Peter Gray

The Sorrowful Death of Peter Gray and Lizzianna Querl 
[Earliest instance of a popular American poem, published in The Muscatine Journal (26 Aug 1842),taken in turn "from Washington Index"]

I'll tell you of a nice young man, 
Whose name was Peter Gray; 
The State where Peter Gray was born, 
Was Pennsylyania-a. 

This Peter he did fall in love, 
All with a nice young girl, 
The name of her, I'm positive 
Was Lizzanny Quirl. 

When they were going to be wed. 
Her Father he said "No!" 
And brutally did send her off 
Beyond the Ohio. 

When Peter heard his love was lost, 
He knew not what to say. 
He'd half a mind to jump into 
The Susquehanni-a. 

A trading he went to the West. 
For furs and other skins, 
And there he was in crimson drest 
By bloody Inji-ins. 

When Lyzzianna heard the news. 
She straight way took to bed, 
And never did get off-of it 
Until she di-i-ed. 

Ye fathers all, a warning take, 
Each one as has a gurl, 
And think upon poor Peter Gray 
And Lizzianna Quirl. 




Earliest SHEET MUSIC
The Music of Morris Brothers, Pell, and Huntley's Minstrels. 
Peter Gray, a touching Comic Ballad.
Oliver Ditson & Co, Boston 1858

I'll tell you of a nice young man, 
Whose name was Peter Gray; 
The State where Peter Gray was born, 
Was Pennsylyva-ni-a. 

Blow ye winds of morning, blow ye winds I oh
Oh blow ye winds of morning, oh blow ye winds I oh

This Peter Gray did fall in love, 
All with a nice young girl, 
The first two letters of her name
Was Loo-egge-ian-na Quirl. 

Just as they were gwine to wed. 
Her Father dod say no 
And quin-ci-cont-ly she was sent 
Beyond the Ohio. 

When Peter heard his love was lost, 
He knew not what to say. 
He'd half a mind to jump into 
The Sus-que-han-i-a. 

But he went travelling to the west
For furs and other things, 
And there he was caught and killed and drest 
All by the In- gi-ins. 

When Loo-egge-ianna heard the news
She straight way went to bed, 
And never did get up again 
Until she di-i-ed. 

Ye Fathers all a warning take, 
Each one as has a gurl, 
And think upon poor Peter Gray 
And Loo-egge-ianna Quirl. 



From original SHEET MUSIC "The Only Version sung by EW Mackney"
Published in 1861, London (cover image below)

My song is of a nice young man,
They call'd him Peter Gray,
He fell in love with a fair young gal,
In Pen-syl-va-nia-ra, In Pen-syl-va-nia-ra,
In Pen-syl-va-nia-ra,
He fell in love with a fair young gal,
In Pen-syl-va-nia-ra.

Come back, Peter, Come back, Peter Gray 
While we sing too-ral lad-die, oh!
Sing too-ral lad-die day.

They wanted to be married,
But her daddy he said ‘No!’ ,
So he cruelly transported her,
Beyond the Ohio, Beyond the Ohio, 
Beyond the Ohio, 
So he cruelly transported her,
Beyond the Ohio,
[chorus]

When Lizzy found her love was cross’d,  
She didn’t know what to say,  
So she went and drownded dead herself 
In the Sequiania.
[refrain and chorus as above]

Now Peter Gray went trading 
With furs and other skins
When he got scalp’d and tomakawk’d
By the nasty Inji-ens.

Stern parients, let boys and girls 
Get married when they can,
For he who parts two loving hearts, 
Ain’t worth a single ——
Ain’t worth a single ——

A comic American poem from the early 1840s which became hugely popular when revised and set to music in the early 1860s by  EW Mackney and anonymous others – I apologise that this is somewhat convoluted…

The poem was widely published in American newspapers in the 1840s – always anonymously and usually under the title The Sorrowful Death of Peter Gray and Lizianna Querl, though precise spelling varies. The earliest example I can find was published in Iowa in 1842 in The Muscatine Journal, but this states that the poem was taken “From The Washington Index” a publication which does not appear to have been digitised., so there may be earlier printings to be found. These printings do not indicate an author and are described as a “poem” or “ballad” with no clear indication as to whether they were sung.

The poem was first printed in the British Isles in the mid 1840s. It was advertised as as appearing in Issue No 3 of the illustrated comic “Joe Miller the Younger” Illustrated London News – 17 May 1845 and in Lloyd’s Entertaining Journal, advertised in Lloyd’s Weekly Newspaper – 17 May 1846 . Again, there was no clear indication as to whether it was sung or not.

In America the regular publication of the poem seemed to stop in 1851 until a revival in its popularity in 1856/57 when The History of Peter Gray was advertised as featuring in the repertoire of The Hutchinson Family, anti slavery campaigners and highly successful close harmony singing group that toured the USA (see, for example, Portland Press Herald, 09 Dec 1856 and Springfield Daily Republican – Feb 23, 1857 ). In the late 1850s there were dozens more printings of the poem /song in US newspapers, probably reflecting the popularity of The Hutchinson Family. The piece still appears to have no chorus, and whilst the title varies considerably, the stanzas are all more of less unchanged from the earliest 1842 version.

The poem’s / song’s popularity soared again in the late 1850s/early 1860s when sheet music and song-sheets appeared. These printed versions almost all used the shorter title, Peter Gray and started to include a chorus. Its possible that it was only at this point that the words were put to music . In one variant the song was associated with the already well-known Blow ye Winds chorus:

The earliest sheet music for the Blow ye winds variant was published in Boston, USA in 1858 (see lyrics far above and cover immediately above). The Boston sheet music was one of a series of songs performed The Pell and Huntley Minstrels. This variant is almost identical to undated sheet music published in London at around the same time, except that the London chorus was arranged in four part harmony, intended I assume, to reflect the way it was sung in the four London Music Halls listed on the cover: The Oxford, Wilton, Weston and Canterbury Music Halls. The Oxford was the last of these to open, in 1861, and it seems likely that this sheet music was published shortly afterwards.

The most popular version in the British Music Halls seems to have been that of EW Mackney, first published in 1861, and kept in print in a series of editions of his Banjo Tutor and various Minstrel songsters. The publishers of the 1861 sheet music claimed that theirs was the only version sung by EW Mackney. The song itself has exactly the same stanzas as the earlier songs and poems, but increases audience involvement by introducing call and response repetition at the end of each stanza and a tooraloo chorus, The chorus was again arranged in four part harmony suggesting it was sung that ways in the British Halls. It was this version that was collected by Greig/Duncan from John Quirrie In c1910.

As far as I can see, in modern singing The Mackney /Come back Peter /tooraloo variant has largely been over-taken by the variant with the Blow Ye Winds chorus …

Pete Seeger sings Johnny Gray (1954):

Ed McCurdy Sings Peter Gray (1956)

Sources:

• Entries in the Roud Indexes at the Vaughn Williams Memorial Library: https://archives.vwml.org/search/all:single[folksong-broadside-books]/0_50/all/score_desc/extended-roudNo_tr%3A4307

• Ballad Index
• Mudcat Thread
• Kilgarrif Sing Us
• Newspapers.com, early printings from the 1840s(none have choruses): The Muscatine Journal, 26 Aug 1842 ; The Sunbury Gazette, Oct 22, 1842  ; Richmond Weekly Palladium, Nov 17, 1843 ; Urbana Citizen and Gazette, Nov 21, 1843 ; The Cincinnati Enquirer, Oct 20, 1845  ; The Times-Picayune, Oct 22, 1845 ; Public Ledger (Philadelphia), Fri, Oct 31, 1845
• Other early printings include; Fort Wayne Sentinel (15 Feb 1851)
• US Sheet Music 1858 Blow ye winds variant: The Music of Morris Brothers, Pell, and Huntley’s Minstrels. Peter Gray, a touching Comic Ballad.
• UK Sheet Music Scores: Mackney, E W. “Peter Gray.” 1861 and “Peter Gray : A Touching Comic Ballad.” c1861. Both via mediated copying from the Bodleian library (estimated publication dates corrected – from newspaper adverts and evidence on the score respectively)
• 1860s printings of the Come Back Peter (Mackney) variant: The Gems of the Christy Minstrels (Glasgow ,undated); The Alexandra songster (London, c1863); Mackney’s Banjo Tutor (London, 1890 reprint of 1863 edition); The 5th Avenue Songster (New York, 1868); As good and a great deal better songster (London, c1860-69)
• 1860s printings of the Blow ye winds variant: The Dixie land songster(Macon, 1863); The punch songster (Richmond USA,, 1864) ; Nelse Seymours big shoe songster (New York 1863) ; Carmina collegensia (Boston, 1868) ;
• 1860s printings which mix the Come Back Peter and Blow ye winds variants; Henry De Marsan’s New Comic and Sentimental Singer’s Journal (No15, New York, c1868)
• 1850s and 60s printings with no chorus given: Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, (New York, 1854) The dime song book no. 2 (New York, 1860)
• Newspapers.com
• Portland Press Herald, 09 Dec 1856
• Springfield Daily Republican – Feb 23, 1857