Annotation:Gardener's Son (The)

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 GARDENER'S SON, THE. AKA - "Willow Tree (The)." Irish, Air (4/4 time). A Minor. Standard tuning (fiddle). One part. "Versions of this song are current in England and Scotland as well as in Ireland. The English version may be seen in Chappell's Popular Music of the Olden Time, p. 522; there called 'The Willow Tree'; and the Scotch in Wood's Songs of Scotland, III. 84, 85. I give here from memory three verses as I heard them sung by the people of the south of Ireland; and I know a fourth which has the same play on the words 'thyme' and 'rue' as is found in the English and Scotch versions. The song conveys a warning to young maids not to let young men too easily steal 'this heart of mine, mine': in other words, to be cautions about too readily falling in love. As with the words, so with the air. The English and Scotch versions will be found with the words, as referred to above. Our Irish version, which is given here, was published by me for the first time in my Ancient Irish Music, with two verses of the song. Evidently all three are derived from one common origin" (Joyce). When I was a maiden fair and young,  I flourished in my prime, prime, Till a proper tall young man came in, And stole this heart of mine, mine, And stole this heart of mine.

 Source for notated version:  Printed sources: Joyce (Old Irish Folk Music and Song), 1909; No. 381, p. 189.  Recorded sources:

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