![Silver Dagger melody](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Silver_Dagger_melody.png)
"Silver Dagger", with variants such as "Katy Dear", "Molly Dear", "The Green Fields and Meadows", "Awake, Awake, Ye Drowsy Sleepers" and others (
Laws
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vari ...
M4 & G21,
Roud
The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of around 250,000 references to nearly 25,000 songs collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world. It is compiled by Steve Roud (born 1949), a former librarian in the London ...
2260 & 2261), is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fo ...
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
, whose origins lie possibly in Britain. These songs of different titles are closely related, and two strands in particular became popular in commercial
Country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
and
Folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...
recordings of the twentieth century: the "Silver Dagger" version popularised by
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...
, and the "Katy Dear" versions popularised by
close harmony
A chord is in close harmony (also called close position or close structure) if its notes are arranged within a narrow range, usually with no more than an octave between the top and bottom notes. In contrast, a chord is in open harmony (also c ...
brother duets such as The Callahan Brothers,
The Blue Sky Boys
The Blue Sky Boys were an American country music duo consisting of the brothers Earl Bolick (November 16, 1919 – April 19, 1998) and Bill Bolick (October 28, 1917 – March 13, 2008), whose careers spanned over forty years.
Biography
The brother ...
and
The Louvin Brothers
The Louvin Brothers were an American musical duo composed of brothers Ira and Charlie Louvin (''né'' Loudermilk). The brothers are cousins to John D. Loudermilk, a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member.
The brothers wrote and performed ...
.
In "Silver Dagger", the female narrator turns away a potential suitor, as her mother has warned her to avoid the advances of men in an attempt to spare her daughter the heartbreak that she herself has endured. The
1960 recording by
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...
features only a fragment of the full ballad. "Katy Dear" uses the same melody but different lyrics, telling a similar story from a male perspective.
History
Origin
The song exists in a large number of variations under many different titles, and with lyrics that may show a mixture of different songs.
Steve Roud
Steve Roud (; born 1949) is the creator of the Roud Folk Song Index and an expert on folklore and superstition. He was formerly Local Studies Librarian for the London Borough of Croydon and Honorary Librarian of the Folklore Society.
Life and c ...
observes on one version of the song titled "O! Molly Dear Go Ask Your Mother":
:"A whole book could be written on this song and its connections with other songs which involve young men at their sweethearts' windows at night, disapproving parents and silver daggers. Hugely popular with North American traditional singers, 'Drowsy Sleeper' was also collected regularly in Britain and appeared on
broadsides there from at least the 1820s"
Of interest are early versions of two songs, "Silver Dagger" and "Drowsy Sleeper", that are related thematically and may share a common origin in the older theme of night visit in traditional English songs,
but they differ in lines, verse rhythm and outcome in their lyrics.
The plot of "Silver Dagger" is similar to that of "Drowsy Sleeper" whereby the parents object to a match between a boy and a girl, except that in "Silver Dagger" the dagger is used as a suicide weapon by the young lovers, while in "Drowsy Sleeper" the couple elope.
However, at some point in the 19th century, there also appears to have been a fusion of these two different songs whereby the tragic ending of "Silver Dagger" becomes attached to "Drowsy Sleeper", giving rise to some later variations of the song.
The earliest known text of "Drowsy Sleeper" in Britain may be dated to 1817, and the first verse of a variant of the song appears in a songbook of American folk songs first published in 1855, John G. McCurry's ''The Social Harp''.
Early publications of "Silver Dagger" in the US may be found in ''
Spirit of the Times
The ''Spirit of the Times: A Chronicle of the Turf, Agriculture, Field Sports, Literature and the Stage'' was an American weekly newspaper published in New York City. The paper aimed for an upper-class readership made up largely of sportsmen. ...
'' and ''Gazette of the Union, Golden Rule and Odd-fellows' Family Companion'' in 1849. A version of "Drowsy Sleeper" published in a broadside as "Who's at My Bedroom Window?" by H. J. Wehman in 1890 shows a mixture of "Silver Dagger" and "Drowsy Sleeper". A version collected in Kentucky was printed in The Journal of American Folk-Lore in 1907, and three versions were collected by
Henry M. Belden in 1908.
Cecil Sharp
Cecil James Sharp (22 November 1859 – 23 June 1924) was an English-born collector of folk songs, folk dances and instrumental music, as well as a lecturer, teacher, composer and musician. He was the pre-eminent activist in the development of t ...
published an English version from
Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
, locator_map =
, coordinates =
, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
, established_by =
, preceded_by =
, origin =
, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lord_ ...
in 1908 as "Arise! Arise!". Sharp also collected a version of the song in the United States as "Awake, awake", sung by
Mary Sands in
Madison County, North Carolina
Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,193. Its county seat is Marshall. Madison County is part of the Asheville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The ...
on August 1, 1916.
The differences in titles and some lyrics may also be a result of the song being handed down through the unwritten oral tradition, or adapting from different sources, and where each performer may add their own verses and nuances to the song. These songs have been sung using different tunes. Relation to other songs such as "Old Virginny"/"
Man of Constant Sorrow
"Man of Constant Sorrow" (also known as "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow") is a traditional American folk song first published by Dick Burnett, a partially blind fiddler from Kentucky. The song was originally titled "Farewell Song" in a songbook ...
" and "
Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies
"Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies" ( "Tiny Sparrow" or "Little Sparrow") (Roud #451) is an American folk music ballad, originating from the Appalachian region.
On the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library Catalogue the earliest versions are from "B ...
" have also been noted.
Early recordings
The only traditional recording of the song according to the
Vaughan Williams Memorial Library
The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library (VWML) is the library and archive of the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS), located in the society's London headquarters, Cecil Sharp House. It is a multi-media library comprising books, periodic ...
was a 1939
Herbert Halpert
Herbert Halpert (August 23, 1911 – December 29, 2000) was an American anthropologist and folklorist, specialised in the collection and study of both folk song and narrative.
Biography
Herbert Norman Halpert's interest in folklore emer ...
recording of James Taylor Adams and Finley Adams in
Dunham,
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
, where the song was called "Poor Goins".
The song was recorded commercially as "O! Molly Dear Go Ask Your Mother" by
Kelly Harrell
Kelly Harrell (September 13, 1889 – July 9, 1942) was an American country music singer in the 1920s. He recorded more than a dozen songs for OKeh and Victor Records and wrote songs which were recorded by other artists, including Jimmie Rodger ...
in 1926, as "Sleepy Desert" by
Wilmer Watts And The Lonely Eagles in 1929, and as "Wake Up You Drowsy Sleeper" by The Oaks family in 1930. As "Katie Dear (Silver Dagger)" it was recorded by the
Callahan Brothers in 1934, and as "Katie Dear" by the
Blue Sky Boys
The Blue Sky Boys were an American country music duo consisting of the brothers Earl Bolick (November 16, 1919 – April 19, 1998) and Bill Bolick (October 28, 1917 – March 13, 2008), whose careers spanned over forty years.
Biography
The brother ...
in 1938.
(Country music authority
Bill C. Malone states that the Callahan Brothers learned traditional ballads like "Katie Dear" from their mother). In 1956 it was recorded by the
Louvin Brothers
The Louvin Brothers were an American musical duo composed of brothers Ira and Charlie Louvin (''né'' Loudermilk). The brothers are cousins to John D. Loudermilk, a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member.
The brothers wrote and performed co ...
.
The song was part of the repertoire of the
Country Gentlemen, who toured both the bluegrass and folk music circuits during the 1950s and 1960s. In the early 1960s, "Katie Dear" was recorded by folk revival musicians, including
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...
, and
Ian & Sylvia
Ian & Sylvia were a Canadian folk and country music duo which consisted of Ian and Sylvia Tyson, née Fricker. They began performing together in 1959 (full-time in 1961), married in 1964, and divorced and stopped performing together in 1975.
Hi ...
. Today it is commonly performed and recorded by bluegrass musicians.
Lyrics
;"Silver Dagger" as sung by Joan Baez
Don't sing love songs; you'll wake my mother
She's sleeping here, right by my side
And in her right hand, a silver dagger
She says that I can't be your bride.
All men are false, says my mother
They'll tell you wicked, lovin' lies
The very next evening, they'll court another
Leave you alone to pine and sigh.
My daddy is a handsome devil
He's got a chain five miles long
And on every link a heart does dangle
Of another maid he's loved and wronged.
Go court another tender maiden
And hope that she will be your wife
For I've been warned and I've decided
To sleep alone all of my life.
;"Katy Dear" as sung by Ian & Sylvia
Oh, Katy Dear, go ask your father
If you might be a bride of mine
If he says yes then come and tell me
If he says no, we'll run away.
I cannot go and ask my father
For he is on his bed of rest
And by his side there's a golden dagger
To pierce the heart I love the best.
Oh Katy Dear, go ask your mother
If you might be a bride of mine
If she says yes then come and tell me
If she says no, we'll run away.
I cannot go and ask my mother
For she is on her bed of rest
And by her side there's a silver dagger
To pierce the heart I love the best.
He picked up a silver dagger
He pierced it through his wounded breast
Farewell Katy, farewell darling
I'll die for the one I love the best.
She picked up the bloody weapon
She pierced it through her snow-white breast
Farewell Momma Farewell Poppa
I'll go with the one I love the best.
;"Wake Up You Drowsy Sleeper" as sung by the Oaks Family
Wake up, wake up, you drowsy sleeper,
Wake up, wake up, for it's almost day
Stick your head out at the window
And see your true love march away
Who is it that has come so early?
Who is it that has come so soon?
Catie dear, it your true lover
That came so early and so soon
Catie dear go ask your parents
If you may be the mybride of mine
If they say no return and tell me
And no longer will I pine
Willy dear, it's no use oask them
Their in their room a takin' a rest
And in their hands they both hold daggers
To kill the one that I love best
I then take out my silver dagger
And pierce it in my tender breast
Saying goodbye katay goodbye darling
I'll die for the one that I love best
I'll then take up his bloody dagger
And pierce it in my lily white breast
Saying goodbye Catie goodbye darling
I'll die for the one that I love best
Oh may this day be long remembered
Oh, may this day be ne'er forgot
To all you cruel ill hearted parents
Who try to keep true lovers apart
Recordings and performances
The song has also been widely performed and recorded by bluegrass musicians, as many songs thought of as traditionally bluegrass songs actually trace back to what is now known as "old-time" music.
20th century
* 1926 –
Kelly Harrell
Kelly Harrell (September 13, 1889 – July 9, 1942) was an American country music singer in the 1920s. He recorded more than a dozen songs for OKeh and Victor Records and wrote songs which were recorded by other artists, including Jimmie Rodger ...
– "O! Molly Dear Go Ask Your Mother",
Victor
The name Victor or Viktor may refer to:
* Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname
Arts and entertainment
Film
* ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film
* ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...
Vi 20280 (BVE-35667). Reissued on ''Worried Blues, The Complete Commercial Output of Frank Hutchison and Kerry Harrell''
JSP Records
JSP Records is a British record label, founded in 1978 by John Stedman (John Stedman Promotions), releasing recordings by blues musicians such as Professor Longhair, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Witherspoon, Louisiana Red, Deitra Farr, Charlie Sayles, ...
JSP7743 (2005), ''My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean: British Songs in the US'' Nehi Records NEH3X1 (2015).
* 1927 – B. F. Shelton – "Oh Molly Dear" (BVE-39735).
* 1929 – Wilmer Watts & His Lonely Eagles – "Sleepy Desert",
Paramount
Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to:
Entertainment and music companies
* Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...
Pm 3282.
Reissued on ''Gastonia Gallop, Cotton Mill Songs & Hillbilly Blues'' Old Hat Records CD-1007 (2009), ''My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean: British Songs in the USA'' Nehi Records NEH3X1 (2015).
* 1930 – The Oaks Family – "Wake up, You Drowsy Sleeper",
Victor
The name Victor or Viktor may refer to:
* Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname
Arts and entertainment
Film
* ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film
* ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...
Vi 23795 (BVE-62575). Reissued on ''My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean: British Songs in the USA'' Nehi Records NEH3X1 (2015).
* 1934 – Callahan Brothers – "'Katie Dear (Silver Dagger)",
Banner
A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Als ...
Ba 33103.
Melotone Me 13071,
Oriole Or 8353,
Perfect 13017,
Romeo
Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Lord Montague and his wife, Lady Montague, he secretly loves and marries Juliet, a member of the rival House of Capulet, through a priest ...
Ro 5353. Reissued on ''The Dixon Brothers with The Callahan Brothers''
JSP Records
JSP Records is a British record label, founded in 1978 by John Stedman (John Stedman Promotions), releasing recordings by blues musicians such as Professor Longhair, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Witherspoon, Louisiana Red, Deitra Farr, Charlie Sayles, ...
JSP77113 (2011).
* 1938 –
Blue Sky Boys
The Blue Sky Boys were an American country music duo consisting of the brothers Earl Bolick (November 16, 1919 – April 19, 1998) and Bill Bolick (October 28, 1917 – March 13, 2008), whose careers spanned over forty years.
Biography
The brother ...
– "Katie Dear",
Bluebird
The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the order of Passerines in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas.
...
BB B-7661,
Montgomery Ward Records
Montgomery Ward Records was American retailer Montgomery Ward's store brand record label. The records were sold at a lower than industry standard prices through company stores and catalogs. During its prolific run, the label issued many importa ...
MW M-7468. Reissued on ''The Blue Sky Boys, The Very Best of Classic Country Remastered''
JSP Records
JSP Records is a British record label, founded in 1978 by John Stedman (John Stedman Promotions), releasing recordings by blues musicians such as Professor Longhair, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Witherspoon, Louisiana Red, Deitra Farr, Charlie Sayles, ...
JSP7782 (2007).
* 1938 –
The Carter Family
Carter Family was a traditional American folk music group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Their music had a profound impact on bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop and rock musicians as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s.
...
– "Who's The Knockin' On My Window",
Decca Decca may refer to:
Music
* Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label
* Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group
* Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label
* Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...
De 5612, Montgomery Ward MW M-8071,
Melotone (Canada) MeC 45275. Reissued on ''The Carter Family, Volume 2, 1935-1941''
JSP Records
JSP Records is a British record label, founded in 1978 by John Stedman (John Stedman Promotions), releasing recordings by blues musicians such as Professor Longhair, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Witherspoon, Louisiana Red, Deitra Farr, Charlie Sayles, ...
JSP7708 (2003).
* 1956 –
The Louvin Brothers
The Louvin Brothers were an American musical duo composed of brothers Ira and Charlie Louvin (''né'' Loudermilk). The brothers are cousins to John D. Loudermilk, a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member.
The brothers wrote and performed ...
, ''Tragic Songs of Life''.
* 1960 –
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...
's version of "Silver Dagger" was included in her 1960
debut album, and song became identified with her. On her performances, Baez used a double-time acoustic guitar as accompaniment to her vocals.
* 1963 –
The Country Gentlemen
The Country Gentlemen was a progressive bluegrass band that originated during the 1950s in the area of Washington, D.C., United States, and recorded and toured with various members until the death in 2004 of Charlie Waller, one of the group's f ...
, on ''Hootenanny: A Bluegrass Special'' and on ''Bluegrass Country''.
* 1964 –
Ian & Sylvia
Ian & Sylvia were a Canadian folk and country music duo which consisted of Ian and Sylvia Tyson, née Fricker. They began performing together in 1959 (full-time in 1961), married in 1964, and divorced and stopped performing together in 1975.
Hi ...
, ''Four Strong Winds''.
* 1964 –
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
– "Silver Dagger" appears on ''
The Bootleg Series Vol. 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964, Concert at Philharmonic Hall'' album, with Baez singing what she refers jokingly to as "one of Bob's earlier songs". Dylan does not sing, but plays acoustic guitar and harmonica in accompaniment.
* 1964 –
Dave Van Ronk
David Kenneth Ritz Van Ronk (June 30, 1936 – February 10, 2002) was an American folk singer. An important figure in the American folk music revival and New York City's Greenwich Village scene in the 1960s, he was nicknamed the "Mayor of Ma ...
performs a comical version of the song in his album ''
Inside Dave Van Ronk''.
* 1960s –
Chet Powers – The song appears, in the long version, on his album released in 2011 under the name of Dino Valente, ''Get Together...The Lost Recordings''.
* 1970s –
The Eagles
The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. With five number-one singles and six number-one albums, six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s ...
– During their concerts in the early 1970s, the Eagles usually prefaced "
Take it Easy
"Take It Easy" is the debut single by the American rock band Eagles, written by Jackson Browne and Eagles band member Glenn Frey, who also provides lead vocals. It was released on May 1, 1972, and peaked at No. 12 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 1 ...
" with an
a cappella version of four lines from "Silver Dagger", beginning with "My Daddy is a handsome devil..."
Glenn Frey
Glenn Lewis Frey (; November 6, 1948 – January 18, 2016) was an American singer, guitarist and a founding member of the rock band Eagles. Frey was the co-lead singer and frontman for the Eagles, roles he came to share with fellow member Don H ...
,
Bernie Leadon
Bernie Leadon (pronounced ''led-un''; born July 19, 1947) is an American singer, musician, songwriter and founding member of the Eagles, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Prior to the Eagles, he was a member ...
and
Randy Meisner would harmonise around one microphone at the front of the stage with
Don Henley also contributing from behind his drum kit.
* 1987 –
The Men They Couldn't Hang
The Men They Couldn't Hang (TMTCH) are a British folk punk group. The original group consisted of Stefan Cush (vocals, guitar), Paul Simmonds (guitar, bouzouki, mandolin, keyboards), Philip "Swill" Odgers (vocals, guitar, tin whistle, melodica ...
recorded a version of the song which is included as a bonus track on some releases of their 1987 album ''
Waiting for Bonaparte
''Waiting for Bonaparte'' is the third studio album by The Men They Couldn't Hang. It was recorded at Woodcray Studios in Berkshire and was released in 1988. It is the first album to feature Ricky McGuire (ex UK Subs) on bass guitar. The album ...
''.
* 1999 –
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
recorded the song in 1999 for her ''
The Grass Is Blue
''The Grass Is Blue'' is the thirty-seventh solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on October 26, 1999, by Sugar Hill and Blue Eye Records. The album won a Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album and " Travelin' P ...
'' album.
21st century
*Old time revival string band
Old Crow Medicine Show
Old Crow Medicine Show is an Americana string band based in Nashville, Tennessee, that has been recording since 1998. They were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on September 17, 2013. Their ninth album, '' Remedy'', released in 2014, won the ...
has a version of the song on their 2001 album ''
Eutaw''.
*
Roger Mcguinn
James Roger McGuinn (born James Joseph McGuinn III; July 13, 1942) is an American musician. He is best known for being the frontman and leader of the Byrds. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his work with the Byrds. As a ...
, the lead singer and guitarist on many of
The Byrds
The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...
' hits, released a version of the song on the four-CD box set ''The
Folk Den Project 1995-2005''.
*''Silver Dagger'' was recorded for the 2005 live album ''Smugglers and Bounty Hunters'' by British band
The Men They Couldn't Hang
The Men They Couldn't Hang (TMTCH) are a British folk punk group. The original group consisted of Stefan Cush (vocals, guitar), Paul Simmonds (guitar, bouzouki, mandolin, keyboards), Philip "Swill" Odgers (vocals, guitar, tin whistle, melodica ...
*Irish-American Celtic group
Solas recorded it for their 2006 album ''Reunion: A Decade of Solas''.
*The
Seldom Scene
The Seldom Scene is an American bluegrass band that formed in 1971 in Bethesda, Maryland. The band's original line-up comprised John Starling on lead vocals and guitar, Mike Auldridge on Dobro and baritone vocals, Ben Eldridge on banjo, Tom Gr ...
recorded this song on their 2007 album ''
Scenechronized
''Scenechronized'' is an album by the progressive bluegrass Maryland band The Seldom Scene.
It was nominated for the Best Bluegrass Album Grammy in 2007.
Track listing
# Hometown Blues ( Steve Earle) 3:07
# Heart and Soul (David Norris) 3:18
# ...
''.
*English folk singer-songwriter
Martha Tilston
Martha Tilston is an English folk singer-songwriter based in Cornwall.
Biography
Martha Tilston is the daughter of singer-songwriter Steve Tilston and stepdaughter of Irish folk performer Maggie Boyle
Maggie Boyle (24 December 1956 – 6 N ...
recorded it on her 2007 album ''Of Milkmaids and Architects''
*The song has been recorded by White Antelope aka
Robin Pecknold
Robin Noel Pecknold (born March 30, 1986) is an American singer-songwriter, who serves as the principal songwriter and vocalist for indie folk band Fleet Foxes, with whom he has recorded four studio albums. He is known for his distinct bariteno ...
of the Seattle band
Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes is an American indie folk band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 2006. The band consists of Robin Pecknold (vocals, guitar), Skyler Skjelset (guitar, mandolin, backing vocals), Casey Wescott (keyboards, mandolin, backing vocals), ...
.
*This song has also been recorded b
Lac La Belle on their first album, called Lac La Belle, in 2009 (Detroit, USA).
*
Jim Moray
Jim Moray (born 1981) is an English folk singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer.
Recording artist
While studying classical composition at the Birmingham Conservatoire, Moray released the home-recorded ''I Am Jim Moray'' EP. During ...
has recorded a version of this song which is available on his 2010 album ''In Modern History''.
*The song is sung by
Marideth Sisco in the 2010 film ''
Winter's Bone
''Winter's Bone'' is a 2010 American coming-of-age mystery drama film directed by Debra Granik. It was adapted by Granik and Anne Rosellini from the 2006 novel of the same name by Daniel Woodrell. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence as a povert ...
''.
*English folk trio
The Staves
The Staves are an English indie folk trio of sisters Emily, Jessica and Camilla Staveley-Taylor from Watford, Hertfordshire, England.
Career
The Staves began performing together at open-mic nights in Watford hosted by a local pub, The Horns. ...
often perform the song live. It has been included in their ''Live at Cecil Sharp House'' EP (2011).
*In season 5, episode 2 ("Gently with Class") of the British television series
Inspector George Gently
''Inspector George Gently'' (also known as ''George Gently'' for the pilot and first series) is a 2008 British television crime drama series produced by Company Pictures for BBC One, set in the 1960s and loosely based on some of the Inspector G ...
, the song is performed by
Ebony Buckle, who plays the role of singer "Ellen Mallam" in that episode.
*
Seasick Steve
Steven Gene Wold ( né Leach, 19 March 1951),/nowiki>freight_trains.html" ;"title="freight_trains.html" ;"title="/nowiki>freight trains">/nowiki>freight trains">freight_trains.html" ;"title="/nowiki>freight trains">/nowiki>freight trains/nowiki> f ...
has a version on his album ''
Sonic Soul Surfer
''Sonic Soul Surfer'' is the seventh studio album by American blues musician Seasick Steve
Steven Gene Wold ( né Leach, 19 March 1951),/nowiki>freight_trains.html" ;"title="freight_trains.html" ;"title="/nowiki>freight trains">/nowiki>freight ...
'' (2015)
*
The High Bar Gang included the Dolly Parton arrangement (she is credited as its author) on their 2016 album ''Someday the Heart will Trouble the Mind''
*The song was included in the 2016 CD "Side Orders" by Circe Link and
Christian Nesmith
Christian DuVal Nesmith (born January 31, 1965) is an American musician from Los Angeles, California, and the eldest son of Michael Nesmith of the Monkees and Phyllis Gibson.
Nesmith has worked with his father (on the album '' The Garden''), Mic ...
.
*
Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes is an American indie folk band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 2006. The band consists of Robin Pecknold (vocals, guitar), Skyler Skjelset (guitar, mandolin, backing vocals), Casey Wescott (keyboards, mandolin, backing vocals), ...
featured the song on their 2018 compilation album ''
First Collection 2006–2009
''First Collection 2006–2009'' is a Fleet Foxes compilation, released on 9 November 2018 to mark the tenth anniversary of their debut album. It is a special limited-edition collection.
Track listing Disc one: ''Fleet Foxes''
Disc two: ''Sun ...
''.
Adaptations
*
Dame Darcy
Darcy Megan Stanger (born June 19, 1971, Caldwell, Idaho), better known by the pen name Dame Darcy, is an alternative comics, alternative cartoonist, fine artist, musician, cabaret performer, and animator/filmmaker. Her "Neo-Victorian" comic boo ...
recorded a quite different version of the song, found on her ''Greatest Hits'' album.
*British band
Saint Etienne's song "
Like a Motorway" is based on the ballad. It was featured on their album ''
Tiger Bay
Tiger Bay ( cy, Bae Teigr) was the local name for an area of Cardiff which covered Butetown and Cardiff Docks. Following the building of the Cardiff Barrage, which dams the tidal rivers, Ely and Taff, to create a body of water, it is re ...
'' (1994), an homage to folk music presented in a modern style. The melody follows the original closely, but new lyrics paint a darker picture of the suitor's fate.
*
Hey Rosetta
Hey Rosetta! is a Canadian seven-piece indie rock band from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and led by singer/songwriter Tim Baker. Known for their energized live shows, the band created a large, layered sound by incorporating piano, viol ...
gave us their own take on this song, which found on their ''Red Songs'' EP. The song however, is entitled, "Who Is At My Window Weeping" rather than "Silver Dagger".
*
William Gibson
William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as ''cyberpunk''. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, hi ...
in the second book of his
Sprawl Trilogy
The Sprawl trilogy (also known as the Neuromancer, Cyberspace, or Matrix trilogy) is William Gibson's first set of novels, composed of ''Neuromancer'' (1984), ''Count Zero'' (1986), and '' Mona Lisa Overdrive'' (1988).
The novels are all set in ...
,
Count Zero
''Count Zero'' is a science fiction novel by American-Canadian writer William Gibson, originally published in 1986. It is the second volume of the Sprawl trilogy, which begins with ''Neuromancer'' and concludes with ''Mona Lisa Overdrive'', and i ...
, uses the third stanza of this song to hint at the past of the heroine, Angie Mitchell.
See also
*
Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies
"Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies" ( "Tiny Sparrow" or "Little Sparrow") (Roud #451) is an American folk music ballad, originating from the Appalachian region.
On the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library Catalogue the earliest versions are from "B ...
, another ballad with similar content
References
External links
"Silver Dagger"at Roger McGuinn's
Folk Den
* http://www.dansher.com/band/SilverDagger.pdf - Words and chords to Silver Dagger
{{DEFAULTSORT:Silver Dagger (Song)
American folk songs
Joan Baez songs
Bob Dylan songs
Murder ballads