Wildwood Flower facts for kids

"Wildwood Flower" (sometimes called "The Wildwood Flower") is a very old and famous American song. It became super well-known because of the Carter Family, a very important music group. This song is a type of folk song, which means it's a traditional song that has been passed down through generations. It's listed in the Roud Folk Song Index as number 757.

About "Wildwood Flower"

"Wildwood Flower" started as a "parlor song" in 1860. Parlor songs were popular songs people sang and played at home, often on a piano. The original song was called "I'll Twine 'Mid the Ringlets." It was written by Joseph Philbrick Webster, and the words were by Maud Irving.

The Song's Story

The song tells the sad story of a young woman. She is heartbroken because the person she loves has left her for someone else. She tries to act happy and strong, but deep down, she is still very sad. She feels like a "frail wildwood flower" that was won and then forgotten.

Here are a few lines from the original song to give you an idea:

I'll twine 'mid the ringlets
Of my raven black hair,
The lilies so pale
And the roses so fair,
The myrtle so bright
With an emerald hue,
And the pale aronatus
With eyes of bright blue.

How the Song Changed

Over time, "Wildwood Flower" changed a lot. This is called the "folk process." It means that as people sing and share a song, they often change the words or the tune a little bit. This is how folk songs evolve and become part of different communities.

Changes in the Lyrics

When the Carter Family recorded "Wildwood Flower," the words were a bit different from the original 1860 version. For example, the first part of the song changed:

• The original song began:

I'll twine 'mid the ringlets of my raven black hair,
The lilies so pale and the roses so fair,
The myrtle so bright with an emerald hue,
And the pale aronatus with eyes of bright blue.

• But the Carter Family's version starts:

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 dew,
The pale and the leader and eyes look like blue.

You can see how some words are different, like "mingles" instead of "ringlets" and "emerald dew" instead of "emerald hue."

Different Endings

The order of the verses also changed in some versions of the song. Sometimes, the verse about the woman hoping her lost love will regret leaving her is moved to the very end. This can make it seem like she has moved on and is no longer sad.

However, the original song's ending shows that she is still heartbroken:

But I woke from my dreaming, my idol was clay
My visions of love have all faded away.

This ending keeps the song's sad and touching feeling. It shows that even though she tries to be strong, her heart is still broken.