06 "I Never Will Marry"

A straight-forward rendition of the plaintive love song, "I Never Will Marry" with strummed mountain dulcimer accompaniment. I first heard this song on an LP by The Smothers Brothers.

This is Video #6 from the musical lecture "Songs of the West" by Tim McMullen: A folk music odyssey, presenting story songs, work songs, travel songs, love songs, protest songs, and comedy songs performed on the 6-string and 12-string guitar, 6-string banjo, mountain dulcimer, harmonica, and a cappella, culled from the playing of Patrick Sky; Pete Seeger, Mike Nesmith, The Smothers Brothers; Woody Guthrie; Koerner, Ray, and Glover; Huddie Ledbetter (Leadbelly); Biff Rose, Mark Spoelstra; Gene Autry; The Firesign Theatre; Ramblin' Jack Elliott; Tom Paxton; and Pat Paulsen. The text for many of the songs began with THE SONGS OF MAN by Norman Luboff and Win Stracke published in 1965. Variations from the aforementioned performers were included in new arrangements by Tim McMullen.

Recorded in 1993, this historical, folk music lecture was created by Tim McMullen in 1980 and performed annually for his American Studies Junior Honors English/Social Studies Team class at El Rancho HIgh School in Pico Rivera. It was performed each year as the class completed Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.This lecture is a companion to the Woody Guthrie "Grapes of Wrath/Dust Bowl" musical lecture found at http://www.youtube.com/TimMcMullen and on the lyrics pages of Manfred Helfert's Woody Guthrie site at http://www.woodyguthrie.de/lyrics.html.

Tim McMullen, ©1993, 2007 All Rights Reserved

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Tim
• McMullen
• Smothers
• Brothers
• flat-picking
• strum
• mountain
• dulcimer
• sad
• plaintive
• ballad

[qbea5]

Very nicely done. It's true that the voice rumbles the song well, liked the rhythm too. It's always good to hear a more authentic version.

[TimMcMullen]

@qbea5 Thanks for your comment. I appreciate it very much.

Tim

[Lothor93]

Very nice Tim. I too first heard this from the Smothers Brothers in the early 70's. You do very nice job on this obscure song.

[TimMcMullen]

Thanks, Lothor93. My version came from THE SONGS OF MAN by Norman Luboff & Win Stracke published in 1965. The interesting thing about this version is that, in a literary sense, it is the only version I have found that is complete. It is a frame tale— It starts, "One day as I wandered..."; i.e., first person POV. Then it shifts to the girl's lament. This is where the Carter version and most of the variations end. Luboff & Stracke's version brings it back to the original narrator. Cool, huh?

[stevevox1]

brilliant mate, good voice by the way perfect for the song, 5's

[TimMcMullen]

Thanks so much for your kind comment. I appreciate it!

[amyprat]

nice job! great voice!

[record1207]

A song for the ages.

[14071902]

I like this song.Very rare rendition.

[Rikki0]

Very nicely done, Tim. I enjoyed your rendition very much. Salute.