Wildwood Flower
"Wildwood Flower" began as an 1860 parlour song and became, through the Carter Family's 1928 recording, one of the most famous guitar pieces in country and folk music. Generations of guitarists have learned it as their first melody.
- Original title
- "I'll Twine 'Mid the Ringlets" (1860)
- Music
- Joseph Philbrick Webster
- Words
- Attributed to Maud Irving
- Famous recording
- The Carter Family, 1928 (Victor)
- Index
- Roud 757
From parlour song to folk song
The song was published in 1860 as "I'll Twine 'Mid the Ringlets", with music by Joseph Philbrick Webster and words attributed to Maud Irving, a name that may have been a pen name. As it passed from singer to singer the words drifted, and by the time the Carter Family recorded it the song had been through the full folk process. Collectors found variants such as "The Pale Amaranthus", "Raven Black Hair" and "The Pale Wildwood Flower".
The Carter Family and the Carter scratch
The Carter Family first recorded "Wildwood Flower" in 1928 for Victor. Maybelle Carter's guitar part is the classic example of the "Carter scratch", playing the melody on the low strings while brushing the higher strings for rhythm, so one guitar carries both tune and accompaniment.
Maybelle played it again on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's 1972 album Will the Circle Be Unbroken, and often performed it with Johnny Cash in concert and on The Johnny Cash Show. Woody Guthrie borrowed the tune of "I'll Twine 'Mid the Ringlets" for "The Sinking of the Reuben James".
We describe this song rather than print its words: versions differ from singer to singer, and many of the best-known texts come from particular recordings.
Playing it
To play it in the Carter style, pick the melody on the bass strings with your thumb and brush the treble strings in between. More Carter Family songs: Keep on the Sunny Side · Can the Circle Be Unbroken