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Black is the colour of my true love's hair.
His face is like some roses fair;
The prettiest face and the neatest hands,
I love the ground whereon he stands.
I love my love and well he knows,
I love the ground whereon he goes;
If you no more on earth I see,
I can't serve you as you have me.
The winter's passed and the leaves are green,
The time is passed that we have seen;
But still I hope the time will come,
When you and I shall be as one.
I go to the Clyde for to mourn and weep,
But satisfied I never could sleep;
I'll write to you a few short lines,
I'll suffer death ten thousand times.
So fare you well, my own true love,
The time has passed, but I wish you well;
But still I hope the time will come,
When you and I will be as one.
I love my love and well he knows,
I love the ground whereon he goes;
The prettiest face, the neatest hands,
I love the ground whereon he stands.
John Jacob Niles noted that Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair as sung in a version recorded in 1958 was composed between 1916 and 1921. He had come home from eastern Kentucky, singing this song to an entirely different tune — a tune not unlike the public-domain material employed even today. His father liked the lyrics, but thought the tune was downright terrible. So he wrote himself a new tune, ending it in a nice modal manner. He ended his notes by saying that his composition has since been 'discovered' by many an aspiring folk-singer.
Note: Clyde — a river in southwest Scotland flowing about 171 km (106 mi) northwest to the Firth of Clyde, an estuary of the North Channel. The river is navigable to Glasgow for ocean-going vessels. ~ American Heritage Dictionary
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Notes On Guitar Tabs:
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All guitar tabs have been contributed by visitors to this site and represent their interpretation of the tune. We are unable to verify their accuracy.
Black is the [F] colour [G] of my true love's [Am] hair,
His face is [F] like [G] some roses [Am] fair;
The prettiest [F] face [G] and the neatest [Am] hands,
I love the [F] ground [G] whereon he [Am] stands.
