Draft:East Virginia (song)
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Last edited by Dog-eyed woman (talk | contribs) 11 seconds ago. (Update) |
| "East Virginia" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Joan Baez | |
| from the album Joan Baez | |
| Language | English |
| Released | 1960 |
| Genre | Folk |
| Label | Vanguard |
| Composer(s) | Traditional |
"East Virginia", also refferred to as "East Virginia Blues", "Old Virginny", "Greenback Dollar", and "O! Molly Dear Go Ask Your Mother" is an American folk ballad of Anglo-American and Southern U.S. origins.[1] It is listed as no.3396/no.404 in the Roud Folk Song Index.
The song was recorded by many notable folk artists inlcuding the Carter Family in 1934, Pete Seeger in 1950, and was popularised by Joan Baez when it appeared as the second track of her debut album Joan Baez in 1960.
In "East Virginia", the narrator tells the story of his love (unnamed in Baez's version, named 'Molly' elsewhere), [2] whom he met in North Carolina. In a style typical of folk ballads, he describes the pain caused to him at seeing his love with others, and ends with a verse implying that without her love he is sure to die.
Other versions of the song share similarities with 'Silver Dagger', also recorded by Baez on the same album. In these versions, the narrator asks his love (Also named 'Molly', or 'Katie/Catie') to wake her mother, and she replies that she cannot because her mother sleeps with a dagger intending to kill the man her daughter loves.[3] These similarities are not present in Baez's 1960 recording.
Lyrics
[edit]Version Comparison
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Oh, once I lived in Old Virginny |
Lyric Variation
[edit]As is common in folk music, there is much variation in lyrics between different versions of the song. These songs were passed down different generations via the oral tradition, and variations occur commonly when lyrics are misremembered or intentionally adapted by singers, or when songs are combined.
'East Virginia' shares similaritites with 'Silver Dagger' and the two may share a common origin. An early version named "O! Molly Dear Go Ask Your Mother" performed by Kelly Harrell was recorded in 1926. Later versions of the songs have less in common, such as those recorded by Joan Baez and other singers during the folk music revival of the second half of the twentieth century. Notably, 'Silver Dagger' is sung from the perspective of the young woman, and 'East Virginia' from the perspective of her suitor.
The song also shares similarities with 'Man of Constant Sorrow'. Which in some instances references the narrator's travels from 'Old Virginia' to North Carolina and describes the love he met there, such as in this example recorded by Cecil Sharp in 1918 in Callaway, Virginia.[4] Other versions of 'Man of Constant Sorrow', such as 'Girl of Constant Sorrow' recorded by Joan Baez on the same album, contain few similarities to 'East Virginia'.