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HENRY LEE single

by The Sweet Trade and Vagabondage

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1.
Henry Lee 04:54
Get down, get down, little Henry Lee And stay all night with me You won't find a girl in this damn world That will compare with me And the wind did howl and the wind did blow La la la la la La la la la lee A little bird lit down on Henry Lee I can't get down and I won't get down And stay all night with thee For the girl I have in that merry green land I love far better than thee And the wind did howl and the wind did blow La la la la la La la la la lee A little bird lit down on Henry Lee She leaned herself against a fence Just for a kiss or two And with a little pen-knife held in her hand She plugged him through and through And the wind did roar and the wind did moan La la la la la La la la la lee A little bird lit down on Henry Lee Come take him by his lily-white hands Come take him by his feet And throw him in this deep deep well Which is more than one hundred feet And the wind did howl and the wind did blow La la la la la La la la la lee A little bird lit down on Henry Lee Lie there, lie there, little Henry Lee Till the flesh drops from your bones For the girl you have in that merry green land Can wait forever for you to come home And the wind did howl and the wind did moan La la la la la La la la la lee A little bird lit down on Henry Lee

about

The Sweet Trade and Vagabondage are two San Francisco Bay Area bands who met in 2009 and have played several shows together over the years. Always enjoying each others music and company, they finally decided to consummate their musical affair with an expression of their love of murder balladry, and recorded their own take on the song Henry Lee.

Henry Lee may be the quintessential American murder ballad with its tale of rural lust, longing, jealousy and misdirected passions, however it's origins are actually in the folk song Young Hunting (also known as Earl Richard, The Proud Girl, and Loving Henry) which originated in Scotland. The song has been made most infamous in our modern era in versions from Dick Justice and Nick Cave (and now Vagabondage & The Sweet Trade).

The song tells the tale about an unsatisfied philandering man who tells the woman he loves that he's enamored with another mistress. Filled with raging jealousy, she in turn gets her lover drunk, kisses him goodbye and stabs him to death. In most versions she gets away with the murder, and in some tellings even entices the women of the town to help her dispose of the body.

This musical telling of the tale from The Sweet Trade & Vagabondage has its feet firmly planted in the dangerous swampy territory of the wronged woman's heart. They take you into this treacherous land with a combination of seductive vocals, ominous bass, lurching accordion, soulful guitar, angry fiddle, and the delicate hope of the ukulele.

Come with us into the lusty and murderous frontier of love. You never know what could happen.

www.vagabondageband.com
www.thesweettradeband.com

credits

released August 21, 2012

Vocals: Emchy, Llano Blue, John Flaw
Guitar: John Flaw
Upright Bass: Hans Winold
Fiddle: Sean Malroy
Ukulele: Llano Blue
Accordion: Emchy

Album Art
Original scratchpoint: Alexis Babayan
Album design: John Flaw

Produced by Sean Malroy
Recorded in San Francisco at Saturn Studios

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The Sweet Trade San Francisco, California

The Sweet Trade, comprised of frontperson Llano Blue on vocals and ukulele, and producer Sean Malroy on violin and everything else, have been carving out a niche for themselves performing throughout the Bay Area's queer and alternative scenes since 2009. Their two full length albums are brimming with rich arrangements and unusual song structures, literate lyrics and lush instrumentals. ... more

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