Geordie
Joan Baez Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

As I walked out over London bridge
One misty morning early,
I overheard a fair pretty maid
Was lamenting for her Geordie.

Ah, my Geordie will be hanged in a golden chain,
'Tis not the chain of many
He was born of king's royal breed
And lost to a virtuous lady.

Go bridle me my milk white steed,
Go bridle me my pony,
I will ride to London court
To plead for the life of my Geordie.

Ah, my Geordie never stole nor cow nor calf,
He never hurted any,
Stole sixteen of the king's royal deer,
And he sold them in Bohenny.

Two pretty babies have I born,
The third lies in my body,
I'd freely part with them every one
If you'd spare the life of Geordie.

The judge looked over his left shoulder,
He said fair maid I'm sorry
He said fair maid you must be gone
For I cannot pardon Geordie.

Ah, my Geordie will be hanged in a golden chain,
'Tis not the chain of many,




Stole sixteen of the king's royal deer
And he sold them in Bohenny

Overall Meaning

"Geordie" is a traditional Scottish ballad that has been covered by numerous artists, including Joan Baez. The song tells the story of a young woman who is desperately pleading for the life of her lover, Geordie, who has been sentenced to hang for stealing the king's deer. The song opens with the woman walking across London Bridge and overhearing a woman lamenting for her lost love, Geordie. The woman is singing about the Golden Chain that will be used to hang him, and how it is not like the many ordinary chains.


The woman singing about Geordie is his lover, who is determined to save him from the gallows. She resolves to go to London and plead with the court to spare his life. She rides her milk-white steed and her pony to London, asking the judge to spare Geordie's life. In her plea, she reminds the judge that her lover is of royal heritage and lost to a virtuous lady. She also assures the judge that her lover's only crime was the theft of the king's deer, which he sold in Bohenny.


The song ends with the judge regretfully informing the woman that he cannot pardon Geordie, and that he will be hanged in a Golden Chain. The woman sings once again about the Golden Chain that will be used to hang Geordie, acknowledging that it is not like the many ordinary chains. In the end, Geordie is hanged, leaving the woman alone and heartbroken.


Line by Line Meaning

As I walked out over London bridge
The singer sets the scene of her eavesdropping on a fair maid who is mourning her lover, Geordie.


One misty morning early,
The time of day and weather conditions are set, emphasizing the melancholic mood of the story.


I overheard a fair pretty maid
The singer specifies the individual from whom she hears the lament of Geordie's lover - a beautiful and fair maiden.


Was lamenting for her Geordie.
The fair maiden is grieving over the fate of her lover, Geordie, who is soon to be executed.


Ah, my Geordie will be hanged in a golden chain,
The fair maiden expresses her sorrow at Geordie's imminent death, which will be carried out in a manner symbolized by the luxurious chain around his neck.


'Tis not the chain of many
The fair maiden emphasizes the rarity and exclusivity of the chain that Geordie will be hanged with.


He was born of king's royal breed
The origin of Geordie's noble bloodline is revealed, suggesting that his execution will be an unjust waste of royal talent.


And lost to a virtuous lady.
Geordie was separated from his virtuous lover for unknown reasons, leaving her to mourn his death.


Go bridle me my milk white steed,
The fair maiden prepares to ride to London court to plead for Geordie's life, summoning her horse for the journey.


Go bridle me my pony,
In addition to the milk-white steed, the fair maiden also saddles up her sturdy pony, ready for the ride.


I will ride to London court
The fair maiden intends to make her plea to the judge in person at the London court, hoping to save Geordie from his execution.


To plead for the life of my Geordie.
The ultimate goal of the fair maiden's journey is to save Geordie from his imminent execution and reunite them.


Ah, my Geordie never stole nor cow nor calf,
The fair maid attests to Geordie's innocence and integrity, pointing out that he had never stolen anything before.


He never hurted any,
The fair maiden asserts that Geordie had never caused harm to others in any form.


Stole sixteen of the king's royal deer,
The crime for which Geordie has been sentenced to death is revealed, involving the theft and sale of sixteen deer belonging to the royalty.


And he sold them in Bohenny.
The location where Geordie sold the stolen deer is mentioned, further implicating him in the crime and his fate.


Two pretty babies have I born,
The fair maiden reveals that she has borne two children with Geordie, highlighting the tragedy of their separation by his impending death.


The third lies in my body,
The fair maiden explains that she is currently pregnant with their third child, adding more emotional weight to her plea for mercy.


I'd freely part with them every one
The fair maiden makes a heart-wrenching statement, saying that she is willing to give up all of her children if it means saving Geordie's life.


If you'd spare the life of Geordie.
The fair maiden makes her desperate plea to the judge to spare Geordie's life, even at the cost of her own family.


The judge looked over his left shoulder,
The judge's physical motion is described as he considers the fair maiden's plea, adding tension to the scene.


He said fair maid I'm sorry
The judge expresses his regrets to the fair maiden about not being able to grant Geordie clemency.


He said fair maid you must be gone
The judge orders the fair maiden to leave his court, indicating the finality and hopelessness of the situation.


For I cannot pardon Geordie.
The judge delivers the final verdict, stating that Geordie must be executed and that his sentence cannot be overturned.




Contributed by Mason F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

Martina Nocci

As I walked over the London bridge
One misty morning early,
I overheard a fair pretty maid
Was lamenting for her Geordie.
Oh, my Geordie will be hanged in a golden chain,
'Tis not the chain of many
He was born on king's royal breed
And lost to a virtuous lady.
Go bridle me my milk white steed,
Go bridle me my poney,
I will ride to London court
To plead for the life of Geordie.
Ah, my Geordie never stole nor cow nor calf,
He never hurted any,
Stole sixteen of the king's royal deer,
And he sold them in Bohenny.
Two pretty babies have I born,
The third lies in my body,
I'd freely part with them every one
If you'd spare the life of Geordie.
The judge looked over his left shoulder,
He said fair maid I'm sorry
He said fair maid you must be brave
For I cannot pardon Geordie.
Oh, my Geordie will be hanged in a golden chain,
'Tis not the chain of many,
Stole sixteen of king's royal deer
And he sold them in Bohenny.



ADELE D'ALESSANDRO

As I walked out over London bridge
one misty morning early
I overheard a fair pretty maid,
was lamenting for her Geordie

Ah my Geordie will be hanged in a golden chain
'tis not the chain of many
he was born of king's royal breed
and lost to a virtuous lady

Go bridle me my milk white steed,
go bridle me my pony,
I will ride to London's court
to plead for the life of Geordie

Ah my Geordie never stole nor cow nor calf
he never hurted any
Stole sixteen of the king's royal deer,
and he sold them in Bohenny

Two pretty babies have I born
the third lies in my body
I'd freely part with them every one
if you'd spare the life of Geordie

The judge looked over his left shoulder
he said fair maid sorry
he said fair maid you must be gone
for I cannot pardon Geordie

Ah my Geordie will be hanged in a golden chain
'tis not the chain of many
Stole sixteen of the king's royal deer,
and he sold them in Bohenny.



All comments from YouTube:

RN Healer

I have loved Joan's version of this beautiful song since I hard her sing it in the 60s. It's a sad and haunting tune. She has always had such a lovely voice, and still does.

Leif Grahamsson

Utterly beautiful version of the song. So underrated.

Leif Grahamsson

@The Folk Revival Project Thank you so much for the information

The Folk Revival Project

Have you ever heard any old traditional recordings of the song?

The melody here appears to be based on a recording from the 1940s of an elderly woman called Louisa (or "Louie") Hooper from Somerset, England.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRgiScaKmJU&list=PLVDpl8vHMkO_jCNcNKLGD7FHIyuv4XUoX


I featured that recording (and another traditional version) in this video I just uploaded:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=293fUgqyHAw&t=1046s

Martina Nocci

As I walked over the London bridge
One misty morning early,
I overheard a fair pretty maid
Was lamenting for her Geordie.
Oh, my Geordie will be hanged in a golden chain,
'Tis not the chain of many
He was born on king's royal breed
And lost to a virtuous lady.
Go bridle me my milk white steed,
Go bridle me my poney,
I will ride to London court
To plead for the life of Geordie.
Ah, my Geordie never stole nor cow nor calf,
He never hurted any,
Stole sixteen of the king's royal deer,
And he sold them in Bohenny.
Two pretty babies have I born,
The third lies in my body,
I'd freely part with them every one
If you'd spare the life of Geordie.
The judge looked over his left shoulder,
He said fair maid I'm sorry
He said fair maid you must be brave
For I cannot pardon Geordie.
Oh, my Geordie will be hanged in a golden chain,
'Tis not the chain of many,
Stole sixteen of king's royal deer
And he sold them in Bohenny.

The Folk Revival Project

Have you ever heard any old traditional recordings of the song?

The melody here appears to be based on a recording from the 1940s of an elderly woman called Louisa (or "Louie") Hooper from Somerset, England.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRgiScaKmJU&list=PLVDpl8vHMkO_jCNcNKLGD7FHIyuv4XUoX

I featured that recording (and another traditional version) in this video I just uploaded:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=293fUgqyHAw&t=1046s

Mario Ferraz Soares

Fantástica, inesquecível, inigualável.E sem dúvida a melhor voz do mundo!. A música dela toca na alma.a melodia faz sonhar! eu passaria toda a noite , falando sobre Joan Baez.Ela é de demais!

efisio casu

Great voice!

ADELE D'ALESSANDRO

As I walked out over London bridge
one misty morning early
I overheard a fair pretty maid,
was lamenting for her Geordie

Ah my Geordie will be hanged in a golden chain
'tis not the chain of many
he was born of king's royal breed
and lost to a virtuous lady

Go bridle me my milk white steed,
go bridle me my pony,
I will ride to London's court
to plead for the life of Geordie

Ah my Geordie never stole nor cow nor calf
he never hurted any
Stole sixteen of the king's royal deer,
and he sold them in Bohenny

Two pretty babies have I born
the third lies in my body
I'd freely part with them every one
if you'd spare the life of Geordie

The judge looked over his left shoulder
he said fair maid sorry
he said fair maid you must be gone
for I cannot pardon Geordie

Ah my Geordie will be hanged in a golden chain
'tis not the chain of many
Stole sixteen of the king's royal deer,
and he sold them in Bohenny.

The Folk Revival Project

Have you ever heard any old traditional recordings of the song?

The melody here appears to be based on a recording from the 1940s of an elderly woman called Louisa (or "Louie") Hooper from Somerset, England.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRgiScaKmJU&list=PLVDpl8vHMkO_jCNcNKLGD7FHIyuv4XUoX


I featured that recording (and another traditional version) in this video I just uploaded:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=293fUgqyHAw&t=1046s

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