Oh My Darling, Clementine

"Oh My Darling, Clementine" is an American western folk ballad usually credited to Percy Montrose (1884), though sometimes to Barker Bradford. The song is believed to have been based on another called Down by the River Liv'd a Maiden by H. S. Thompson (1863).

Related Topics:
Percy Montrose - Barker Bradford - Down by the River Liv'd a Maiden - H. S. Thompson

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The words are those of a bereaved lover singing about his darling, the daughter of a a "49er", (a miner in the 1849 California Gold Rush). He loses her in a drowning accident – though he consoles himself towards the end of the song with Clementine's "little sister".

Related Topics:
1849 - California Gold Rush

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh My Darling, Clementine quickly became popular, especially with scouts and other groups of young people, as a campfire and excursion song, and there are several different versions of the words. (There is even a Scottish version, the Climbing Clementine, which begins "In a crevice, high on Nevis...") The lyrics most often sung are those shown below:

Related Topics:
Scouts - Campfire - Scottish - Nevis

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~