Silver Dagger (song)

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Silver Dagger is an American folk ballad, dating most likely to the late Nineteenth Century). (The first published version appeared in 1907.) In the song, the narrator turns away a potential suitor, as her mother has warned her to avoid the advances of men, in an attempt to spare her daughter the heartbreak that she herself has endured. The 1960 recording by Joan Baez, arguably the most famous version of the song, appears to be a fragment of a much longer song, as the 1907 version contains many additional verses.

British band Saint Etienne's 1994 song Like a Motorway, is based on the ballad. It was featured on their album Tiger Bay, an homage to traditional music presented in a modern style. The melody follows the original closely, but new lyrics paint a darker picture of the suitor's fate.

Dolly Parton recorded the song in 1999.