This is a nineteenth-century North American parlor song that has gone into the public domain. There are many variants, some quite amusing when compared to this version. For instance, the line...
I will dance I will sing and my life shall be gay;
I will charm every heart in the crowd I survey
...has been changed to:
Oh, I'll dance, I will sing and my laugh shall be gay;
I will charm ev'ry heart, in his crown I will sway
Clearly a misunderstood line, passed along by the oral tradition. This is a fine example of the folk process.
This song was written by Maud and J.P. Weber, and popularized by the Carter Family. Another great guitar- picking song. This is the first song I've recorded with my new Martin HD28V that Dick Boak at Martin Guitars helped me pick out at the factory.
The purpose of the Folk Den is to use the medium of the World Wide Web to continue the tradition of the folk process, that is the telling of stories, and singing of songs, passed on from one generation to another, by word of mouth.
In this electronic era, such a process is in danger of being overwhelmed by the commercial mass media. This page and others on the 'net are working to preserve the folk songs that have chronicled our global heritage for centuries.
In the Folk Den, a "new" folk song is uploaded every month as a "Global Community Service."
