Rewrite to an old folk melody

Countless hymns have been written to old melodies and Bob Dylan & Woody Guthrie constantly borrowed from folk songs, so why not you or me.

This summer I joined Lori on many of her jewelry trips to the farmers market. With the price of gas, I didn't just help her setup and take off like in previous years. So I took either a guitar and/or a dulclimer to play instrumentally while people browsed. Of course the dulcimer was always questioned, "What's that?" But growing out of the experience was again my love of the folk melodies that I had learned over the years. Flowers of the Forest was one I learned from a Joe Hickersonn LP called Drive Dull Care Away. Joe is such a historian and blessed with a voice that not everyone warms too... so I thought, sounds familiar to my situation. When I went to sing the song, this is what I rediscovered.

I've heard the singing, at the ewe-milking,
Lassies a-singing before dawn of the day;
But now they are moaning on every milking-green;
"The Flowers of the Forest are all withered away".

Sorrow and woe for the order sent our lads to the Border!
The English for once, by guile won the day,
The Flowers of the Forest, that always fought the foremost,
The pride of our land lies cold in the clay.

I've heard the singing, at the ewe-milking,
Lassies a-singing before dawn of the day;
But now they are moaning on every milking-green;
"The Flowers of the Forest are all withered away".

Suffice to say, I thought it could be rephrased. Joe described the song and some of the odd words, and it helped me form new phrasing of some of the old, plus I added the storyline of modern soldiers coming home dead to pregnant wifes.

So let's today we pray for Flowers of the Forest:

I heard them laughing, at the sun’s setting
Young girls giggling before the dawn of day.
Now they are sobbing on green grass a growing
The flowers of the forest are laying to rest.

Once they had futures, and love a waiting.
Fathers and Mothers, a life to enjoy.
Then came the call, a service to them all.
A noble cause written, they stood tall and proud.

I heard them laughing, at the sun’s setting
Young girls giggling before the dawn of day.
Now they are sobbing on green grass a growing
The flowers of the forest are laying to rest.

Midnight songs a playing, shots and beer flowing
Smiles all a plenty, til the night is done.
Xcept for the lady, the moon cold and lonely
Thoughts of her flower, are growing inside.

Justice for the lowly, help for the helpless.
Brothers and sisters, a hand to them all.
Now there is silence, though debate rages loudly
These flowers of the forest, victims to the gall.

I heard them laughing, at the sun’s setting
Young girls giggling before the dawn of day.
Now they are sobbing on green grass a growing
The flowers of the forest are laying to rest.

The song made it on the cd but only after Nichola Maria O'Donnell took me up on my request to sing lead. Boy is her voice right for the song. It was after she did this that I was pushed to finish the cd and post it through TuneCore.com as a digital release.


Research the song... yep I probably should have done that : HA

I got those from WikiPedia Hey someone should add mine!

So what do you think? My version is pretty true to the original feeling of the song that has become a funeral melody done on bagpipes.... none on my song... just a wonderful woman's voice.

Now go out and try one yourself.