Carrier Dove

This item is part of the I. G. Greer Folksong Collection which consists of more than 300 individual song titles and their variants as collected by Isaac Garfield Greer (1881-1967) from informants, primarily in Ashe, Wilkes and Watauga counties. The collection includes manuscripts, typescript transcriptions produced by Dr. Greer’s clerical staff, and handwritten musical notations. Songs range from traditional Child Ballads, traditional English and Scottish ballads as well as their American variants, to 19th century popular music to musical compositions of local origin.

Popular music--United States

Love--Songs and music

Imprisonment--Songs and music

White pigeons--Songs and music

The Spirit Bird

Maffitt, John Newland, 1794-1850

AC.113 Isaac Garfield (I.G.) Greer Papers and Recordings

W. L. Eury Appalachian Collection, Appalachian State University

Greer, I. G. (Isaac Garfield), 1881-1967

PDF

English

Text

Fly Away Sweet Dove

Fly away to my native land, sweet dove.
Fly away to my native land,
And hear those lines to the lady I love,
I've traced with a feeble hand

Oh, fly to her bower and say, sweet dove,
That the chain of the tyrant
Is over me now.
I never can mount my steed again
With the helmet upon my brown.
No solace I feel in my dungeon
Except when your voice is heard,
And you beat the bars
With your snowy wings.
Then fly to her bower sweet dove

She marvels much at my long delay,
Or perhaps your voice she hath heard.
She may have thought I have
Falsly strayed.
Then fly to her bower, sweet dove.
I can live in my dungeon
And waste away youth,
I can fall at the conquerer's sound.
But I cannot endure
Should she doubt my truth,
Then fly to her bower sweet dove.

1841

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