Oh My Darling, Clementine is an American western folk ballad in 87.87D trochaic metre usually credited to Percy Montrose (1884), although it is sometimes credited to Barker Bradford. The song is believed to have been based on another song called Down by the River Liv'd a Maiden by H. S. Thompson (1863).
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The words are those of a bereaved lover singing about his darling, the daughter of a miner in the 1849 California Gold Rush. He loses her in a drowning accident, though he consoles himself towards the end of the song with Clementine's "little sister".
The verse about the little sister was often left out of folk song books intended for children, presumably because it seemed morally questionable.
Another theory is that the song is from the view of Clementine's father, and not a lover.
Gerald Brenan attributes the melody to originally being an old Spanish ballad in his book South from Granada. It was made popular by Mexican miners during the Gold Rush. It was also given various English texts. No particular source is cited to verify that the song he used to hear in the 1920s in a remote Spanish village was not an old text with new music, but Brenan states in his preface that all facts mentioned in the book have been checked reasonably well. The song is using the melody placed on Romances, in particular the one of Romance del Conde Olinos o Niño, a sad love story very popular in the spanish folk some of which were compiled at the court of Alfonso X and others like the Cancionero de Uppsala later by the House of Trastamara.
It us unclear when, where and by whom the song was first recorded in English for others to hear.
In a cavern, in a canyon,
Excavating for a mine
Dwelt a miner forty niner,
And his daughter Clementine
Oh my darling, oh my darling,
Oh my darling, Clementine!
Thou art lost and gone forever
Dreadful sorry, Clementine
Light she was and like a fairy,
And her shoes were number nine
Herring boxes, without topses,
Sandals were for Clementine. --Chor.
Drove she ducklings to the water
Ev'ry morning just at nine,
Hit her foot against a splinter,
Fell into the foaming brine. -- Chor.
Ruby lips above the water,
Blowing bubbles, soft and fine,
But, alas, I was no swimmer,
So I lost my Clementine. -- Chor.
How I missed her! How I missed her,
How I missed my Clementine,
But I kissed her little sister,
I forgot my Clementine. -- Chor.
---OR---
How I missed her! How I missed her,
How I missed my Clementine,
Till I kissed her little sister,
and forgot my Clementine. -- Chor.
---OR---
How I missed her, how I missed her
How I missed my Clementine.
So I kissed her little sister,
And forgot my Clementine.
---OR---
In a churchyard on a hillside
Where the flowers grow and twine
There grow roses amongst the posies
Flowers for my Clementine. -- Chor.
---OR---
Then the miner forty-niner
He began to weep and pine
For his darling little daughter
Now he's with his Clementine—Chor.
---OR---
In a churchyard on a hillside
Where the flowers grow and twine
There grow roses amongst the posies
On the grave of Clementine—Chor.
---OR---
In a corner of the churchyard,
Where the myrtle boughs entwine,
Grow the roses in their poses,
Fertilized by Clementine. -- Chor.
---OR---
In A Tavern in the canyon,
Drinking beer and lots of wine,
Sat a miner forty niner,
Grieving over Clementine. -- Chor.
---OR---
Then the miner forty niner,
He began to peak and pine,
Thought he oughta join his daughter
Now he's with his Clementine. -- Chor.
---OR---
In my dreams she still doth haunt me,
Robed in garments soaked in brine.
Though in life I used to hug her,
Now she's dead, I'll draw the line.[1] -- Chor.
---OR---
Now you Boy Scouts, there's a moral
To this little tale of mine.
Artificial respiration,
Would have saved my Clementine. -- Chor.
__ OR__
When she slipped and hit the water
'felt my heart skip a time
All had scattered nothin' mattered
'cept my darlin' clementine. - Chor.
Or How i missed her, missed my dear girl missed my darling Clementine She Was gone forever, i'll soon be with my Clementine
I took her, on a picnic,
Oh, how the Sun did shine.
But she’s 'llergic to bee stings
To the doctor, Clementine—Chor.
The melody for the song has become popular as the rhythm for a number of chants by sports supporters, such as the Barmy Army[1] It was also parodied by the satirist Tom Lehrer in a song also named Clementine, in which he rewrote the verses of the song in various notable styles of music. Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Huckleberry Hound often sang an off-key version of Clementine. Featured in a theater in the motion picture Hud.
An instrumental version was used in the movie Back to the Future Part III.
The song plays during the opening credits for the highly acclaimed John Ford movie "My Darling Clementine." It also runs as a background score all through the movie.
A North Korea musical movie "The Flower Girl" from 1972, used the song's melody as its main theme. This musical was said to be written by Kim Il-sung.
A birthday version with Chinese lyrics is featured in the 2001 movie Quitting. Excerpts of the song can also be heard in Michel Gondry's film, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Kate Winslet's character, Clementine Kruscynski, complains that people always make fun of her name because of this song. Also subtle emphasis is placed on the phrase, "you are lost and gone forever," to fit with the film's theme. In Star Trek Voyager (601 Equinox Pt II) The Doctor stimulates Seven of Nine's auditory processor to make her sing a duet of Clementine after his ethical subroutines have been deleted.
Music of the famous song, 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' from the Hindi film CID is inspired by this song.
The song provides the central musical theme in the 2006 South Korean television drama, Spring Waltz (봄의 왈츠).
Similarities have been drawn between the song and the chorus of Cher Lloyd's debut single Swagger Jagger.
This song is also used in one doll of a childrens toy called Sing-A-Ma-Jigs.
Bobby Darin also had a hit version of the song, where he made fun of Clementine's weight, joking at the end of the song that whalers might find her: "Hey you sailor, way out in your whaler, a-with your harpoon and your trusty line, If she shows now, yell..., A-there she blows now!, It just may be chunky, Clementine."
Jan Berry and Dean Torrence of Jan and Dean fame had a minor hit with Clementine. It was released under the Dore label (SP DORE 539 (US)) in November, 1959. "You're On My Mind" was the B Side.The single version was remixed differently then that of the album (Jan and Dean) version (Dore 101 -released 1961 produced by Herb Alpert and Lou Adler with an echo effect in the beginning. While a minor hit for the duo, it charted at 65 on Billboard and at 88 on Cashbox.
Tom Lehrer recorded a set of variations on the song on his live album An Evening Wasted With Tom Lehrer, demonstrating his theory that "folk songs are so bad because they were written by the people." He plays the first verse in the style of Cole Porter, the second and third in the style of "Mozart or one of that crowd", the fourth in a disjointed jazz sound, and the final verse in the style of Gilbert and Sullivan.
Megan Washington recorded 'Clementine' 2010. The song references some of the lyrics from the original.
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