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Farewell to Molly (Handsome Molly)
Traditional Old-Time Song; Widely known
ARTIST: Farewell to Molly from Nathan D. Rose Website
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes DATE: 1927 recording, Grayson & Whitter.
RECORDING INFO: Grayson & Whitter, "Handsome Molly" (Victor 21189, 1927; on GraysonWhitter01, LostProv1) Blake, Norman. Rising Fawn String Ensemble, Rounder 0122, LP (1979), cut#B.01. Bluestein, Evo. Evo's Autoharp, Greenhays GR 715, LP (1985), cut# 7.Bursen, Howard (Howie). Cider in the Kitchen, Folk Legacy FSI-074, LP (1980), cut# 2. Carr, Kevin. 15th Annual Topanga Banjo and Fiddle Contest, Black Mountain Mi 7775, LP (197?), cut# 1a. New Lost City Ramblers. Old-Time String Band Songbook, Oak, Sof (1964/1976), p 35 Seeger, Mike. Old Time Country Music, Folkways FA 2325, LP, cut# 14. Watson, Doc; and Gaither Carlton. Old-Time Music at Clarence Ashley's. Part 1, Folkways FA 2355, LP (1961), cut# 13. Watson, Doc. Essential Doc Watson, Vanguard VCD 45/46, CD (1986), cut#23. West, Harry and Jeanie. Smokey Mountain Ballads, Counterpoint/Esoteric CPT-545, LP (197?), cut# 9.
Some Recordings of Handsome Molly
Grayson & Whitter (1927)
Old Time Music At Clarence Ashley's (Vol. 1): Watson & Carlton (1961)
The Country Gentlemen Sing and Play Folk Songs And Bluegrass:
The Country Gentlemen (1961)
Folk Song Festival: Stanley Brothers (1962)
Traditional Music from Grayson and Carroll Counties, VA:
Various Artists - Glen Neaves) (1962)
Old Time Country Music: Mike Seeger (1962)
The Country Gentlemen on the Road: The Country Gentlemen (1963)
Treasures Untold: Doc Watson (1964)
Chicago Mob Scene - A Folk Song Jam Session:
Various Artists - Larry Ehrlich (196?)
Folk Banjo Styles: Tom Paley (196?)
From The Maple On The Hill: Wade Mainer (1976)
Going Down Lee Highway: Grayson & Whitter (1977)
The Bergerfolk, Vol. 4 - Pack Up Your Sorrows: The Bergerfolk (1978)
Rising Fawn String Ensemble: Norman Blake (1979)
Smokey Mountain Ballads: Harry West & Jeannie (197?)
Cider In The Kitchen: Howard Bursen (1980)
Hits From Home: Tom Bledsoe & Rich Kirby (1982)
Wild Over Us: Duffy Brothers (1982)
Grinning In Your Face: Martin Simpson (1983)
Evo's Autoharp: Evo Bluestein (1985)
Acoustic Music To Suit Most Occasions: The Deighton Family (1988)
Odd Man In: Tim O'Brien (1991)
Treasures Untold: Doc Watson (1992)
1959-1963 Box Set: Flatt & Scruggs (1992)
Early Starday-King Years 1958-61: The Stanley Brothers (1994)
Original Folkways Recordings of Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley 1960-1962 (1994)
Ian & Sylvia: Ian & Sylvia (1995)
Stanley Series, Vol 3 #4: Stanley Brothers (19??)
1963-64 Newport Folk Festival Recordings: Doc Watson (19??)
Going Down Lee Highway 1927-1929 Recordings: Grayson and Whitter (19??)
Ballads & Songs: Various Artists (Grayson & Whitter) (19??)
Alex Campbell, Ola Belle & Deacon (19??)
RELATES TO: "Black-Eyed Mary;" "Lovely Molly;" “Loving Hannah;” “Farewell Ballymoney;” Irish Girl; Going Across the River to Hear My Banjo Ring; Gee Whiz What They Done to Me;
OTHER NAMES: "Hannah My Love"
SOURCES: Silber-FSWB, p. 148, "Handsome Molly;" Folk Songs of Peggy Seeger-Oak; Sing Out-Vol. 2; Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc;
NOTES: Handsome Molly is a version of the “Irish Girl/Farewell Ballymoney” branches of tunes. Below are notes on both related branches.
NOTES ON FAREWELL BALLYMONEY: Farewell Ballymoney branch includes the titles "Black-Eyed Mary," "Lovely Molly" and "Loving Hannah." Here are some collected versions: Randolph 749, "Black-Eyed Mary" Meredith/Anderson, p. 172, "Lovely Molly;" Sharp/Karpeles-80E 44, "The Irish Girl;" S. Henry H625, pp. 342-343, "Dark-Eyed Molly"; H615, p. 343, "Farewell Ballymoney;" Kennedy 155, "Going to Mass Last Sunday;" MacSeegTrav 63, "I Went to Mass on Sunday;" Lomax-FSNA 103, "Loving Hannah."
The setting of this song varies widely. One stanza, however, is fairly characteristic: I went to church last Sunday/ My true love passed me by/I could see her mind was a-changing/By the rolling of her eye.
This stanza also shows up in some versions of "The Irish Girl." “I believe the old-time country song "Handsome Molly" to be a form of this piece (and most experts agree)” Traditional Ballad Index.
NOTES ON IRISH GIRL: "Irish, Air (4/4 time). A Major. Standard. One part. "This beautiful air, and the accompanying words, I have known since my childhood. I have copies of the song on broadsheets, varing a good deal, and much corrupted. The versions I give here of air and words are from my own memory, as sung by the old people of Limerick whin I was a child. More than half a century ago I gave this air to Dr. Pertie: and it is included in the Stanford-Petrie collection of Irish music, with my name acknowledged. But the words, as I give them here, have hitherto never been published though I have seen very corrupt versions in print" (Joyce). This melody served as the vehicle for many a folksong in the English speaking world, and versions have been collected in Canada, America and Australia. Cazden (et al, 1982) notes that several lumbercamp ditties were sung to it, including "Peter Emberley," some versions of "The Jam at Gerry's Rock," "The Farmer's Son and the Shanty Boy," and his Catskill Mountain (New York) collected "Adieu to Prince Edward's Isle." Phillips Barry identifies the tune strain for another Irish song in Petrie's collection, #498, "The Maid of Timahoe." (Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc).
IRISH GIRL:
As I walked out one evening down by a river side,
While gazing all around me an Irish girl I spied;
A rosy red was on her cheeks, and coal-black was her hair;
And costly were the robes of gold this Irish girl did wear.
MORE NOTES: Handsome Molly is regarded as a version of the "Farewell Ballymoney/Loving Hannah" family of songs (with which it shares several verses and the whole plot, as well as melodic similarities). Paul Stamler, however, observes that "The plotline is similar, but I'd be inclined to split off 'Molly' and class the 'went to church on Sunday' verse as a floater. Look at it this way -- if you ask old-time musicians to play 'Handsome Molly' about 95% can do so, but if you ask them to play 'Farewell Ballymoney' at least 95% will go, 'Hah?'"
LYRICS:
When going to Mass last Sunday, my love she passed me by,
I knew her mind was altered by the roving of her eye,
I knew her mind was altered to a lad of higher degree,
For it's Molly lovely Molly your looks have wounded me.
O woe unto you, Molly, to me you've proved unkind
You have plucked the bonny briar and left the sweet red rose behind
But the briar will surely wither and the day it will come soon
When the lovely blushing red rose will flourish and will bloom.
For courting is a pleasure between my love and I
And it's down in yon green valley we will meet by and by
It is down in yon green valley she is my heart's delight
And it's with you, lovely Molly, I could spend till the broad daylight
I then took out a bottle and I held it in my hand
Saying, Raise your glass, dear Molly, our friendship's at an end
Saying, Raise your glass, dear Molly, drink this bottle dry to me
For there are ten guineas wagered that married we neer shall be
Now never trust a wee girl with a dark and roving eye
Just court her and embrace her, never tell her the reason why
Just court her and embrace her till you'll cause her heart to yield
For a fainthearted soldier never won on a battlefield
So farewell Ballymoney and County Antrim too
Likewise to you, dear Molly, I bid you a fond adieu
America lies far away across the ocean blue
It is there I'm going, dear Molly, again I bid adieu
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