7R. Yon Green Valley (Green Valley) Roud 2125
A. "The Green Valley," sung by Mrs. Anderson, Aberdeenshire in November of 1909 from Greig-Duncan Collection 6, p.282.
B. "Early In the Spring," from Folk-Songs of the North Atlantic States, from S. C, Boston, Mass., native of Co. Tyrone collected by Phillips Barry. Reprinted in JAF, Vol. 22 on October 1, 1909 by Phillips Barry in Irish Come-All-Ye's.
C. "Green Valley." Collected by MacEdward Leach in 1951 from Mrs Teresa (Leonard) Molloy nee Hayward (1910-?)of St Shott's, NL.
D. "Yon Green Valley" sung by William Gilkie of Sambo Nova Scotia in September 1951 collected Creighton.
E. "Yon Green Valley" sung by Bruce Laurenson of Bressay, Shetland collected by Patrick Shuldham-Shaw in 1952. printed in Kennedy, Folksongs of Britain & Ireland (1975) p.368. Cover songs by Frankie Armstrong, Debra Cowan and Chris Coe.
F. "Yon Green Valley" sung by Mr. W.E. Ireland Elgin, Nova Scotia, 1954 collected Creighton.
G. "Green Valley" sung by Marie Hare of Strathadam, New Brunswick at the 1958 Miramichi Festival, an old family version dating back to before 1925, Recorded by Sandy Patton for Folk Legacy
H. The Green Valley" sung by Harold Whitney of Strathadam, New Brunswick, 1960 Miramichi Festival. Harold is Marie Hare's brother and although it's a family version-- there are differences.
I. "Yon Green Valley," sung by Lon Walsh on July 10, 1991 St. Marys Bay, Newfoundland collected by Anne Burke.
["Yon Green Valley" or, "Green Valley" is a ballad originating in the UK that uses the theme from Died for Love and some versions have borrowed a stanza or stanzas from Died for Love and its extended song family. The ballad is not well known. Only three[1] extant versions have been taken from UK singers while Canada is best represented with eight traditional versions. The theme is a familiar one: A maid meets a false young man who courts her in secret in yon green valley. After he beguiles her and she becomes pregnant he tells her that he must follow his father's wishes and leave. She finds that he's leaving to marry another girl. She bewails her situation and in some versions there are the "Must I go Bound," or, the "I Wish I Wish" stanzas from Died for Love. She vows to "trust no more in false mankind.[2]"
A.L. Lloyd who wrote the liner notes for Frankie Armstrong's The Green Valley[3] commented: Most of our lost-love songs are from the girl’s viewpoint. On this theme, girls’ songs probably outnumber the boys’ five to one, the proportion established by Bartók after a statistical survey of his huge East European collection, he concluded that “the figures mean that love relations are far more momentous to girls”: fair enough. They’re a confusing lot, these songs that tell no tale but convey a mood. They merely take a stock of images and commonplace verses, and combine and recombine them till one hardly knows whether one’s hearing a dozen different songs or a dozen versions of the same lyrical piece. So it is with this one, entirely constructed of verses that crop up here and there in countless lost-love songs, Nor does the tune help much to distinguish one piece from the other. In this case it’s a member of that vast melody-family of which Died for Love is the central figure.
Armstrong's version is based the Shetland version sung by Bruce Laurenson of Bressay in 1952. The last stanza is derived from, or is similar to, the penultimate stanza in "I am a Rover" another song that blends floating Died for Love stanzas. Here's Armstrong's stanza:
Oh am I bound or am I free?
Oh am I bound to marry thee?
A single life is the best I see,
A contented mind bears no slavery.
Here's the stanza from "I am a Rover (The Rover)" which dates back to circa 1830:
“O, am I bound or am I free?
Or am I bound to marry thee?
A married life you soon shall see,
A contented mind is no jealousy.”
As you look at the various texts of Green Valley, it becomes clear that the promises of the false young man to the maid which deceive her at yon green valley are similar to those at the beginning of the old broadside "Wheel of Fortune":
When I was young I was much beloved
By all the young men in the country;
When I was blooming all in my blossom,
A false young lover deceived me.
He has tried his whole endeavor,
He has tried all his power and skill,
He has spoiled all my good behaviour,
He has broken my fortune against my will.
I did not think he was going to leave me,
Till the next morning when he came in;
Then he sat down and began a-talking,
Then all my sorrows did begin.
As pointed out by Lloyd, the broadsides, ballads and songs about the maid seduced by a false love and then abandoned after she becomes pregnant are the unifying characteristics of the Died for Love songs. This ballad also compares to the abandoned lover broadside "Effects of Love" which is Roud 1493 (not the broadside of the same name that is part of Died for Love) and is known in tradition by the name, Betsy Watson." Now let's compare the opening of the Wheel of Fortune to opening of the Green Valley collected by MacEdward Leach in Newfoundland[4]:
A young man courted me earnestly,
It was to his wish I did agree;
He had a false and a flattering heart,
He courted me when I was young.
It was on a book he got me to swear,
Saying, that was her love, I do declare;
To wed no man, no man but he,
As the sun rose down over yon green valley.
You have a heart, love, and I got none,
Pray give me mine, love, and keep your own;
For you're as false as the wavering wind,
And I dote no more on false mankind.
The last stanza is known also as "two hearts" (usually beginning "You have two hearts, love, . . ." see 7G. Early, Early by the Break of Day) and appears in the Brisk Young Sailor broadside, an English variant of Love has Brought Me to Despair, the broadside "Two Hearts" and also in the Newfoundland song-- She's Like the Swallow. The circle through the Died for Love family of songs is complete-- we're back in Newfoundland again!
A, The Green Valley, was collected from Mrs. Anderson of Aberdeenshire, Scotland who was the mother-in-law of J.B. Duncan one of the collectors of the Greig-Duncan Collection. Although this variant was collected in 1909, it clearly dates back far into the 1800s. It is given in full:
The Green Valley
1. A young man courted me all on sly,
And to his wishes I did comply.
'Twas his false vows and his flattering tongue,
That beguiled me when I was young.
2. In yon green valley as we sat down
There was no one there but the wee birds round
They changed their sweet notes from tree to tree
And we sweetly joined in their melody
3. For nine long months he proved kind,
Soon after that he changed his mind.
He changed his mind to some high degree
And said farewell to yon green valley.
4. O hold him fast don't let him go
For he is mine, right well he knows
Don't you make the promises you made me
As we sat down in yon green valley.
5 I mind the promise I made to thee,
As we sat down in yon green valley,
But my father's counsel I maun obey,
So goodbye darling, I'm away.
6. Oh since he's gone and I wish him well,
For to get married I hear them tell.
But his innocent babe I'll nurse and train,
And trust no more in a young man's vows.
7. Why need I think of his yellow hair
His ruby lips need I compare
His twa dark eyes and his flattering tongue,
That beguiled me when I was young.
8. I'll sing one verse and I'll sing no more
I'll sing that verse right o'er and o'er
I'll change my mind with the rising wind
And trust no more in false mankind.
This version has no stanzas in common with Died for Love, however the theme is very clear: she was courted secretly by a false young man who was presumably engaged to marry someone else. When she became pregnant, he left saying he must return to carry out his father's wishes. The 7th stanza, when she admires "his yellow hair," is reminiscent of "the colour of amber" stanza found in the Appalachian song, "Black is the Colour."
B is an anomaly (sung by the man) collected by Phillips Barry from a native of County Tyrone, Ireland. It was reprinted in Vol. 22 of the JAF on October 1, 1909 in Barry's article, "Irish Come-All-Ye's" and is sung from the male perspective. Barry, a renown musicologist from Harvard, offers only a single reference for the tune, and no information about the text. His version was not identified until recently[5].
"Early in the Spring" sung by S.C. of Boston, Mass. a native of County Tyrone.
1. Early early all in the spring,
When gentle small birds begin to sing,
Changing their notes from tree to tree,
As the sun arose over yon green valley.
2. For six long months my love she did prove kind,
And then six after, she changed her mind,
Saying "Farewell, darling, I must away,
You know my parents I must obey!"
3. He held her fast, he would not let her go,
Saying, "Mary, Mary, my mind you know,
Fulfil those vows you made to me,
As the sun arose over yon green valley!"
4. "It was on a book, love, you made me swear,
If you read these few lines, you'll find it there,
That I can't marry, nor no one take,
Nor when you're dead, love none for your sake!"
5. "I'll think no more of her yellow hair,
Her two black eyes are beyond compare,
Her cherry cheeks, and her flattering tongue,
It was it beguiled me when I was young!"
6. Down in yon valley all closed around,
There's nothing there, but the small birds' sound,[6]
[Changing their notes from tree to tree,
As the sun arose over yon green valley.]
7. I sing one verse, and I sing no more,
Since the girl has left me that I adore!
I change my mind like the waving wind,
And I'll dote no more on false womankind!
Clearly two lines are missing in 6th stanza which echoes the 1st so I've added them. The 7th stanza is not marked and now begins: "I sing one verse." Both A and B are clearly from the 1800s with B being learned in Ireland-- I'm guessing-- a number of years before the year 1900. The following opening stanza of Winnie Ryan's "Alehouse[7]" begins with a first line like 7A Sailor Boy and is similar to the version from County Tyrone collected and published by Barry:
Oh, it is early, early all in the spring
When the small birds whistle and cheerfully sing,
When they change their note, love, from tree to tree,
And they loudly sung over our valley.
A similar stanza is found in some versions of the traditional Irish ballad, "The Croppy Boy." In 1952 Patrick Shuldham-Shaw discovered that one of his best informants, Bruce Laurenson of Bressay, Shetlandknew knew a version. Laurenson's version has been recorded by Frankie Armstrong, Debra Cowan of Massachusetts and Chris Coe:
"Yon Green Valley" sung by Bruce Laurenson of Bressay, Shetland, 1952
For a young man courted me earnest-lie
It was with his wishes I did comply,
It was his false vows and flattering tongue
He beguiled me love when I was young.
In yon green valley we both went down,
Where the pretty small birds come a-whistling 'round,
Changing their notes from tree to tree,
As the sun arose on yon green valley.
As I sat down by my love's right hand,
He swore by Heaven, by sea and land,
That the rising sun he would never see,
If ever he proved false to me.
For eleven long months he proved true and kind,
But a short time after he changed his mind,
He changed his mind to a high degree,
And he bade farewell to yon green valley.
O hold him fast, don't you let him go
For he his mine, and it's well he knows
Don't you mind of the promise you made to me
As the sun arose on yon green valley?
“I mind of the promise I made to you
But I'll have nothing more to do with you
My father's counsel I must obey
So it's goodbye, darling, I must away.”
O if he's gone, then I wish him well
For to get married as I hear tell
My innocent babe I will tender care
Of his false promise let him beware
O am I married, or am I free
Or am I bound, love, to marry thee?
A single life is the best I see
A contented mind bears no slavery.
The ending is close to a similar stanza in "The Rover" a circa 1830s broadside. The Green Valley has been found in Canada in a number of regions. In Strathadam, New Brunswick the ballad was well-known to a Miramichi singing family of the Whitney's whose member sang a version dating back to before 1925. Marie Hare sang her version at the 1958 Miramichi Music Festival while her brother Harold Whitney sang his version at Festival several years later. Here is Marie Hare's text:
The Green Valley
1. O, the first young man that came courting me,
I'll make no doubt that he loved me,
With his false heart and his flattering tongue,
He was the first to entice me when I was young,
2. O, the first six months his love proved kind,
Until at last he changed his mind.
Saying, "My parents call, and I must obey,
So it's goodbye, love, I am going away."
3. "I will hold you fast, I'll not let you go,
For you are mine by right, you know;
Fulfill those vows that you made to me
As the bright sun rose on Green Valley.
4. "It was on this book, love, you made me swear,
And those few lines you soon shall hear,
That no other marriage was I ne'er to make,
With no other young man, all for your sake.
5. "Now, must I go bound while he goes free?
Must I love a man that don't love me?
Or must I act a childish part
And love a man who has broke my heart?
6. "O, I must not think of his curly hair,
His cherries lips nor his wav'ring curls,
With his fond heart and his flattering tongue,
He was the first to entice me when I was young.
7. "It was on the green, love, where we sat down,
Nothing but small birds came fluttering round,
Changing their notes from tree to tree,
As the bright sun rose on Green Valley.
8. "I will sing one verse, and I'll sing no more,
Since the boy has gone that I adore.
I will change my mind like the wavering wind,
And I'll depend no more on false mankind."
This version has the floating "Must I go bound" stanza, the "colour of amber" stanza, and the "fluttering bird" stanza that are standard in this ballad of abandonment by a false lover. In stanza 3 of this version the maid tries vainly uphold to the marriage vows that her lover pledged but broke. These vows are sometimes sworn on a book (ref. bible) and the breaking of the vows by her lover demonstrate his moral compass. Because the relationship of the Died for Love songs is subtle, there are connections that can easily be missed. One opening line, "For a young man courted me earnest-lie[8]" is very similar to Roud 60's Brisk Young Lover's opening: "A brisk young lover came courting me." The "colour of amber" stanza, the "flattering tongue" and the "fluttering bird" stanza are all commonplace in this ballad about the lover who does not return.
The ballad was popularized by the Canadian folk duo Ian & Sylvia who included a cover of Marie Hare's version on their Northern Journey LP (Vanguard) in 1964. Other recordings by Frankie Armstrong on "Lovely on the Water," 1972, Debra Cowan and Chris Coe have helped shed light on this obscure relative of the Died For Love songs.
R. Matteson 2017]
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Footnotes:
1. Barry''s informant (version B) learned his version in County Tyrone although he was living in Boston at the time. The other two extant version are from Scotland, and Shetland Islands.
2. The last line found in the version from "Yon Green Valley," sung by Mrs. Anderson, Aberdeenshire in November of 1909 from Greig-Duncan Collection 6, p. 282.
3. Lloyd's notes are on Armstrong's LP "Lovely on the Water," 1972 (courtesy of Mainly Norfolk).
4. Collected by MacEdward Leach in 1951 from Mrs Teresa (Leonard) Molloy nee Hayward (1910-?)of St Shott's, NL.
5. I posted Barry's version on Mudcat Discussion Forum in February, 2017.
6. I've added the next two lines. This is a recapitulation of the first stanza, see also William Gilkie's version.
7. Winnie Ryan sang "Early Early All in the Spring" in a field recording made by Peter Kennedy and Sean O'Boyle in Belfast in 1952. It was included in 2014 on the Topic anthology The Flax in Bloom (The Voice of the People Volume 27). For a derivative opening stanza see also The Croppy Boy.
8. Opening of "Yon Green Valley" sung by Bruce Laurenson of Bressay, Shetland collected by Patrick Shuldham-Shaw in 1952. printed in Kennedy, Folksongs of Britain & Ireland (1975) p.368.