become country...
. However, the song predates them. The original title was "I'll Twine 'Mid the Ringlets". The song was written in 1860, with words by Maud Irving and music by Joseph Philbrick Webster
Joseph Philbrick Webster
Joseph Philbrick Webster, also known as J.P. Webster , was an American songwriter and composer most notable for his musical compositions during the Antebellum and American Civil War periods of United States history, and his post-war religious hymns.Amongst his most notable works are the ballad...
(1819–1875).
Evolution and usage of the song
The tune was used by Woody GuthrieWoody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
for the verses of his song "The Sinking of the Reuben James
Reuben James (Woody Guthrie song)
“Reuben James” is a song by Woody Guthrie about the sinking of the U.S. convoy escort, the Reuben James, which was the first U.S. naval ship sunk by German U-boats in World War II. Woody Guthrie had started to write a song including each name on the casualty list of the sinking...
" (about the USS Reuben James
USS Reuben James (DD-245)
USS Reuben James —a post-World War I four-funnel Clemson-class destroyer—was the first United States Navy ship sunk by hostile action in World War II and the first named for Boatswain's Mate Reuben James , who distinguished himself fighting in the Barbary Wars.Reuben James was laid down on 2 April...
). Guthrie's song had a tune of his own devising on the chorus.
Although originally a parlor song, the song had undergone quite a bit of the folk process
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
by the time the Carter Family recorded it. For example, the original first verse was:
- I'll twine 'mid the ringlets of my raven black hair,
- The lilies so pale and the roses so fair,
- The myrtle so bright with an emerald hue,
- And the pale aronatus with eyes of bright blue.
The better-known Carter Family version begins:
- Oh, I'll twine with my mingles and waving black hair,
- With the roses so red and the lilies so fair,
- And the myrtle so bright with the emerald dew,
- The pale and the leader and eyes look like blue.
Other variants exist; for example Iris DeMent
Iris DeMent
Iris DeMent is an American singer and songwriter. DeMent's musical style encompasses the genres country and folk music.-Early life:...
sings "...The pale emanita and hyssop
Hyssop
Hyssop is a genus of about 10-12 species of herbaceous or semi-woody plants in the family Lamiaceae, native from the east Mediterranean to central Asia. They are aromatic, with erect branched stems up to 60 cm long covered with fine hairs at the tips. The leaves are narrow oblong, 2–5 cm...
so blue...". Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
sings "the pale and the leader," but retains the original reference to "raven black hair" on her self-titled debut album "Joan Baez" (1960). That is also the variant printed in "The Joan Baez Songbook" (1964). Most other singers (Roger McGuinn
Roger McGuinn
James Roger McGuinn is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist on many of The Byrds' records...
, for instance) substitute "amaryllis
Amaryllis
Amaryllis is a small genus of flowering bulbs, with two species. The better known of the two, Amaryllis belladonna, is a native of South Africa, particularly the rocky southwest region near the Cape...
and violets so blue" here.
Plant expert Ed Hume reports that he is unaware of a plant known as aronatus. In an unpublished monograph, Dr. Richard Blaustein, professor of sociology and anthropology at East Tennessee State University, has made a thorough analysis of the question, and identifies the amaranthus or amaranth
Amaranth
Amaranthus, collectively known as amaranth, is a cosmopolitan genus of herbs. Approximately 60 species are recognized, with inflorescences and foliage ranging from purple and red to gold...
(Latin: aramanthus), a flower of some literary heritage, as a possible source of the "aronatus" of the Maud Irving song.
However, Bryan Chalker, a well known country singer from Bath, England, following a visit to the Appalachians and collecting folk music, suggests that the last line is "The pale oleander and violets so blue." This is very close to the misheard "The pale and the leader and eyes look so blue." The oleander was introduced into America in 1841, so if the original date of the song is 1860, this is perfectly feasible. The word is also much more singable than aronatus. What's more, amaranthus do not have eyes looking blue—they are shades of white, pink and red.
Another famous mondegreen
Mondegreen
A mondegreen is the mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase as a result of near homophony, in a way that gives it a new meaning. It most commonly is applied to a line in a poem or a lyric in a song...
stems from a later verse:
- I'll think of him never, I'll be wildly gay
- I'll charm ev'ry heart, and the crowd I will sway.
Most contemporary singers render that second line,
- I will charm every heart; in his crown, I will sway.
The final two lines provide the song's title and central theme:
- I'll live yet to see him regret the dark hour
- He won, then neglected, this frail wildwood flower.
The song was first recorded by the Carter Family in 1928 on the Victor
Victor Talking Machine Company
The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American corporation, the leading American producer of phonographs and phonograph records and one of the leading phonograph companies in the world at the time. It was headquartered in Camden, New Jersey....
label.
The song has also become a standard instrumental piece for guitarists of all skill levels. In 1955, Hank Thompson
Hank Thompson (music)
Henry William Thompson , known professionally as Hank Thompson, was an American country music entertainer whose career spanned seven decades...
and Merle Travis
Merle Travis
Merle Robert Travis was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and musician born in Rosewood, Kentucky. His lyrics often discussed the life and exploitation of coal miners. Among his many well-known songs are "Sixteen Tons", "Re-Enlistment Blues" and "Dark as a Dungeon"...
recorded an instrumental that reached number 5 on the Country charts.
In 1960, Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
included it on her Vanguard debut album Joan Baez. Jean Ritchie
Jean Ritchie
Jean Ritchie is an American folk singer, songwriter, and Appalachian dulcimer player.- Out of Kentucky :Abigail and Balis Ritchie of Viper, Kentucky had 14 children, and Jean was the youngest...
recorded a version in 1955 and Hobart Smith
Hobart Smith
Hobart Smith was an American old-time musician. He was most notable for his appearance with his sister, Texas Gladden, on a series of Library of Congress recordings in the 1940s and his later appearances at various festivals during the folk music revival of the 1960s...
in 1963, as did Mike Ness
Mike Ness
Mike Ness is an American guitarist, vocalist, and chief songwriter for the punk rock band Social Distortion, which was formed in 1978. As of Dennis Danell's death in 2000, he is now the only original member of the band...
in 1999.
In 1974, Don Bowman appropriated the tune as a background for "Wildwood Weed", a monologue about marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
. Performed by Jim Stafford
Jim Stafford
James Wayne "Jim" Stafford is an American comedian, musician, and singer-songwriter, prominent in the 1970s. Stafford is self-taught on guitar, fiddle, piano, banjo, organ and harmonica....
, it peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Country chart.
In the 2005 film Walk the Line
Walk the Line
Walk the Line is a 2005 American biographical drama film directed by James Mangold and based on the early life and career of country music artist Johnny Cash...
, Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon , better known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer. Witherspoon landed her first feature role as the female lead in the film The Man in the Moon in 1991; later that year she made her television acting debut, in the cable movie Wildflower...
, playing June Carter, sings "Wildwood Flower" solo while strumming her autoharp
Autoharp
The autoharp is a musical string instrument having a series of chord bars attached to dampers, which, when depressed, mute all of the strings other than those that form the desired chord. Despite its name, the autoharp is not a harp at all, but a chorded zither. -History:There is debate over the...
. The film also features an instrumental version performed on guitar by Bill Frisell
Bill Frisell
William Richard "Bill" Frisell is an American guitarist and composer.One of the leading guitarists in jazz since the late 1980s, Frisell's eclectic music touches on progressive folk, classical music, country music, noise and more...
.
US band Trans Am
Trans Am (band)
Trans Am is a three-piece band which originated in Bethesda, Maryland that was one of the originators of "post-rock" in the mid 90s. Their work centers on a cerebrally robotic, usually instrumental, semi-danceable, minimalistic format, with influences including Krautrock, heavy metal, hardcore...
included a somewhat unconventional rendition of "Wildwood Flower" on their EP Who Do We Think You Are.
Robin & Linda Williams recorded a version of the song, with the original title and lyrics, for their album Visions of Love. The title of the album is taken from the last line, "My visions of love have all faded away."