Wildwood Flower

A flower-filled song of devotion, disappointment, and a lover’s departure.

Status: Traditional repertoire · working songbook
Writer / source: Words by Maud Irving; music by Joseph Philbrick Webster; Carter Family later popularized it
Rights: Older song or tune family. The source of this particular working version and its arrangement is still being reviewed.
Related Scrips recording: No Scrips recording linked yet.

Source research

Documented lineage

Earliest evidence: 1860 song The Pale Amaranthus / I'll Twine Mid the Ringlets
Aliases / index: I'll Twine Mid the Ringlets · The Pale Amaranthus
Working arrangement: Key C · Capo 5; Key C and capo 5 are supplied, but the lyric chart has no chord placement.

Evidence 01 Evidence 02 Download full research note ↓

Working lyrics; chords needed

Working song sheet

Download text file ↓

Oh, I'll twine with my mingles and waving black hair
With the roses so red and the lilies so fair
And the myrtle so bright with the emerald hue
The pale amanita and eyes look like blue.

Oh I'll dance, I will sing and my laugh shall be gay
I will charm every heart, in his crown I will sway
When I woke from my dreaming, my idol was clay
All portion of love had all flown away.

Oh he taught me to love him and promised to love
And to cherish me over all others above
How my heart is now wond'ring no mis'ry can tell
He's left me no warning, no words of farewell.

Oh, he taught me to love him and called me his flow'r
That was blooming to cheer him through life's dreary hour
Oh, I long to see him and regret the dark hour
He's gone and neglected this pale wildwood flow'r.

Archive note

This is a working band sheet. Lyrics, repeats, and chord placement remain subject to the band’s final review.

Chords

Not yet documented.