Clementine, as in 'Oh, my darling,' is the first song from Pete Seeger's book that I changed some. He has it in 3/4 time; I do it as a blues/rockish 2/4 song. I use the same two chords, E and B7 and the same lyrics as Pete in his American Favorite Ballads book.
The last verse reminds me of Barbara Allen and other songs in which two plants/flowers grow up from a gravesite. Except in Clementine there is no 'true lover's knot,' no romantic allusions. No, the singer in Clementine, I think, is not heart-broken to lose his large lover.
The last verse reminds me of Barbara Allen and other songs in which two plants/flowers grow up from a gravesite. Except in Clementine there is no 'true lover's knot,' no romantic allusions. No, the singer in Clementine, I think, is not heart-broken to lose his large lover.
