With the coming of All Hallows Eve once again, our thoughts turn to the presence of the supernatural, with stories of the dead and spirits looming foremost in our minds.  For me, one of the spookiest of the old Appalachian ballads I learned through Jean Ritchie, “The Unquiet Grave,” wins the prize.

When Jean was growing up in the Eastern Kentucky mountains, her family had collected literally centuries of old English balladry and adapted and passed on hundreds of songs through the generations of the family and through the community.  Many of the songs Jean learned were almost exact versions of the songs collected by Francis James Child in late 19th century America.  In fact, on her Smithsonian/Folkways album “Jean Ritchie: Ballads from her Appalachian Family Tradition,” the ballads have been cited with their catalogue number from Child’s collection – in this case it was Child Ballad number 78.  Research has placed this ballad as originating in the 17th century.

Kenneth Goldstein writes in his liner notes to the album:

“Jean Ritchie’s Kentucky version…is notable for its exhibition of several universal popular beliefs, including a talking ghost, the idea that excessive grief on the part of mourners disturbs the peace of the dead, the troth-plight that binds lovers even after death (with the death-kiss perhaps indicating a return of the troth), and the belief that the kiss of a dead person may result in death.  Jean Ritchie’s version, truly exquisite as to both its poetry and music, is a valuable addition to our recorded ballad lore.”

The research on the origins of the song is summarized below from Wikipedia (full article is linked below):

“The Unquiet Grave” is an English folk song in which a young man’s grief over the death of his true love is so deep that it disturbs her eternal sleep. It was collected in 1868 by Francis James Child as Child Ballad number 78…One of the more common tunes used for the ballad is the same as that used for the English ballad “Dives and Lazarus” and the Irish pub favorite “Star of the County Down”.

[In the song]….A man mourns his true love for “a twelve month and a day”.  At the end of that time, the dead woman complains that his weeping is keeping her from peaceful rest. He begs a kiss. She tells him it would kill him. When he persists, wanting to join her in death, she explains that once they are both dead their hearts will simply decay, so he should enjoy life while he has it…Many verses in this ballad have parallels in other ballads: Bonny Bee Hom, Sweet William’s Ghost and some variants of The Twa Brothers.

Historical Background

The motif that excessive grief can disturb the dead is found also in German and Scandinavian ballads, as well as Greek and Roman traditions.  On the Fresno State University website, Robert B Waltz compares “The Unquiet Grave” with an older carol, “There blows a cold wind today” in the Bodleian Library MS 7683 (dated c 1500), and writes: “I must say that I find this a stretch; the similarities are slight indeed.”

To lean on the cautious side we can allow “The Unquiet Grave” to be seventeen century, but discredit a date before 1600.

From Wikipedia:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unquiet_Grave

Another site called The Bluegrass Messengers lists lyrics by Jean and some background on where her version came from.  Here are her lyrics and a recording is below:

The Unquiet Grave- Ritchie (KY) 1961 Recording
[This is from Jean Ritchie’s 1961 recording for Folkways which has been reissued. It’s nearly identical to Child A and the liner notes say Ritchie learned from her Uncle Jason. In her book published in 1968 she writes: This is Uncle Jason’s version of “The Unquiet Grave.” He would often recite the words, sadly and reverently, and when he came to the lines, “the fairest flower that ever grew is [withered] to a stalk,” he would mermer almost to himself, “It’s so true, so true!”  R. Matteson 2012, 2015]

The Unquiet Grave – Ritchie (KY) 1961 Recording

1    The wind doth blow today, my love,
With a few small drops of rain;
I never had but one true love,
And she in cold grave has lain.

2    “I’ll do as much for my true-love
As any young man may;
I’ll sit and mourn all at her grave
For a twelvemonth and a day.”

3    The twelve months and a day being up,
The dead began to speak:
“Oh who is there sits on my grave,
And will not let me sleep?”

4    ” ‘Tis I, my love, sits on your grave,
And will not let you sleep;
I crave one kiss of your cold sweet lip,
And that is all I seek.”

5    ‘You crave one kiss from my clay-cold lip;
But my breath smells earthy strong;
If you had one kiss of my clay-cold lips,
Your time would not be long.

6    Oh down in yonder garden green,
Love, where we used to walk,
The finest flower that ever bloomed
Is withered to a stalk.

7    “The stalk is withered dry, my love,
So must our hearts decay;
So make yourself content, my love,
Till God calls you away.”
 

http://www.bluegrassmessengers.com/the-unquiet-grave–ritchie-ky-1961-recording.aspx

 

The FAR-West Music Conference is Upon Us!  Join me October 12-15 Woodland Hills, California!

The FAR-West Conference is finally here!  After four long years away from our in-person community, I can’t wait to see everyone gathered at last in Woodland Hills!

Please join me at this reunion of the family of folk musicians, industry professionals, dancers, story-tellers, presenters, DJs, educators, hobbyists and fans!   Join us face-to-face where the folk music industry and community promotes a diverse mix of traditional, contemporary and multicultural folk music, dance, storytelling and related performing arts in the West. No matter your level of interest and involvement, there is something exciting at this conference for everyone.

Registration includes full access to all conference events, the Saturday Best of the West luncheon and Sunday breakfast at the Annual General Meeting.  Throughout the weekend there is so much great stuff going on:  there is the Venue’s Choice concert on Thursday night, official showcases on Friday and Saturday nights, private showcases, educational panels and workshops, networking and peer sessions, jams and open mics, mentor sessions and so much more. It’s not too late to register!         REGISTER HERE

New events and content are being added every day, so register now and check back for updates.  Sign up on the FAR-West mailing list here for all updates on the conference.

JOIN THE MAILING LIST HERE  Click on “Mailing List Sign Up.”   

A member of Folk Alliance International, FAR-West states consists of the Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming, the Northwest and Yukon Territories of Canada, and the Canadian Provinces of Alberta and British Columbia.

 

 

As always, thanks for reading!  See y’all next time, and Happy Halloween!
Love and Blessings,

Susie

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Award-winning recording artist, Broadway singer, journalist, educator and critically-acclaimed powerhouse vocalist, Susie Glaze has been called “one of the most beautiful voices in bluegrass and folk music today” by Roz Larman of KPFK’s Folk Scene.  LA Weekly voted her ensemble Best New Folk in their Best of LA Weekly for 2019, calling Susie “an incomparable vocalist.”  “A flat out superb vocalist… Glaze delivers warm, amber-toned vocals that explore the psychic depth of a lyric with deft acuity and technical perfection.”  As an educator, Susie has lectured at USC Thornton School of Music and Cal State Northridge on “Balladry to Bluegrass,” illuminating the historical path of ancient folk forms in the United Kingdom to the United States via immigration into the mountains of Appalachia.  Susie has taught workshops since 2018 at California music camps RiverTunes and Vocáli Voice Camp.  She is a current specialist in performance and historian on the work of American folk music icon, Jean Ritchie.  Her newest CD is “Do You Have This in Blue?” released April of 2023, produced by Joe Craven, with guest players Laurence Juber, Bill Cunliffe and Joe Craven.   Find it on Streaming Platforms Here!  Susie now offers private voice coaching online via the Zoom platform.  Email Susie Here.     Visit Susie’s website here!