"Mary Blane", also known as "Mary Blain" and other variants, is an American song that was popularized in the

blackface Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person. In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...

minstrel show The minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, was an American form of racist theatrical entertainment developed in the early 19th century. Each show consisted of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music performances that depicted people spe ...

. Several different versions are known, but all feature a male protagonist singing of his lover Mary Blane, her abduction, and eventual death. "Mary Blane" was by far the most popular female

captivity Captivity, or being held captive, is a state wherein humans or other animals are confined to a particular space and prevented from leaving or moving freely. An example in humans is imprisonment. Prisoners of war are usually held in captivity by a ...

song in

antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern United States ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum ar ...

minstrelsy.

Lyrics

"Mary Blane" has at least five different sets of lyrics, the most of any song of its type.Mahar 284. All tell the same typical

Victorian-era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardi ...

captivity narrative Captivity narratives are usually stories of people captured by enemies whom they consider uncivilized, or whose beliefs and customs they oppose. The best-known captivity narratives in North America are those concerning Europeans and Americans ta ...

: A woman is kidnapped or captured and may do no more than await rescue by a male protagonist or suffer at the hands of her captors.Mahar 283. In most variants, the male singer and the female victim are married or longtime lovers. The lyrics usually begin by describing the history and current condition of their relationship prior to the abduction:Mahar 293. :I once did know a pretty Gal, :And took her for my wife :She came from

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, :And I lik'd her as my life. :We happy lib'd together :She nebber caus'd me pain, :But on one dark and dreary night :I lost my Mary Blane.Words by F. C. German, arranged by J. H. Howard (1847). "Mary Blane". New York City: Firth and Hall. Quoted in Mahar 291. The identity of Mary Blane's abductors varies. In one edition, "A nigger come to my old hut"; in another "De white man come into my house, / And took poor Mary Blane". Yet another variant makes the captors American Indians.1848. "Mary Blane". New York City: William VanDerbeek. Quoted in Mahar 292. Another makes them Northern

abolitionists Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The Britis ...

, thus poking fun at the

slave Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

rescues carried out by some abolitionists. The male protagonist then pines for his lost love and wallows in self-pity in later verses and during the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

: :Oh, Farewell, Farewell poor Mary Blane :One Faithful heart will think of you :Farewell, Farewell poor Mary Blane :If we ne'er meet again. The song usually ends tragically, with the lover confused and unable to take action or learning of Mary's death. In the odd version where the lovers are reunited, Mary Blane dies shortly thereafter: :I took her home unto my hut, :My heart was in great pain, :But afore de sun did shone next day :Gone dead was Mary Blane. Some variants go into lurid detail about the treatment Mary receives. In one, she is tied to a tree,

tarred and feathered Tarring and feathering is a form of public torture and punishment used to enforce unofficial justice or revenge. It was used in feudal Europe and its colonies in the early modern period, as well as the early American frontier, mostly as a t ...

, and ultimately killed. The song thus highlights two of minstrelsy's most common

gender Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures u ...

-defined roles: the objectified and silent woman, and the pining male. Minstrel troupes cobbled together texts from different sources and appended or removed verses. As a result, some editions contain entire

verse Verse may refer to: Poetry * Verse, an occasional synonym for poetry * Verse, a metrical structure, a stanza * Blank verse, a type of poetry having regular meter but no rhyme * Free verse, a type of poetry written without the use of strict me ...

s that break the flow of the narrative. Others feature

nonsense Nonsense is a communication, via speech, writing, or any other symbolic system, that lacks any coherent meaning. Sometimes in ordinary usage, nonsense is synonymous with absurdity or the ridiculous To be ridiculous is to be something which is ...

verses and

stock phrase In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a company ...

s from other songs that have nothing to do with the song. Some variants may have been intended for certain types of audiences or local to certain regions.

Structure and performance

"Mary Blane" was sung to two entirely different

melodies A melody (from Greek language, Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a Linearity#Music, linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most liter ...

. The first is 36–40

measure Measure may refer to: * Measurement, the assignment of a number to a characteristic of an object or event Law * Ballot measure, proposed legislation in the United States * Church of England Measure, legislation of the Church of England * Mea ...

s long and consists of a prelude, a three-part chorus, and a postlude. The measure count varies with the lengths of the prelude and postlude. The stage performance of "Mary Blane" is not well known. However, the song is primarily sentimental in nature, so its singer most likely took a maudlin and

melodrama A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...

tic approach. The seemingly illogical verses that were often added may have served as

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

, or they may simply have provided something familiar to audiences and freed up the company to act out scenes, dance, or do other dramatic bits.

Composition and popularity

Credits for "Mary Blane" vary. A version in print from 1844 to 1855 credits words to

Wellington Guernsey Wellington Guernsey (correct name: William Greville Hudson Guernsey) (8 June 1817 – 13 November 1885) was an Irish composer, poet, and military man. Biography Guernsey was born in Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, studied briefly as a boy with the well ...

and music to George Barker. An 1847 edition attributes the song to J. H. Howard. Rival 1848 editions credit Edwin P. Christy or Charles White and

John Hill Hewitt John Hill Hewitt (July 11, 1801, New York City — October 7, 1890, Baltimore) was an American composer, playwright, and poet. He is best known for his songs about the American South, including "A Minstrel's Return from the War", "The Soldie ...

. The name of F. C. Germon (or German) appears in credits as well. Regardless of who originally wrote or composed it, "Mary Blane" was by far the most popular song in the lost-lover genre in

blackface minstrelsy. Research by

musicologist Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...

William J. Mahar's has found versions of the song in more songsters published between 1843 and 1860 than any other number, edging out such hits as "

Miss Lucy Long "Miss Lucy Long", also known as "Lucy Long" as well as by other variants, is an American song that was popularized in the blackface minstrel show. After its introduction to the stage by the Virginia Minstrels in 1843, "Miss Lucy Long" was adopt ...

" and "

Old Dan Tucker "Old Dan Tucker," also known as "Ole Dan Tucker," "Dan Tucker," and other variants, is an American popular song. Its origins remain obscure; the tune may have come from oral tradition, and the words may have been written by songwriter and perfor ...

".Mahar 367.

Notes

References

*Mahar, William J. (1999). ''Behind the Burnt Cork Mask: Early Blackface Minstrelsy and Antebellum American Popular Culture''. Chicago: University of Illinois Press. {{authority control 1844 songs Blackface minstrel characters Blackface minstrel songs