Little Sparrow, Lyric Variant 01

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.

Folk songs--United States

Birds--Songs and music

Sadness--Songs and music

The Warning, Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies, Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies

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

I Wish I Was a Little Swallow

I wish I was a little swallow,
I wish that I had wings to fly,
I’d fly away to some dark hollow,
And there I’d pass my troubles by.

But as it is, I am no swallow,
I have no wings with whitch to fly.
So I’ll sit right here in grief and sorrow,
And pass my troubles by.

Brown. Folk Lyric - 254 Randolph. 73 Cox. 140 Combs. 188 Sharp. 118

113_LittleSparrow_Lyric_01_ocr