“Peter Gray”

Description

Peter Gray, of Pennsylvania, loves Lucy Annie Pearl. Her father sends her west; he considers suicide, but instead goes west himself and is scalped by Indians. She takes to her bed and dies. Chorus: "Blow ye winds of morning, blow ye winds heigh-o."

Supplemental text

Peter Gray
  Complete text(s)

          *** A ***

From "The Dime Song Book #2" (1860), p. 45.

My song is of a nice young man
  Whose name was Peter Gray,
The state where Peter Gray was born
  Was Penn-syl-va-ni-a..

This Peter Gray did fall in love
  All with a nice young girl;
The name of her I'm positive
  Was Lizzy-Anna-Querl.

When they were going to be wed,
  He father he said "No!"
And brutally did send her off
  Beyond the O-hi-o.

When Peter found his love was lost,
  He knew not what to say,
He'd half a mind to jump into
  The Sus-que-han-ni-a.

A trading he went into the west,
  For furs and other skins,
And there he was in crimson drest
  By bloody In-ji-ins.

When Lizzy Anna heard the news,
  She straightway went to bed
And never did get off of it
  Until she was di-i-ed!

Ye fathers all a warning take,
  Each one as has a girl,
And think upon poor Peter Gray
  And Lizzy-Anna-Querl.

Notes

Yes, I said humorous [in the keywords]; this is a reworking of a classic ballad plot unto the absurd. - PJS

And the versions I've heard sung are performed with great bathos, just to make sure we get the point. - RBW

Cross references

• cf. "Blow Ye Winds in the Morning" (chorus lyrics, tune)

Recordings

• Pete Seeger, "Johnny Gray" (on PeteSeeger07, PeteSeeger07a)

References

1. DSB2, p. 45, "Peter Gray" (1 text)
2. Silber-FSWB, p. 240, "Peter Gray" (1 text)
3. ST FSWB240C (Full)
4. Roud #4307
5. BI, FSWB240C