Every Tear Would Turn A Mill
Click below to listen while you read...
Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier
Jaqueline Schwab (from The Civil War Original Sound Track)
Every Tear Would Turn A Mill: Folk Music Evolution
I'm a long-time lover of folk music. From Peter, Paul & Mary's music to camp songs to Irish/Celtic music and more, I love them all. What has intrigued me more than anything, though, is the way traditional folk songs change from area to area and era to era. I find it fascinating, as a matter of fact.
The song Siúil a Rún appears to have begun life as an Irish Lament. There are hundreds of versions of this song with hundreds of names, words and melodies. They differ in a lot of ways, but I found that the line "every tear would turn a mill" seems to be pretty universal, though.
People have speculated, but there is not much chance of ever finding out exactly when the song originated. According to the Celtic Arts Center website,
This is a lament sung from the perspective of a distraught woman who has seen the young man she loves go off to join the "Wild Geese" to seek a military career. The "Wild Geese" were unemployed Irish men of fighting age who were sent off to serve in or joined voluntarily special Irish brigades within the Spanish, French, Austrian, and Italian armies during the 1600 and 1700s.
American versions refer to the girl's love going off to war. In most of the versions, the girl vows to do some pretty extreme things, including dying her petticoats red and begging for bread (read a little bit between the lines, there, eh?)
Lots of American folk singers, of course, have sung it, including Peter, Paul & Mary and some of the members of the Weavers doing solo versions. Judy Collins sang it in the 1960's. The song's Irish roots make it an Irish staple, complete with Irish Gaelic words mingled in. The Irish/New Age family group, Clannad performed the song as did another Irish group Anúna and many other Irish and/or Celtic groups. Per Wikipedia, many others have performed it, too (see the list on Wikiwand).
It doesn't stop with traditional Irish or folk versions, though. There are several SSA, SAB, SATB etc. choir versions of the song. There are also some hauntingly beautiful instrumental versions such as the one used in Ken Burns' Civil War series on PBS (the video at the top of the page). An awesome version of the song done by James Taylor and Mark O'Connor was used for another PBS documentary about the American Revolution called Liberty. It has been dubbed as a song from the American Revolutionary War so that stands to reason, though it was probably around way before that time.
PP&M's version, Gone the Rainbow, is actually pretty unique, name-wise. Most American versions of the song go by either Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier or Buttermilk Hill. The Irish versions typically are Siúil a Rún or some variant such as Siúil a Ghrá, Shulé Rune, Shule Aroon, or Shool Aroon. The last two are literal pronunciations of the Gaelic titles which basically mean, "go my love."
All of the versions have the ability to send chills up my spine. Scroll down and listen to a few of them. Where I have lyrics, there is a link to the source of those lyrics underneath them. Here is PP&M's version, the first version that I recall ever hearing.
Peter, Paul & Mary - Gone the Rainbow
GONE THE RAINBOW Adapted & Arranged:Stookey/Travers/Yarrow/Okun- Neworld Media Music Publishers-ASCAP
Shule, shule, shule-a-roo, Shule-a-rak-shak, shule-a-ba-ba-coo. When I saw my Sally Babby Beal, come bibble in the boo shy Lorey.
Here I sit on Buttermilk Hill; who could blame me, cry my fill; Every tear would turn a mill, Johnny's gone for a soldier.
Shule, shule, shule-a-roo, Shule-a-rak-shak, shule-a-ba-ba-coo. When I saw my Sally Babby Beal, come bibble in the boo shy Lorey.
I sold my flax, I sold my wheel, to buy my love a sword of steel; So it in battle he might wield, Johnny's gone for a soldier.
Oh my baby, oh, my love, gone the rainbow, gone the dove. Your father was my only love; Johnny's gone for a soldier.
Shule, shule, shule-a-roo, Shule-a-rak-shak, shule-a-ba-ba-coo. When I saw my Sally Babby Beal, come bibble in the boo shy Lorey.
The JT/Mark O'Connor version, Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier that was done for the PBS documentary, Liberty tells a little more than the PP&M version, though with less words.
James Taylor/Mark O'Connor - Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier
JOHNNY HAS GONE FOR A SOLDIER
James Taylor/Mark O'Connor version
There she sits on Buttermilk Hill Oh, who could blame her cryin' her fill Every tear would turn a mill Johnny has gone for a soldier
Me-oh-my she loved him so It broke her heart just to see him go Only time will heal her woe Johnny has gone for a soldier
She sold her rod and she sold her reel She sold her only spinning wheel To buy her love a sword of steel Johnny has gone for a soldier
She'll dye her dress, she'll dye it red And in the streets go begging for bread The one she loves from her has fled Johnny has gone for a soldier
Johnny has gone for a soldier...
Folk singer DIane Taraz performs a similar but different version on her Songs of the Revolution CD.
Diane Taraz - Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier
Similar to both JT's version and Taraz's version, the group Solas does a rendition of their own. Taraz's lyrics are similar to the Solas lyrics below. These lyrics are closer to the Irish versions that I've seen, but still don't have the Gaelic sections.
Solas is an American group that performs Irish music. Their name comes from the Irish (and Latin as well) word for light.
Solas - Johnny's Gone for a Soldier
JOHNNY'S GONE FOR A SOLDIER
Solas version
Oh I wish I were on yonder hill It's there I'd sit and cry my fill 'Til every tear would turn a mill My Johnny's gone for a soldier
Well, Johnny, my love, he went away He would not heed what I did say He won't be back for many's a day My Johnny's gone for a soldier
Chorus: Shule, shule, shule a gra Oh shule, oh shule and he loves me When he comes back, he will marry me My Johnny, he has gone for a soldier
I'll sell my rack, I'll sell my reel I'll sell my only spinning wheel And buy my love a sword of steel My Johnny's gone for a soldier
I'll dye my petticoat, I'll dye it red Around the world I'll bake my bread 'Til I find my love alive or dead My Johnny, he has gone for a soldier
(Chorus)
But now my love, he has gone to France To try his fortune to advance If he returns, it is but a chance My Johnny, he has gone for a soldier
(Chorus)
I wish, I wish, I wish in vain I wish I had my heart again 'Tis gladly I would not complain My Johnny, he has gone for a soldier
(Chorus 2x)
My Johnny, he has gone for a soldier
The next version came as a surprise to me. Jo Stafford, a crooner during the big band era of the 1940's made a folk music album in 1950 called Jo Stafford Sings American Folk Songs. Stafford singing folk music is actually not as out of character as one might think. Her mother was a banjo player and much of her early exposure to music was to folk music. In any event, Johnny Has Gone For A Soldier is on that album and it's not bad.
Jo Stafford - Johnny Has Gone For A Soldier
Now a couple of Irish versions. The first one was done by the Irish group, Clannad. This group consists of members of the family Bhraonáin (anglicized as Brennan). They are siblings and uncles of the new age phenom, Enya (whose original name was Eithne Pádraigín Ni Bhraonáin). Their version shares words with the Americanized versions, but it also retains some of the Gaelic from the song's Irish roots.
Clannad - Siúil A Rún
Siúil A Rún
Clannad version
I wish I was on yonder hill 'Tis there I'd sit and cry my fill Until every tear would turn a mill Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán (And may you go safely, my darling) Chorus (after each verse): Siúil, siúil, siúil a rún (Go, go, go, my love) Siúil go sochair agus siúil go ciúin (Go quietly and go peacefully) Siúil go doras agus éalaigh liom (Go to the door and fly with me) Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán (And may you go safely, my darling) I'll sell my rock, I'll sell my reel I'll sell my only spinning wheel To buy my love a sword of steel Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán And may you go safely, my darling I'll dye my petticoats, I'll dye them red And 'round the world I'll beg my bread Until my parents shall wish me dead Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán (And may you go safely, my darling) I wish, I wish, I wish in vain I wish I had my heart again And vainly think I'd not complain Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán (And may you go safely, my darling) But now my love has gone to France To try his fortune to advance If he e'er comes back, 'tis but a chance Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán (And may you go safely, my darling)
Another version by an Irish group is Anúna's version from their album "Invocation" and DVD "Invocations of Ireland" featuring the voice of Lucy Champion. It is, perhaps, one of the most beautiful versions of this song. The setting of the video is pretty beautiful, too!
Anúna - Siúil a Rún (Walk my Love)
Siúil a Rún (Walk my Love)
Anúna's version
I wish I were on yonder hill 'Tis there I'd sit and cry my fill And every tear would turn a mill I wish I sat on my true love's knee Many a fond story he told to me He told me things that ne'er shall be Chorus: Siúil, siúil, siúil a rúin (Go, go, go my love) Siúil go sochair agus siúil go ciúin (Go quietly and go peacefully) Siúil go doras agus éalaigh liom (Go to the door and fly with me) His hair was black, his eye was blue His arm was strong, his word was true I wish in my heart I was with you (Chorus) I'll dye my petticoat, I'll dye it red And 'round the world I'll beg my bread 'Til I find my love alive or dead (Chorus 2x) Siúil go doras agus éalaigh liom (Go to the door and fly with me)
YouTube is full of more versions of this song. Just run a search on either "Johnny Has Gone For A Soldier" or "Siúil a Rún" and you will find lots more if you're interested. Check out some of the choir versions for sure.
My sources for this piece are many and mostly undocumented. The information I have came mainly from Wikipedia, YouTube, and Googling "Johnny Has Gone For A Soldier" and "Siúil a Rún". As stated above, links to lyrics are listed underneath the lyrics that appear on this page.
