The album captures the beauty of the Everly's stunning close harmonies to create a moving and powerful testament to these traditional ballads. The album is set for release on 25 November 2013 in the United States and worldwide.
The album features reinterpreted versions of traditional songs like “Down in the Willow Garden” and the the often-covered “Barbara Allen” next to country classics like Karl Davis’ “Kentucky.” In a press release, Armstrong (a longtime Everly Brothers fan) says the project originated after he discovered Songs Our Daddy Taught Us a couple years ago.
Down In The Willow Garden
Billie Joe + Norah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where me and my love did meet
As we sat a-courtin'
My love fell off to sleep
I had a bottle of Burgundy wine
My love she did not know
So I poisoned that dear little girl
On the banks below
I drew a sabre through her
It was a bloody knife
I threw her in the river
Which was a dreadful sign
My father often told me
That money would set me free
If I would murder that dear little girl
Whose name was Rose Connolly
My father sits at his cabin door
Wiping his tear-dimmed eyes
For his only son soon shall walk
To yonder scaffold high
My race is run, beneath the sun
The scaffold now waits for me
For I did murder that dear little girl
Whose name was Rose Connelly
The song "Down in the Willow Garden" tells a story of a man who killed his love, Rose Connolly, on the banks of a river while she was asleep after poisoning her with wine. The man reveals that his father had given him the advice to kill Rose and even promised him that he would be set free if he did so. The man follows his father's advice and murders Rose. He is now regretful and knows that he will be executed for his crime as he sits on the scaffold.
The song is a traditional American murder ballad, which was popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and tells the story of a gruesome crime in a narrative format. This style of music was common before the advent of newspapers and widespread literacy, so this was a way of circulating sensational news, as well as checking moral values.
The lyrics to "Down in the Willow Garden" bear similarities to other popular ballads, such as "Pretty Polly" and "The Banks of the Ohio," which also depict the murder of a woman by a lover or spouse. The song has been covered by many artists over the years, and Billie Joe Armstrong and Norah Jones recorded a version of the song for their album "Foreverly" in 2013.
Line by Line Meaning
Down in the Willow garden
In the place of sadness and desperation
Where me and my love did meet
Where I met with the love of my life
As we sat a-courtin'
As we were courting each other
My love fell off to sleep
My love fell asleep
I had a bottle of Burgundy wine
I possessed a bottle of a kind of red wine
My love she did not know
The love of my life was unaware
So I poisoned that dear little girl
I poisoned my love without her knowledge
On the banks below
Near the river
I drew a sabre through her
I stabbed her with a sharp-edged sword
It was a bloody knife
The knife was soaked in blood
I threw her in the river
I disposed of the body in the river
Which was a dreadful sign
This act was an omen of ill fate
My father often told me
My father frequently advised me
That money would set me free
Money could erase my sins and set me free
If I would murder that dear little girl
If I murdered the girl I loved
Whose name was Rose Connolly
My love's name was Rose Connolly
My father sits at his cabin door
My father is sad and alone at his cabin doorstep
Wiping his tear-dimmed eyes
Wiping away his tears
For his only son soon shall walk
Because his only son is about to face the consequences of his actions
To yonder scaffold high
To the tall wooden frame used for execution
My race is run, beneath the sun
My life has come to an end under the sun
The scaffold now waits for me
The scaffold is now waiting for me to meet my fate
For I did murder that dear little girl
I am facing the scaffold because I murdered the girl I loved
Whose name was Rose Connelly
The girl I loved was named Rose Connelly
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind