Ancient Folk Song "The Riddle" (I Gave My Love a Cherry)

[virginiatechfanx]

ANIMAL HOUSE MOTHER FUCKERS!!!

[tgartner01]

Thank you for singing this song. Beautiful is all I can say. Beautiful!

[Jeffieboi]

The simpsons brought me here!

[ibigrooster11]

i loved the song but i have to point out a ring has no end cause it's a circle........great song tho.......thanks for uploading....^_^

[guitarslim56]

This folk song is nowhere near "one of the oldest." People have been making music since long before 1785, since at least 1725!

[redbarrage]

I heard this on a cartoon and it was sang even better on there

[superjumpman92]

I guarantee you that there were folk songs at least, say 5000 years before this was written

[roxannadekrakatoa]

My dad was singing this song on the way to our campfire today, and the way he sang it, it was the saddest song ever, and we spent like 2 hours adding on to it. 'I gave my love a forest that has no trees' and basically anything else we could think of.

My favorite was 'I gave my love a Horcrux that has no soul.' xD

[jordanthewizard]

*grabs guitar and smashes it* Sorry.

[MultiJesuslover1]

I love this song, i went camping with my aunts about a month ago at Swift Resivour and we sang this song every night around the campfire and the first morning after we sange it we had everyone around us asking to sing it again that night because it put their kids to sleep and we did a drift wood sculpture contest and we let people walk through and see all the sculptures as we sang this song and they alll were in shock by how amazing some of the sculptures were so it was really cool.

[MsCatlover1994]

I guessed the part about the chicken and the baby correctly.

[jimstix99]

it's not as good when John Belushi isn't there to destroy the guitar

[Mikesypertsbbygirl3]

My mom use to sing this to me when I was little whenever I started crying or was upset. I freaking love it!

[ccbunnyrabbit]

my dad sang this to me every night when i was little... i love this song... but the last 2 lines were switched in the versing im used to hearing. but still pretty :)

[hgcotton42]

This was my nite nite song that my mom sung to me when i was little but i heard the story version and i always laughed when my mom said a chicken when its pippen

[Mikesypertsbbygirl3]

@hgcotton42 My mom always said that part too. And when she sang the baby part she always said no cryin sounds.

[ice1825jboy5015]

nice riddle



[babylover0990]

I love this song. The first time I heard it I was about 12 years old and we had just gotten the tape it was on. I've loved it ever since. I heardit with the story part not the ring, but I like the ring better--it makes more sense.

[Heroduothecomedian]

i remember when i was till i was about 5 or 6 that when i had a bad day and was crying from people hurting me and stuff my dad would lay me down in my bed and gently rub my head and sing this song to me and it would calm me right down and i would fall a sleep like nothin had happen,this song bring back so many good memories with my father

[eliana94star]

just perfect♥♥♥♥♥

[rngrits]

My mother sang this song to me when Iwas a little girl. She told me her mother sang it to her. I sand it to my choldren and now to my grandchildren. Our version was  'A chicken when it's pipping has now bone' and it was "A story of I LOVE YOU has no end'

[fredricav]

@rngrits same here, my dad sings this with me still.

[pannoni1]

I got this song from the Oregon Trail game (used at the Kansas River Crossing).

[TakeMyHeartWithYou]

my mom would sing this to me when i was younger. :) makes me like the song

[Scorpio7311]

Lovely, same tune as The Twelfth of Never. Obviously, this came first.

[shortysmilez13]

Why hadn't I ever heard this before?

Ahhh! I know it's old, but it's great! :D

I love it!

[aaronchungrulez]

animal house introduced me to this song

[saphiremoon230]

love this song and i dont like slow songs!!!

[ednuttah]

1785? Not as recent as that, some records detail this song sung after the Battle of Bosworth. Very nice though.

[TheJunglesound]

there are far older folk songs. but popular sort of folk songs like this would have derivations going back to time immemorial

[HannahNaive]

My father used to sing this to my sisters and I when we were kids to send us to sleep. Wonderful to find someone with a similar story. I now sing it to my man when he's struggling with sleep.

[wkrp1530]

What a wonderful tribute to your mother. I'm sure she had a lot of other songs she sang to you as well. This beautiful melody line plus a bridge was used by Johnny Mathis in his song "The Twelfth of Never". Thank you for your post. You've done well.

[texasrwayne31]

I only have two words for this song...."John Belushi"

[Lilzly00]

XD EXACTLY.

[pm512]

EXACTLY!!!

I had NO idea that this was a real song. I thought it was just for Animal House.

CLASSIC HUMOR!!!

[osamalet]

I liked it..Ta very much!

[JudeMaris]

You're welcome! :D

[Mariakirstine]

I have also heard it like this:

I told my love a story that has no end

How can there be a story that has no end?

The story that I love you- it has no end.

[JudeMaris]

Those lyrics came into being centuries later to kind of "update" the song for a more modern audience and to make it more lullaby-like.

[spinder101]

How she sing?

[ALICHELLIS]

who is this singing?

Sooo beautiful!!

[JudeMaris]

M.A. Ludwig~a hobby folk singer with no albums as yet :)

Other vocal credits on this channel:"Stillness";Classic Children's Song : "Inch Worm";Tribute to Nature's Beauty: Song "Wild Air";"Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms" (A Capella)

[JudeMaris]

Many thanks, Safeharbor (bows graciously)

Can't do much about the blushing because the lower pacific coast is 100+ degrees now!

[safeharbor7]

Happy Birthday!!! I'm sending you some birthday love, don't blush... Take it like the beautiful woman you are.

I love this video, what a beautiful voice. Beautifully done Mel. 5***** + favorite