Diana Wagner Music

Tradition Bearer  

Expanded Liner Notes

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1.    My Horses Ain't Hungry (4:19)
2.    Barbara Allen (4:58)
3.    Two Sisters (7:45)
4.    Bright Morning Stars (4:45)
5.    Who Will Watch the Home Place (4:55)
6.    Owensboro (4:44)
7.    Weeping Pilgrim (3:46)
8.    Hard Times (5:40)
9.    Shenandoah (6:33)
10.  Farewell, My Friends (1:45)
11.  Willow Tree (3:48)
12.  My Horses Ain't Hungry (Reprise) (3:44)

My debut CD contains 12 tracks of music from the American, Anglo-Celtic, and Gospel traditions.  

The songs for this debut CD are the songs that have moved me, taken me back to my traditions, and caused me to pause as I consider my musical ancestry.

The title of this CD arose from a conversation I had with Pamela Goddard at the Heart of the Alleghenies Folk Festival in 2006. Pamela spoke eloquently about our charge to be Tradition Bearers. In these songs, we carry our lineage, our traditions, and our shared experiences—experiences of love, hope, conflict, grief and prayer. In these songs we hear the voices of people seldom found in our history books, but who are always found in our families and folklore. This project is their story. Where possible in the liner notes, I have indicated the Tradition Bearer who made each of these song-gifts part of my tradition.

1.  My Horses Ain’t Hungry
 (Traditional/P.D.)

Guitar & vocal:  Diana Wagner
Appalachian dulcimer: Jim Hatley
Arranged by Diana Wagner & Jim Hatley
Tradition Bearer:  Karen Hirshon

Karen Hirshon, of Simple Gifts, taught us this song.   Karen's blues arrangement of this traditional Appalachian love song can be heard on Simple Gifts' CD Crossing Borders.

My horses ain’t hungry, they won’t eat your hay
So fare thee well darlin’, I’m going away
Your parents don’t like me; they say I’m too poor
Say they don’t want me hangin’ ‘round your door.

‘Cause I don’t need my ponies, my pretty little babe
I’ll ride out tomorrow but I’m coming back some day
It’s true I’ve no silver, it’s true I’ve no gold
It’s true that I love you and now you’ve been told

My horses ain’t hungry, they won’t eat your hay
So fare thee well darling, I’m going away
It’s true I’ve no silver, it’s true I’ve no gold
It’s true that I love you and now you’ve been told

2.  Barbara Allen
(Traditional/P.D./Child Ballad #84)

Vocal:  Diana Wagner
Tradition Bearer & Compiler:  Pamela Goddard

Francis J. Child's five volume work, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads (1882-1898), remains a famous collection of folk songs with variants.  You can learn more about the fascinating world of the Child Ballads and Professor Child by visiting Lesley Nelson's fantastic Child Ballad web site.

I learned this version from Ithaca singer Pamela Goddard.  Pam's CD As Time Draws Near is a wonderful collection of historic ballads. 

In Tarrytown as I know well
There lived a fair maid dwellin’
Made every man cry all of the day
Her name was Barbara Allen

‘Twas in the merry month of May
When the red buds they were swellin’
Sweet William on his deathbed lay
For the love of Barbara Allen

He sent his good friends to the town
To the place where she was dwellin’
Saying you must come to our own dear friend
If your name be Barbara Allen

And slowly, slowly she got up
And slower she drew nigh him;
And the only words to him did say,
“What’s this I hear you’re dyin’.”

Do you not recall in the tavern hall
Back when the snows were fallin’ 
You drank a toast to the ladies all
But you slighted Barbara Allen

He turned his face onto the wall
And death in him was wellin’
“Farewell, farewell my dear friends all.
Be kind to Barbara Allen.”

And when these words she did hearShe bursted out with laughing
And all his friends they shook their heads
Said, “Hard-hearted Barbara Allen.”

And as she was skipping back o’er the field
The church bells they were knelling
And every stroke went right to her heart
Hard-hearted Barbara Allen

She fell down on the ground
And bursted out with crying
And still those church bells they did ring
Hard-hearted Barbara Allen

Oh, father, oh, father, go and dig my grave
Make it both long and narrow
Sweet William died on yesterday
And I will die tomorrow

Oh, mother, oh, mother, go and dig my grave
Make it both long and narrow
Sweet William died of the love of me
And I will die of sorrow

They buried Sweet William in the old church yard
Barbara Allen was beside him
Out of William’s heart grew a red, red rose
Out of Barbara’s a green briar

They grew and they grew in the old church yard
‘Til they could grow not a bit higher
They there they twined in a true lover’s knot
With a red rose ‘round the green briar

3.  Two Sisters
 (Traditional/P.D./Child Ballad #10)

12-string guitar, bass, & vocal:  Diana Wagner
Tradition Bearers:  Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly

This song, another Child Ballad, dates to the mid 17th Century.  I play this tune on a 12-string guitar in DADGAD tuning, a common tuning used in tradtional Celtic music.  I learned both DADGAD and this haunting song from Elwood Donnelly of Atwater-Donnelly. 

There was an old man in the old country, bow down
There was an old man in the old country, bow and bend to me
There was an old man in the old country
He had daughters fair to see

   I will be true, true to my love
   Love if my love will be true to me

The old man gave the little one a hat, bow down
The old many gave the little one a hat, bow and bend to me
The old man gave the little one a hat
The older sister couldn’t stand that

They walked down by the mill pond’s brim, bow down
They walked down by the mill pond’s brim, bow and bend to me
They walked down by the mill pond’s brim
The old one pushed the little one in

Oh, sister, oh sister give my your hand, bow down
Oh, sister, oh sister give my your hand, bow and bend to me
Oh, sister, oh sister give my your hand
And you may have my house and land

She pushed her further from the shore, bow down
She pushed her further from the shore, bow and bend to me
She pushed her further from the shore
All for the sake of the hat she wore

The miller saw her floating about, bow down
The miller saw her floating about, bow and bend to me
The miller saw her floating about
He took is pole and drew her out

He took off all of her fine gold rings, bow down
He took off all of her fine gold rings, bow and bend to me
He took off all of her fine gold rings
Then pushed her back in the water again

The miller was hanged for the deadly sin, bow down
The miller was hanged for the deadly sin, bow and bend to me
The miller was hanged for the deadly sin
The older sister ought to have been

4.  Bright Morning Stars (Traditional/P.D.)

Vocal:  Diana Wagner

Bright morning stars are rising
Bright morning stars are rising
Bright morning stars are rising
Day is a-breakin’ in my soul

And where are our dear fathers
Oh, where are our dear fathers
They’re down in the valley, a-prayin’
Day is a-breakin’ in my soul

And where are our dear mothers
Oh, where are our dear mothers
They’ve gone up to heaven a-shouting
Day is a-breakin’ in my soul

And how can I be lonely
When you are ever near me
Such wondrous love surrounds me
Day is a-breakin’ in my soul

5.  Who Will Watch the Home Place
(Kate Long © Feeny Feemster Music, BMI, Used by permission)
Guitar & vocal:  Diana Wagner
Mandolin:  Chad Jones
Tradition Bearer:  Kate Long

Get a full-length track here

This is the one contemporary song on this CD.  What makes it special is that it feels like this wonderful song by Kate Long  has been part of our traditions forever.  This tune is so full of love and heartache, it's hard to sing.  But there's a lesson in that, too.  Thank you, Kate.

Leaves are turning and falling in showers of gold
As the postman climbs up our long hill
And there’s sympathy written all over his face
As he hands me a couple more bills

   Who will watch the homeplace
   Who will fill my heart’s dear space
   Who will fill my empty place
   When I am gone from here

There’s a lovely green nook by a clear flowing stream
It was my place when I was quite small
And its creatures and sounds could soothe my worst pain
But today they don’t ease me, at all

In my grandfather’s shed there are hundreds of tools
I know them by feel and by name
Like parts of my body, they’ve patched this old place
When I move them, it won’t be the same

Now I wander around touching each blessed thing
The chimney, the tables, the trees
And my mem’ries swirl ‘round me like birds on the wing
When I leave here, who will I be?

6.  Owensboro
(Traditional/P.D.)

Guitar, bass, & vocal:  Diana Wagner
Recorder: Jim Hatley
Arranged by Jim Hatley & Diana Wagner

Well, I lived in a town way down south
a place called Owensboro
and I worked in the mill with the rest of the “trash”
as we’re often called, as you know

Well, we rise up early in the morning
and we work all day real hard
to buy our little meat and bread, buy sugar, tea, and lard

well, our children they grow up unlearned
with no time to go to school
almost before they learn to walk
they learn to spin and spoon

well, the folks in town they dress so fine
and spend their money free
but they would hardly look at a factory hand
who dresses like you or me

would you let them wear their watches fine
let them wear their gems and pearly strings
but when that day of judgment comes they’ll have to share their pretty things

7.  Weeping Pilgrim
(Traditional/P.D.)

Guitar, bass, & vocal:  Diana Wagner
Mandolin:  Chad Jones

If you see them father
please tell them
I’m a poor weeping pilgrim
bound for Canaan land

     well I weep and I moan, and I move slowly on
     I’m a poor mourning pilgrim
     bound for Canaan land

if you see them mother ...

if you see them brother ...

And if you see them my sister ...

8.  Hard Times
(Stephen Foster/P.D.)

12-string guitar, bass, & vocal:  Diana Wagner
Tradition Bearer:  Scott Ainslee

This fabulous song is one I'd known forever.  The problem is that the song became cliche to me.  I hadn't sung it for years.  Then blues master Scott Ainslee caused me to hear this song anew.  You can hear Scott's version on his brilliant CD Jealous of the Moon.  Scott also is responsible for introducing me to Bill Troxler, who produced this CD.  So I owe Scott a lot of thanks.

I learned the first line of this song (as a child) incorrectly.  I have always sung "as we sup supper" instead of "as we sup sorrow with the poor."  I decided to keep it the way I learned it because it reminds me of the men from St. Patrick's who brought boxes of food to my mother's house every Thanksgiving and Christmas.  And that is the folk process.

This tune is picked on a 12-string tuned to DADGAD.

Let us pause in life’s pleasures and count its many tears
As we sup supper with the poor: There’s a song that will linger forever in our ears; Oh!  Hard Times, come again no more.

   It’s a song, the sigh of the weary; 
   Hard times, hard times, come again no more: 
   Many days you have lingered around my cabin door; 
   Oh!  Hard Times, come again no more.

There’s a pale drooping maiden who toils her life away
With a worn heart whose better days are o’er:
Though her voice would be merry, there’s only sighing all the day
Oh!  Hard Times, come again no more.

‘Tis a sigh that is wafted across the troubled wave,
‘Tis a wail that is heard upon the shore,
‘Tis a dirge that is murmured around the lowly grave
Oh!  Hard Times, come again no more.

While we seek mirth and beauty and music bright and gay
There are frail forms falling at the door: Though their voices are silent, their pleading looks still say
Oh!  Hard Times come again no more.

9.  Shenandoah
(Traditional/P.D.)

Guitar, bass, &  vocal:  Diana Wagner
Mandolin:  Chad Jones

Oh, Shenandoah, I long to see you.
Away, you rolling river!
Oh, Shenandoah, I long to see you,
Away, I’m bound away,
‘Cross the wide Missouri.

Oh, Shenandoah, I love your daughter...

Oh, Shenadoah, I’ll not deceive you...

Oh, Shenadoah, I’m bound to leave you...

Oh, Shenadoah, I’m bound to leave you...

But I’ll return to be your lover...

10.  Farewell, My Friends
 (Traditional/P.D.)

Vocal:  Diana Wagner
Tradition Bearer:  Aubrey Atwater

This song is one from the shape-note tradition.  I learned this tune from Aubrey Atwater of Atwater-Donnelly.  Aubrey Atwater and Elwood Donnelly are must-listens if you love traditional music.

Farewell my friends; I’m bound for Canaan
I’m traveling through the wilderness
Your company has been delightful
You who doth leave my mind distressed

I go away behind to leave you
Perhaps never to meet again
But if we never have the pleasure
I hope we’ll meet on Canaan’s land

11.  Willow Tree
(Traditional Shaker/P.D.)

Guitar & vocal:  Diana Wagner
Appalachian dulcimer: Jim Hatley
Arranged by Jim Hatley

I will bow and be simple
I will bow and be free
I will bow and be humble
Yea then, like the willow tree

I will bow this is the token
I will bear the easy yoke
I will bow and be broken
Yea I’ll fall upon the rock

12.  My Horses Ain’t Hungry
(Reprise)