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Darling Alalee
Composer: Traditional

Played by the Black Mountain Boys on the 6th and 7th March 1964. The Black Mountain Boys included Jerry Garcia, Robert Hunter, Eric Thompson, Sandy Rothman and David Nelson.

The song occurs on recordings as Darling Alalee and Sweet Alalee and with variations in the spelling of Alalee. The title Darling Alalee has traditionally been used on Black Mountaion Boys tapes.



Jerry Garcia recordings

info Before The Dead, Jerry Garcia, 2018

Other recordings

As Darling Alalee or Darling Allalee

info Country Songs Old & New, The Country Gentlemen, 1960
no info Single (Letter To Tom / Darling Alalee), The Country Gentlemen, 1960
no info Banjo Jamboree Spectacular, Various Artists (Country Gentlemen), 1961
no info Folk Songs From The Hills, The Springfields, 1963
no info The Best Of, The Country Gentlemen, 1969
no info Darling Alalee, Bristol Mountain Bluegrass, 1982
info Over the Hills and Far Away, The Springfields, 1997
info High Lonesome: Complete Starday Recordings, The Country Gentlemen, 1998

As Sweet Alalee or Sweet Allalee

info Ballads And Instrumentals, Red Rector, 1973
info Sunny Side of Life, The Blue Sky Boys, 1973
no info Take Me Back To Happy Valley, The Bailey Brothers and The Happy Valley Boys, 1974
no info Almost Alone, Chet Atkins, 1996
no info The Original And Great Early Authentic Country Recordings, Blue Sky Boys, 19??
info Sunny Side of Life (Bear Family box set), The Blue Sky Boys, 2003
info The Blue Sky Boys, The Blue Sky Boys, 2007


Lyrics

The lyrics of the version performed by the Black Mountain Boys are as follows;

Sweet Alalee so dear to me,
She's gone for ever more,
My home was down in Tennessee,
Before the cruel war.

(Chorus)
And carry me back to Tennessee,
There (to dwell?) (?)
Among the fields of yellow corn,
With my darling Alalee.

Oh why did I from day to day,
Keep wishing to be free,
And from my master run away,
And leave my Alalee.

Chorus...

They said that I would soon be free,
And happy all the day,
But if they take me back again,
I'll never run away.

Chorus...

 
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