US & Canada Versions 7T. Bury Me Beneath The Willow
["Bury Me Beneath The Willow" or "Weeping Willow Tree" was a popular song in the early 1900s and has remained popular as a standard bluegrass and country song. Fashioned after the "Died for Love" theme, its origin is unknown. Since it has appeared in a number of different locations in the South and Mid-West with very similar lyrics, it surely has come from a print source in the US during the mid-1800s[1]. A similar song is the Wildwood Flower whose origin was not documented until the late 1900s when the sheet music for “I'll Twine 'Mid the Ringlets” was discovered.
Since the number of recordings is enormous, this study will include some of the early and important recordings as well as the early collected versions from Belden, Brown, Randolph and others. Curiously, the song was not collected by Cox in West Virginia, by Gardner in Michigan, by Flanders in New England, or by Fowke in Canada[2]. The song does show up in Missouri in 1909 which means it was there in the late 1800s at least.
The song has been popularized with the Carter Family whose version was the first song they recorded for Ralph Peer in August, 1927 at the famed Bristol Sessions[3].
"Bury Me Under the Weeping Willow." Carter Family, 1927
My heart is sad and I'm in sorrow
For the only one I love;
When shall I see him, oh no never,
Till I meet him in heaven above.
CHORUS: Oh bury me beneath the willow
Yes under the weeping willow tree
So he may know where I am sleeping
And perhaps he will weep for me.
He told me that he did not love me
I could not believe it was true
Until an angel softly whispered
He has proven untrue to you. CHORUS:
[Maybelle solo]
Tomorrow was our wedding day
But oh Lord, oh where is he?
He's gone to seek him another bride
And he cares no more for me. CHORUS:
[Maybelle solo] CHORUS
Oh, bury me under the violets blue
To prove my love to him,
Tell him that I would die to save him,
For his love I never could win.
CHORUS
You can see in the Carters last stanza that "Bury Me Beneath The Willow" has the elements of the Died for Love songs: A maid falls in love but her lover does not care for her and abandons her, then she dies for love. Several versions of Butcher Boy have incorporated the "willow tree" image just as some versions of "Bury Me" have the image of the snow-white lily and turtle dove at the grave. The maid in "Bury me" has "died for love"-- and therefore I've listed this American love song as appendix 7T.
For more details see the Main Headnotes,
R. Matteson 2017]
___________________________
Footnotes:
1. See Belden's headnotes, Ballads and Songs, 1940.
2. Certainly this is significant as far as establishing a pattern of dissemination-- it has points to a periodical or publication in the South or Mid-West as the original print.
3. This ballad was popularized mainly by the Carter Family who recorded it on Victor 21074 in 1927; and later on Bluebird B-6053 in 1935. They also recorded a remake of the song, "Answer to Weeping Willow," on Decca 5234 in 1936.
______________________
CONTENTS: (To access individual versions click on blue highlighted title below or on title attached to this page on the left-hand column)
Willow Tree- Ada Belle Cowden (MO) 1909 Belden A
Willow Tree- Julia Rickman (MO) 1909 Belden B
Weeping Willow- Mrs. Horton (NC) 1915 Brown A
Weeping Willow- Pearl Webb (NC) 1921 Brown B
Weeping Willow Tree- Ernest Thompson (NC) 1924 REC
Under the Weeping Willow- Carter Family (VA) 1927 REC
[additional versions upcoming]
____________________________
Ballads and Songs Collected by the Missouri Folk-lore Society, edited by H. M. Belden. Columbia: The University of Missouri in 1940. A new edition of this work was published in 1955, with a reprinting in 1973.
UNDER THE WILLOW TREE (Belden A) -MS Ballad book of Ada Belle Cowden, Boone Co., Belden version A, p. 483, H. M. Belden, Ballads and Songs Collected by the Missouri Folk-Lore Society.
My heart is broken, I am in sorrow
For the only one I love.
I ne'er shall see his face again
Unless we meet in heaven above.
Chorus: Then bury me beneath the willow,
Beneath the weeping willow tree,
And when he knows that I am sleeping
Then perhaps he'll come and weep for me.
They told me that he did not love me;
But how could I believe them true
Until an angel came and whispered,
'He will prove untrue'?
Tomorrow was to be my wedding day;
But gone! oh, gone! oh, where is he?
He's gone to wed another bride
And all alone he has left me.
UNDER THE WILLOW TREE (Belden B) Secured in 1909. Role of sexes reversed.Version B, H. M. Belden, Ballads and Songs Collected by the Missouri Folk-Lore Society, p. 483.
My heart is broken, I am sorry,
Over the one that I love.
I know that I shall never see her
Unless we meet in heaven above.
Chorus: Bury me beneath the willow,
Beneath the weeping willow tree,
And when she knows that I am sleeping
Perhaps she'll sometimes think of me.
Once she told me that she loved me;
How could I think her untrue
Until an angel whispered softly,
'Oh, she does not care for you'?
Tomorrow is our wedding day.
Where, oh, where is she?
She's gone to love another fellow.
Oh, she does not care for me.
--------------------------
Weeping Willow Tree- sung by Ernest Thompson- 1924
[harmonica solo]
1. Oh now my heart is sad and lonely,
For the one I love is gone,
She's gone she's gone to seek another
She no longer cares for me.
[Chorus] So bury me beneath the willow,
Beneath the weeping willow tree,
And when she knows I am sleeping
Then perhaps she'll think of me.
2. She told me that she dearly loved me,
And some day she'd be
She's gone she's gone to seek another
She no longer cares for me.
CHORUS
3. Tomorrow was our wedding day,
But now O God will it be?
She's gone, she's gone to seek another
She no longer cares for me.
CHORUS
4. She told me that she did not love me,
But I did not think it true,
Until some sweetheart's angel whispered,
"She has proved untrue to you."
CHORUS
5 For now my heart is aching,
For the one I love is gone
She's gone she's gone to seek another
She no longer cares for me.
CHORUS
--------------
The American Songbag by Carl Sandburg in 1927. It was taken from Jake Zeitlin with additional verses from R. W. Gordon:
O BURY ME BENEATH THE WILLOW
1 O bury me beneath the willow,
Beneath the weeping willow tree,
And when he comes he'll find me sleeping
And perhaps he'll weep for me.
2 Tomorrow was our wedding day,
But God only knows where he is.
He's gone, he's gone to seek another
He no longer cares for me.
3 My heart's in sorrow, I'm in trouble,
Grieving for the one I love
For oh, I know I'll never see him
Till we meet in Heaven above.
4 They told me that he did not love me,
But how could I believe them true
Until an angel whispered softly,
" He will prove untrue to you."
5 Place on my grave a snow-white lily
For to prove my love was true;
To show the world I died to save him
But his love I could not win.
6 So bury me beneath the willow,
Beneath the weeping willow tree,
And when he comes he'll find me sleeping
And perhaps he'll think of me.
------------------
267 The Weeping Willow
For the range and affiliations of this song (not to be confounded with Foster's 'Under the Willow,' which was perhaps inspired by it) see BSM 482, and add to the references there given Virginia (FSV 78-9) and the Ozarks (OFS iv 228-30). It is well known in North Carolina, appearing eleven times in our collection. Mrs. Steely found it also in the Ebenezer community in Wake county. The texts differ chiefly by the omission or inclusion or by a rearrangement of stanzas.
'The Weeping Willow.' Reported by Thomas Smith as set down for him by Mrs. Frank Horton of Vilas, Watauga county, in 1915.
I My heart is broken. I'm in sorrow.
Weeping for the one I love ;
For I never more shall see him
Till we meet in heaven above.
Chorus:
Then btiry me 'neath the willow,
Beneath the weeping willow tree.
And when he knows where I am sleeping.
Then, perhaps, he'll weep for me.
2 Tomorrow was our wedding day ;
But God knows where is he.
For he's gone to see another
And has left me alone to weep.
3 He told me that he did not love me;
But how could I believe them true?
Until an angel softly whispered,
'Me will he untrue to you.'
4 Put on my brow a wreath of violets
To prove that I've been true to him.
Tell him that I died to save him.
But his love I could not win.
5 Plant on my grave a snow-white lily,
One that blooms in purest love ;
For I never more shall see him
Till we meet in heaven above.
The sense and other texts, show that this is miswrittcn for 'They."
B. 'The Weeping Willow Tree.' From Miss Pearl Webb of Pineola, Avery
county, some time in 1921-22. Three stanzas and chorus, of which
stanzas i and 2 and the chorus correspond (with slight variations) to
stanzas i and 2 of the chorus of A ; stanza 3 runs :
Tomorrow was our wedding day.
I pray the Lord, where is my love?
He's gone, he's gone, I never more see him
Till we meet in Heaven above.
C. 'Weeping Willow." Contributed liy .\ustin L. Elliott of Farmer, Randolph
county.
1 My heart is sad, and I am lonely
For the only one I love.
When shall I see him? No, no, never,
Till in heaven we meet above.
Chorus:
Then bury we under the weeping willow.
Under the weeping [willow] tree.
Where he may know where I am sleeping
And perhaps he will weep for me.
2 Tomorrow is our wedding day.
Oh, where, oh, where is he?
He has gone to seek another;
He no longer cares for me.
3 They told me that he did not love me.
How could I believe them true?
Until an angel softly whispered,
'He will prove untrue to you.'
4 Then bury me under the weeping willow,
Under the weeping willow tree,
And tell him that 1 died to save him,
For his wife I could not be.
D. 'The Weeping-Willow Tree.' Obtained by W. L. Anderson from Maxine Tillett, pupil in the school at Nag's Head on the Banks. Stanza 1 and chorus of A, with some slight verbal variations.
E. 'The Weeping Willow Tree.' Taken down as sung near Balantyne, Transylvania county, but the singer's name not noted. Chorus and first
three stanzas as in A except that stanzas 2 and 3 have changed places ;
stanza 4 combines stanzas 4 and 5 of A :
Place on my grave a snow-white lily
For to prove my love was true ;
And when he knows I died to save him
Then perhaps he'll weep for me.
F. 'Weeping Willow Tree.' Reported by Macie Morgan of Stanly county. The first two stanzas and the chorus as in E. with a few slight verbal differences; the third stanza runs:
Go bury me beneath the willow
Just to prove my love for him ;
And tell him that I died to save him.
For his love I could not win.
G. 'Weeping Willow Tree.' Secured from Otis Kuykendall of Asheville in 1939- Substantially the same matter as in A, but rearranged and with divers verbal variations.
I They told me tliat he would deceive me.
Oh, how could I believe it was true.
Until an angel whispered softly,
'He will prove untrue to you.'
Chorus:
Go bury me beneath the wilUnv,
Beneath the weeping willow tree.
For there he'll know that I am sleeping;
Then perhaps he'll weep for me.
2 Place on my grave a snow-white lily ;
That will prove my love is true.
And tfll him that 1 died to save him.
And his love I did not own.
3 Tomorrow was my wedding day.
But God only knows where he is;
He's gone away to love another
And he has left me here to weep.
H. 'The Willow Tree.' From Miss Hattie McNeill of Ferguson, Wilkes county, sometime in 1921-22. With the music. The text is only a fragment, imperfect copy of the opening stanza.
I
'The Weeping Willow.' From Miss Florence Holton of Durluim. Only
the first stanza and three lines of the chorus. The stanza runs :
Aly heart is sad and I am in sorrow
For the only one 1 k)ve.
He's gone, he's gone to seek another;
But I hope we'll meet ahove.
J. 'Down by the Weeping Willow.' Reported by M. K. Carmichael as sung in Dillon county. South Carolina. Only the chorus and two stanzas remembered, the two stanzas being stanzas 2 and 3 of A with some verbal alterations.
K. 'Under the Weeping Willow Tree.' From the John Burch Blaylock Collection. Stanza 3, chorus, and stanza 2 of A
---------------
Eastern Tennessee and Western Virginia Mountain Ballads- Cambiaire, 1934
45. O BURY ME BENEATH THE WEEPING WILLOW
O bury me beneath the weeping willow
Beneath the weeping willow tree,
And when he comes, he'll find me sleeping
And, perhaps, he'll weep for me.
To-morrow was our wedding day,
But God only knows where he can be.
He's gone, he's gone to seek another;
He no longer cares for me.
They told me that he did not love me,
But how could I believe them true,
Until an angel whispered softly:
" He will prove untrue to you."
Place on my grave a snow white lily,
For to prove my love was true,
To show the world I died to save him;
But his love I could not win.
So bury me beneath the willow,
Beneath the weeping willow tree,
And when he comes he'll find me sleeping,
And perhaps he'll think of me.
-----------------------
Beneath the Willow Tree
(Wilburn Bros.)
My heart is sad and I am lonely
I'm lonesome for the one I love
When shall I see her, maybe never,
Until we meet in a heaven above.
Oh bury me beneath the willow
'Neath the weeping willow tree,
So she may know where I am sleeping
And perhaps she'll weep for me.
Tomorrow was to be our wedding
But oh, Lord, where can she be.
She's gone, I know, to wed another,
She no longer cares for me.
Oh bury me beneath the willow,
'Neath the weeping willow tree,
So she may know where I am sleeping
And perhaps she'll weep for me.