In February 2020 I wrote about my favorite love song. The name of it is “When You and I Were Young Maggie.” It’s a song I’ve always liked, but the older I get the more I love it. If you missed that post you can read it here.
The song I’m sharing today is also one I’ve written about before. The name of it is “My Dearest Dear.” I’ve also heard the song called “The Blackest Crow.”
Several years back the girls learned the song in a music class they took. We all fell in love with the beautiful haunting lyrics and tune.
After doing some research on the song I discovered it is a traditional ballad. As with most traditional songs the lyrics vary by the person singing it.
Most of the historical information I found pointed towards the song being common in both the Appalachian Mountains as well as the Ozark Mountains. Much of the information connects the song to the Civil War.
Here’s the lyrics the girls sing:
As time draws near my dearest dear, when you and I must part. How little you know of the grief and woe of my poor aching heart. Each night I suffer for your sake, you’re the one I love so dear. I wish that I was going with you or you were staying here.
I wish my breast was made of glass wherein you might behold. Upon my heart your name lies wrote in letters made of gold. In letters made of gold my love believe me when I say you are the only one I love until my dying day.
The blackest crow that ever flew would surely turn to white if ever I proved false to you bright day will turn to night. Bright day will turn to night my love the elements will mourn if ever I prove false to you the seas will rage and burn.
And when you’re own some distant shore think of your absent friend. And when the wind blows high and clear a light to me pray send. And when the wind blows high and clear pray send your love to me that I might know by your handwrite how time has gone with thee.
I hope you enjoyed the beautiful old love song as much as I do! The girls like it so much they put it on their cd. If you’d like to pick up a copy go here.
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Tipper, I agree that When You and I were Young. It is my favorite of that genre, probably because my Pa sang it to his lap babies and grand kids.
The Dearest Dear is new to me, but I really liked the rendition done by the twins.
Blessings to all!
Just beautiful!
Pretty song. The girls did such a good job. Do both girls play both instruments? Could have placed a bet the fiddle player is Corey but when the guitar player started singing I thought the voice sounded like hers. The girls look so much alike here!
What a moving song and the girls did a great job! When my husband and I started going steady in 1972, one of our favorite songs was, “If” by Bread. We had it sung at our wedding in 1976. A few years later, Kenny Rogers released, “Through the Years” and to this day that’s another favorite of ours. Randy, “Precious and Few” was another one that was up there with our favorites also. Have a great Sunday everyone!!
I’d never heard that wonderful old tune. Beautifully done, Pressley girls.
A very beautiful song. I really like songs in a minor key. I would like to hear it played on a mountain dulcimer.
Nice! I like that …Am a “Maggie” fan too. The first thumb-pickin’ song my cousin Junior Mauney taught me about 1958. “Maggie”was also Horace Kephart’s favorite song and was played at his funeral.
Tipper, thank you so much for sharing the words of this song with us. I have always enjoyed this tune, but never knew it even had words. I thought it was a very old Gaelic melody. Whenever I heard it, I would think of Celtic wars from the Middle Ages, and women following their men off to the battlefields, sometimes even fighting alongside their loved ones. If it was written during the Civil War, that makes it a whole lot younger of a song. As I read the words, my imagination saw a couple parting as he went off to fight, and mingled in with those thoughts I saw a graveyard with Victorian era tombstones and crosses. How sad that so many young hearts have been broken so tragically over thousands of years because of bloody conflicts, as it is typically the very young men who have gone off to fight. Not that someone being killed in their 40s, 50s or even 80s isn’t tragic also. With this rainy, gloomy Sunday, my mind has been swirling with thoughts of Victorian days. Randy’s comment today took me back to the time I lived in Iowa, and my old Victorian house there. She was a grand painted lady. So my thoughts have been of tea cakes, and company calling to sit in the front parlor sipping tea, the sound of horses clip clopping down the street pulling carriages, and such beautiful dresses swishing as someone descends the grand staircases of those old gorgeous homes.
Donna. : )
I had not realized till your post a name for Victorian houses is “painted ladies” but the name is surely a fit for Queen Anne style with all the “gingerbread”. Just saw a listing this morning for a grand one on Doughty Street in Greeneville, TN.
The one verse makes me wonder if a man/woman pair of clear glass could be made each with a ruby red heart. Doubt if possible to have the names in letters made of gold on the hearts but sure would be sweet. Or maybe have the names and “My Dearest Dear” in gold letters on a lighted base. All I can do is imagine though.
Beautiful song and a perfect song for the girls voices
The girls sing so sweetly, this beautiful love song.
That’s beautiful and so sweet and very clearly from another time!
Wow…what words and so many couples should listen as it is so moving. thanks for sharing. Have a wonderful Sunday and watchings your seedling….God Bless
When I read the lyrics to this song, I wonder if it was wrote about someone in the military going away to war. I also think of a time being with your spouse when they are dying. Mine and my wife’s favorite song when we were going steady was Precious and Few by Climax, it seemed like we sometimes had a hard time of being alone by ourselves. Two other love songs I liked was Surfer Girl by The Beach Boys and my favorite, Donna by Ritchie, I can’t spell his last name but he was killed in a plane crash and wrote the song for his girlfriend whose daddy didn’t want him to be with.
Good Morning Randy! I didn’t know the song “Donna” that Ritchie Valens sang was written because his father wouldn’t let him see the girl he fancied. You have given me a whole new outlook on that song. I have always had a love /hate relationship with it. I loved it because it is a nice song (and it has my name !), but I hated it because boys (and now men) always sing it to me. In my senior year, our school had a foreign exchange student from Italy. His name was Giuseppe, and he would follow me around school singing that song to me. It irritated me! One day in Chemistry class, he drew a very well drawn picture of me. For as much as he made me want to run in the opposite direction of him, I have kept that drawing all these years. When I lived in Iowa for twelve years, I was not very far from Clear Lake where the plane crashed that Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly and JP Richardson were killed in. Clear Lake is a beautiful place. But the place the plane crashed was not very remarkable terrain wise. If I remember correctly, there is just one small little hill and no other ones. I also drove by the ballroom where he had his last concert. I moved to Iowa in my 20s, so it was during the late 1990s or 2000 that I saw those places, and I think they were killed in the late 50s or early 60s.
Donna. : )
This is a reply to both you and Patricia, what I said may not be entirely true, but from a movie I watched about Ritchie the song had something to do with Donna’s daddy not wanting or letting them see one another. Ritchie’s real last name is the name I was thinking about when I said I couldn’t spell it. Another love song from the 60’s I also loved was “I’m Leaving It Up To You” by Dale and Grace if for no other reason than listening to them harmonize. Others have recorded it, but I liked their recording the best. The songs I have mentioned where from the 50 or 60’s when many good songs from all styles of music were being sung and recorded. Donna, I can easily believe boys would have teased you with singing this song to you, especially the ones that had a crush on you and were to shy or bashful to let you know. I think that was just a boy thing to do.
Thank you for making me smile, Randy! You made me feel good. I never was mean to Giuseppe when he would sing it to me, or talk to me. I always politely stood there, and smiled. I chatted politely with him, too. Maybe because I was so shy myself, I always felt bashful about being sung to. I still feel that way. I hope you have a great week!
Donna. : )
Hey, Randy – Ritchie Valens. I remember that song well. What I didn’t know was that his real name was Valenzuela and he shortened it to create his professional name.
Such a pretty song and what pretty girls performed it. Do the girls just have the one CD? I have it, but I want to make sure I am not missing out!