“Clementine”

Description

The singer reports on the death of his beloved Clementine, the daughter of a (Forty-Niner). One day, leading her ducklings to water, she trips and falls in. The singer, "no swimmer," helplessly watches her drown

Supplemental text

Clementine
  Complete text(s)

          *** A ***

Oh My Darling Clementine

From sheet music published 1884 by Oliver Ditson & Co.
Title page inscribed
OH MY DARLING
  CLEMENTINE
   WORDS & MUSIC
            BY
   PERCY MONTROSE

1. In a cabin, In a canyon, an excavation for a mine;
   Dwelt a miner, A Forty-niner,
   And his daughter Clementine.

CHORUS.
Oh my darling, Oh my darling, Oh my darling Clementine,
You are lost and gone forever,
Drefful sorry, Clementine.

2. She drove her ducklets, To the river, Ev'ry morning just at nine;
   She stubb'd her toe, against a sliver,
   And fell into the foaming brine.

3. I saw her lips above the water, Blowing bubbles soft and fine;
   Alas for me, I was no swimmer,
   And so I lost my Clementine.

Notes

In some of the modern versions, the song ends when the singer kisses Clementine's younger sister and forgets Clementine. - (PJS)

The words to this piece were first published in 1863 under the title "Down by the River Lived a Maiden," credited to H. S. Thompson. This printing had a melody, but it was not the "standard" melody. The text was also rather different (in minstrel dialect); Norm Cohen gives the first verse as

Down by the river there lived a maiden

In a cottage built just 7 x 9;

And all around this lubly bower

The beauteous sunflower blossoms twine.

Chorus: Oh my Clema, oh my Clema, Oh my darling Clementine,

Now you are gone and lost forever,

I'm dreadful sorry Clementine.

In 1864 a text appeared in "Billy Morris' Songs" in which Clementine appears as little short of a legendary monster; she is even reported to have grown wool.

In 1884 the piece reappeared, with the famous tune, this time credited to "Percy Montrose," under the title "Oh My Darling Clementine."

Since neither Thompson nor Montrose is known, the authorship of the song probably cannot be settled.

It is reported by reliable sources that this song was originally intended to be serious. No doubt a few thousand enterprising parodists would be amazed. - RBW

Same tune

• Found a Peanut (Pankake-PHCFSB, pp. 28-29)
• Oh My Monster, Frankenstein (Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 219)
• The Atoms In Their Glory ("There the atoms in their glory, Ionize and recombine. Oh my darlings, oh my darlings, Oh my darlings, Ions mine"; said to have been sung by Ernest Rutherford himself; see Edward O. Wilson, _The Diversity of Life_, p. 46)

Cross references

• cf. "Silver Jack" [Laws C24] (tune)

Recordings

• Logan English, "Clementine" (on LEnglish02)
• Bradley Kincaid, "Darlin' Clementine" (Decca W4271, 1934)
• Pete Seeger, "Clementine" (on PeteSeeger24)

References

1. RJackson-19CPop, pp. 148-151, "Oh My Darling Clementine" (1 text, 1 tune)
2. Fife-Cowboy/West 34, "Clementine" (1 text, 1 tune)
3. Meredith/Covell/Brown, p. 68, "Mazurka: Clementine" (1 tune)
4. Spaeth-ReadWeep, p. 85, "Clementine" (1 text, 1 tune)
5. PSeeger-AFB, p. 27, "Clementine" (1 text, 1 tune)
6. Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 272, "Clementine" (1 text)
7. Silber-FSWB, p. 241, "Clementine" (1 text)
8. Fuld-WFM, pp. 174-175, "Clementine"
9. DT, CLEMENTI* (CLEMENT3*) (CLEMENT4)
10. ST RJ19148 (Full)
11. Roud #9611
12. BI, RJ19148