Jean Ritchie (December 8, 1922 – June 1, 2015) was an American folk singer … Read Full Bio ↴Jean Ritchie (December 8, 1922 – June 1, 2015) was an American folk singer and Appalachian dulcimer player. Became known as "The Mother of Folk". As well as work songs and ballads, Jean knew hymns from the "Regular Baptist" church she attended in Jeff, Kentucky. These were sung as "lining out" songs, in a lingering soulful way. One of the songs they sang was Amazing Grace. She wrote some songs, including one on the effects of strip mining in Kentucky. "My Dear Companion" appeared on the album "Trio" recorded by Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris. Judy Collins not only recorded some of Jean's traditional songs, "Tender Ladies" and "Pretty Saro", but used a photograph by George Pickow on the front of her album "Golden Apples of the Sun" (1962). Jean's fiftieth anniversary album was "Mountain Born" (1995), which features her two sons Peter and Jonathan Pickow. In 1954 Jean and George released some their UK recordings under the name "Field Trip". It was re-issued in 2001 on the Greenhays label. It has recordings by Elizabeth Cronin, Seamus Ennis and others, side by side with Ritchie family versions of the same songs. In 1996 the Ritchie Pickow Photographic Archive was acquired by the James Hardiman Library, National University of Ireland, Galway, along with tapes of Irish recordings. She has performed in Carnegie Hall and the Royal Albert Hall, London. Her album "None But One" was awarded the Rolling Stone Critics award in 1977.

Black is the Color
Jean Ritchie Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

But black is the color of my true love's hair
His face is something wondrous fair
The prettiest eyes and the neatest hands
I love the ground whereon he stands

I love my love and well he knows
I love the ground whereon he goes
If you on earth no more I see

I can't serve you as you have me

The winter's past and the leaves are green
The time is passed that we have seen
But still I hope the time will come
When you and I will be as one

I go to the clyde for to mourn to weep
But satisfied would I never can sleep
I'll write to you in a few little lines
I'll suffer death ten thousand times

But black is the color of my true love's hair
His face is something wondrous fair

The prettiest eyes and the neatest hands
I love the ground whereon he stands

Overall Meaning

In Jean Ritchie's song "Black Is the Color", the singer is deeply in love with their significant other. They express their adoration through physical attributes and emotional devotion. The singer remarks on the beauty of their true love's black hair, contrasting it with the fairness of their face, eyes and hands. The singer also mentions their love for the ground their partner walks on, emphasizing how much they cherish their every move. They declare their love openly, making sure their partner knows they are loved unconditionally in return. The singer goes on to express their longing and hope for a future with their love, and even goes so far as to say they would suffer death ten thousand times for them.

While the song seems simple and straightforward, many interpretations can be drawn from the lyrics, as love and devotion are powerful emotions that can be felt in many ways. Some interpret the lyrics to be a reflection of the great lengths some will go to for love, while others see it as a melancholy love story, with the singer unable to have the one they desire most. The ultimate message is one of pure, unconditional love that is palpable in every line of the song.

Line by Line Meaning

But black is the color of my true love's hair
Although my true love's hair is black, I love him deeply.

His face is something wondrous fair
In addition to his black hair, my true love has a beautiful, fair face.

The prettiest eyes and the neatest hands
Not only does he have beautiful hair and face, his eyes are the prettiest and has the neatest hands.

I love the ground whereon he stands
I love everything about my true love and even adore the ground he walks on.

I love my love and well he knows
I openly express my love for my true love.

I love the ground whereon he goes
I love everything he does and everywhere he goes.

If you on earth no more I see
If I am unable to see you on this earth again

I can't serve you as you have me
I won't be able to love you back as much as you have loved me.

The winter's past and the leaves are green
The winter has passed, and the leaves are green again, indicating the passing of time.

The time is passed that we have seen
The time has passed that we spent together.

But still I hope the time will come
Despite that, I hope for a time when we can be together again.

When you and I will be as one
I want us to be together and united as one.

I go to the clyde for to mourn to weep
When I am sad and grieving, I go to the Clyde (a river in Scotland) to mourn and weep.

But satisfied would I never can sleep
However, I will never be satisfied and content.

I'll write to you in a few little lines
I will write to you soon in a short message.

I'll suffer death ten thousand times
I would rather die a thousand deaths than live without you.

Writer(s): Cliff Goldsmith, Fred Sledge Smith

Contributed by Allison G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Comments from YouTube:

Morrigan KASA

8y↑7

such a sweet song thank you for posting it otherwise i might never have heard it

Dolores

5y↑2

Awesome thanks for this. RIP Jean.

John Jurkewicz

5y↑1

I love it

sandra morey

This is yet another variant. There is a rumor that John Jacob Niles composed this song rather than that he collected it. So beautifully sung, too.

Stephen Robinson

2y↑1

John Jacob Niles did not compose this song. He wrote an alternative melody to roughly the same words. This melody is traditional and was collected by Cecil Sharp and published in his 1917 book "English folk songs from the southern Appalachians"--published long before Niles composed his version. You can find the book in the Internet Archive. The song is number 85 (on page 255). Cheers!