Darcy Farrow - Ian & Sylvia

Down in Carson City where the Truckee River runs,
rancher Dundee had a daughter whose beauty was well known
along the banks of the river where settlers pitched their camps.
She was called the fairest of flowers that bloomed throughout the West.
On the streets of Virginia City, where the older men played checkers,
stories were told about her charm and her boundless courage,
the aid she gave to strangers, the comfort offered neighbors
without thought of recompense, with never a word of complaint.
The eldest son of the Vandemeers had loved her since childhood,
and she promised to marry him before the winter storms.
Early one autumn morning below the rays of dawn,
she rode out on her pinto pony to a cattle ranch nearby
to aid and assist the rancher's wife giving birth to their first child,
braving the cold and bitter wind that swept across the plain.
Just as she caught sight of the pastures,
just as her journey neared its end along the mountain's narrow pass,
her pony slipped and fell.
Darcy plunged to the rocks below, never to revive.
Neighbors found her later that day, broken among the stones,
wept, heads bent, then lifted her up as if she were their own,
and like a fallen warrior, carried her home in a long cortege.
Young Vandy slipped into a deep depression
upon hearing the terrible news,
took his silver Colt revolver and shot himself in the heart.
Two families lost their beautiful children.
Two families suffered unspeakable woe.
Near the banks of the Truckee River
they buried them together beneath the snow.
Seldom are stories of such tragedy told.
Seldom do stories survive the years,
but on many a street in Virginia City,
Darcy Farrow's tale lives on.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Darcy
• Farrow
• Folk
• Music
• Ian
• Sylvia

[vlmagee]

Steve Gillette's comments on the song, continued:

During that time, my friend, Tom Campbell, my collaborator on the song, took a melody that I had written and came up with a story about the two young lovers and the tragic fall.

[cinrit]

@vlmagee ... Thank you for that information. :-)

[vlmagee]

Where on earth did this John Marshall, "The Legend of Darcy Farrow" story come from? "Darcy" is Steve Gillette's sister; she did ride horses, and she did fall and hit her head, but she is alive and well. There was no real "Darcy Farrow".

The song will probably forever be one of my favorites, and Steve performs it like no one else. Kudos to Ian & Sylvia, whose version I heard first, but when I heard Steve play it (with his wife Cindy Mangsen singing harmony), I was blown away.

[cinrit]

@vlmagee ... If you read my description, it says the story is based on "the legend of Darcy Farrow". It doesn't say that Darcy Farrow is real. Still, I think we'll agree that it's a beautiful song. :-)

[cinrit]

@jlmsprings ... Thank you for your information. :-)

[jlmsprings]

@cinrit OK, so you did not originate it and it is not my intention to attack you. Unfortunately, it is not accurate. I cannot find any reference on the internet other than the ones that seem to refer back to this article. If you can identify the original source, I'd love to try to get it corrected. This odd "urban myth" is frustrating because I've know the correct background for decades.

[vlmagee]

Steve Gillette:

"Darcy Farrow" is based on something that happened to my little sister whose name is Darcy. When she was twelve years old she was running behind her horse, chasing the horse into the corral, which all people who work with horses know is not a good idea.

The horse was spooked and kicked her breaking her cheekbone. She had no other lasting effects, but there was a three day period where she was in the hospital while there was concern about the possibility of a concussion ...

[cinrit]

@davidlenander ... Thanks, that's very interesting about the assignment. The song has haunted me for decades. John Denver's version is probably the best-known, but I like this one best. There's something so plaintiff about it ...

[davidlenander]

@ellykellner Ian & Sylvia were the first to record the song, I think on their 4th album (EARLY MORNING RAIN) but they didn't write it. It's by Steve Gillette and Tom Campbell. Somewhere I read (probably in the liner notes on the back of the LP) that it was written as a college assignment to write a "folk-song" like song. I suppose they based it on the story that appears in the notes here, by John Marshall? A lot of people have recorded it since, prominently John Denver.

[ellykellner]

@Dulcimerea I didn't realize this song was by Ian & Sylvia as well! Matthews Southern Comfort now does a slower version of it...The lyrics are magical.