Banks of the Ohio
Encyclopedia
"'Banks of the Ohio'" is a 19th century murder ballad
, written by unknown authors, in which "Willie" invites his young lover for a walk during which she rejects his marriage proposal. Once they are alone on the river bank, he murders the young woman.
The first recording of the song was by Red Patterson's Piedmont Log Rollers on August 12, 1927. The song has since been recorded numerous times, such as by New Lost City Ramblers
, The Wolfe Tones, Henry Whitter
, Ernest Stoneman
, Clayton McMichen
, The Carter Family, Blue Sky Boys (whose version, performed in 1936, appears in the soundtrack of the 1973 film Paper Moon
), Johnny Cash
, Porter Wagoner
, Pete Seeger
, Monroe Brothers
, Joan Baez
, Olivia Newton-John
(with Mike Sammes
, in 1971, her second commercial single in the United States
), Dave Guard and the Whiskeyhill Singers, Mike Ireland and Holler, and Doc Watson
, with slightly different lyrics when sung by a female. The song is similar in subject to "Pretty Polly
", and likely tells the same story (Both songs date from approximately the same time, tell roughly the same story, and feature a villain named "Willie").
Another not so well known version of the song is entitled "On the Banks of the Old Pedee."
Also, the song and its title serve as the theme song for, and title of, a long-running radio series broadcast of bluegrass music
on WAMU
-PBS and Bluegrass Country, hosted by Fred Bartenstein and produced for
the International Bluegrass Music Museum
, near the
Ohio River
in Owensboro, Kentucky
.
Murder ballad
Murder ballads are a sub-genre of the traditional ballad form, the lyrics of which form a narrative describing the events of a murder, often including the lead-up and/or aftermath...
, written by unknown authors, in which "Willie" invites his young lover for a walk during which she rejects his marriage proposal. Once they are alone on the river bank, he murders the young woman.
The first recording of the song was by Red Patterson's Piedmont Log Rollers on August 12, 1927. The song has since been recorded numerous times, such as by New Lost City Ramblers
New Lost City Ramblers
The New Lost City Ramblers is a contemporary old-time string band that formed in New York City in 1958 during the Folk Revival. The founding members of the Ramblers, or NLCR, are Mike Seeger, John Cohen, and Tom Paley...
, The Wolfe Tones, Henry Whitter
Henry Whitter
Henry Whitter was an early country musician.-Biography:...
, Ernest Stoneman
Ernest Stoneman
Ernest Van "Pop" Stoneman ranked among the prominent recording artists of country music's first commercial decade.-Biography:...
, Clayton McMichen
Clayton McMichen
Clayton McMichen was an American fiddler and country musician.-Biography:Born in Allatoona, Georgia, McMichen learned to play the fiddle from his father and uncle. He moved to Atlanta with his family in 1913, working as an automobile mechanic. While there, he entered and won several competitions...
, The Carter Family, Blue Sky Boys (whose version, performed in 1936, appears in the soundtrack of the 1973 film Paper Moon
Paper Moon (film)
Paper Moon is a 1973 American comedy film directed by Peter Bogdanovich and released by Paramount Pictures. The screenplay was adapted from the novel Addie Pray by Joe David Brown, and the film was shot in black-and-white. The film is set during the Great Depression in the U.S. states of Kansas and...
), Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, Porter Wagoner
Porter Wagoner
Porter Wayne Wagoner was a popular American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. He introduced the young Dolly Parton near the beginning of her career on his long-running television show, and they were a well-known duet throughout the late 1960s and...
, Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
, Monroe Brothers
Bill Monroe
William Smith Monroe was an American musician who created the style of music known as bluegrass, which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky. Monroe's performing career spanned 60 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and bandleader...
, Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
, Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
(with Mike Sammes
Mike Sammes
Michael William "Mike" Sammes was an English musician and vocal session arranger, performing backing vocals on pop music recorded in the UK from 1955 to the 1970s.-Career:...
, in 1971, her second commercial single in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
), Dave Guard and the Whiskeyhill Singers, Mike Ireland and Holler, and Doc Watson
Doc Watson
Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson is an American guitar player, songwriter and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues and gospel music. He has won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Watson's flatpicking skills and knowledge of traditional American music are highly regarded...
, with slightly different lyrics when sung by a female. The song is similar in subject to "Pretty Polly
Pretty Polly (ballad)
"Pretty Polly", "The Gosport Tragedy" or "The Cruel Ship's Carpenter" is a traditional English-language folk song found in the British Isles, Canada, and the Appalachian region of North America, among other places....
", and likely tells the same story (Both songs date from approximately the same time, tell roughly the same story, and feature a villain named "Willie").
Another not so well known version of the song is entitled "On the Banks of the Old Pedee."
Also, the song and its title serve as the theme song for, and title of, a long-running radio series broadcast of bluegrass music
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
on WAMU
WAMU
WAMU is a public radio station that services the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The station broadcasts on 88.5 FM, online at wamu.org, and on HD Radio at 88.5-HD1, 2 and 3. WAMU is on-air 24 hours a day. It is licensed to American University, and its studios are located near the campus...
-PBS and Bluegrass Country, hosted by Fred Bartenstein and produced for
the International Bluegrass Music Museum
International Bluegrass Music Museum
The International Bluegrass Music Museum ) is a bluegrass music museum in RiverPark Center near downtown Owensboro, Kentucky, United States. The museum has inter-active exhibits, posters, costumes, live instrument demonstrations, and the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. The museum has...
, near the
Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
in Owensboro, Kentucky
Owensboro, Kentucky
Owensboro is the fourth largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the county seat of Daviess County. It is located on U.S. Route 60 about southeast of Evansville, Indiana, and is the principal city of the Owensboro, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's...
.
Traditional version
Come my love let's take a walk
Just a little way away
While we walk along we'll talk
Talk about our wedding day
(chorus)
Only say that you'll be mine
And in our home we'll happy be
Down beside where the waters flow
Down on the banks of the Ohio
I drew my knife across her throat
And to my breast she gently pressed
Oh please, oh please, don't murder me!
For I'm unprepared to die you see
I taken her by her lily white hand
I let her down and I made her stand
There I plunged her in to drown
And watched her as she floated down
Returning home 'tween twelve and one
Thinking of the deed I'd done
I murdered the girl I love you see
Because she would not marry me
Next day as I was running home
I met the sheriff standing in the door
He said young man come with me and go
Down to the banks of the Ohio
Johnny Cash version
I asked my love to take a walk
With me just a little ways
And as we walked along she talked
Of when would be our wedding day
(chorus)
And only say that you'll be mine
In no others arms entwined
Down beside where the waters flow
Down by the banks of the Ohio
I held a knife against her breast
And told her she was going to rest
She cried "Sweet Willy, don't murder me
I'm not prepared for eternity."
(chorus)
I drug her down by the water-side
And told her she was going to die
And then I threw her in to drown
And I watched her as she floated down
(chorus)
I started home between twelve and one
I cried "Oh Lord, what have I done?"
I've killed the only girl I loved
Because she would not be my wife
(chorus)(x2)