{"id":2135,"date":"2020-05-05T13:15:22","date_gmt":"2020-05-05T13:15:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=2135"},"modified":"2025-12-09T22:30:43","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T22:30:43","slug":"the-dark-girl-dressd-in-blue","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/the-dark-girl-dressd-in-blue\/","title":{"rendered":"Dark girl dress’d in blue, The"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
First published<\/td>1862<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Lyrics<\/strong><\/td>Harry Clifton <\/td>Music<\/strong><\/td>Harry Clifton<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RN7022<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Music Hall performers<\/strong><\/td>Harry Clifton
George Leybourne
Kate Harley<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Source singers<\/strong>
Bert Walker, 1927, Missouri, USA
Fred Barbee, 1933, Missouri, USA
Carrie Grover, 1954, Nova Scotia<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
From a village away in Leicestershire to London here I came\nTo see the Exhibition and all places of great fame\nBut what I suffered since I came I now will tell to you\nHow I lost my heart and senses too, thro' a dark girl dress'd in blue.\n\nShe was a fine girl, fol de riddle I do\nA charmer, fol de riddle eh.<\/em>\n\n'Twas on a Friday morning the first day of August\nWhen of that day I ever think my heart feels ready to bust\nI went in a six-penny omnibus to the Exhibition of sixty-two\nOn a seat by the right hand side of the door sat a dark girl dress'd in blue\n\nWhen we arrived in the Brompton Road the lady looked so strange\nThe conductor he said, 'Sixpence, Ma'am.' Said she, 'I have no change.\nI've nothing less than a five pound note, whatever shall I do?'\nSaid I, 'Allow me to pay.' 'Oh thank you, sir.'\nSaid the dark girl dress'd in blue.\n\nWe chatted and talked as we onward walked about one thing or the other\nShe asked me too, oh wasn't it kind? If I had a father or mother\nOh yes, says I, and a grandmother too, but pray, miss, what are you?\n'Oh, I'm chief engineer in a Milliner's Shop\nSays the dark girl dressed in blue.'\n\nWe walked about for an hour or two, thro' buildings near and far\nTill we came to the grand refreshment room, I went straight up to the bar\nShe slipped in my hand a five pound note. I said, 'What are you going to do?'\n'Oh don't think it strange I must have change.'\nSaid the dark girl dressed in blue\n\nI called a waiter and handed him the note\nAnd said, 'Please change me that.'\nThe waiter bowed and touched his hair for this waiter wore no hat\nIn slver and gold five pounds he brought, I gave him coppers few\nAnd the change of the note I then did hand\nTo the dark girl dressed in blue.\n\nShe thanked me and said, 'I must away, farewell till we meet again\nFor I've got to go to Pimlico to catch the Brighton train\nShe quickly glided from my sight and soon was lost to view\nI turned to leave when by my side stood a tall man dressed in blue.\n\nThis tall man said, 'Excuse me, sir, I'm one of the X division\nThat note was bad, my duty is to take you on suspicion.'\nSaid I, 'For a lady I obtained the change.'\nHe said, 'Are you telling me true?'\nWhere's she live? What's her name? says I, 'I don't know\nShe was a dark girl dressed in blue.\n\nMy story they believed, they thought I'd been deceived\nBut they said I must hand back the cash\nI thought 'twas a sin as I gave them the tin\nAnd away went five pounds smash\nSo all young men take my advice, be careful what you do\nWhen you make the acquaintance of ladies strange\nEspecially a 'dark girl dressed in blue'<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
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One of many songs written and sung by Harry Clifton<\/a> that later turned up as a traditional song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fairly widely found in 19th century songbooks and broadsides, often with modified place names, but Clifton and other performers often changed the words according to the place where the song was being performed. It was a very popular song at the time, as suggested by the number of parodies and answer songs you can find if you look hard enough!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the modern world of traditional music you’re more likely to hear the tune than the song. The tune seems entered the world of folk dance as a polka, usually credited as being “Irish Traditional”, but of course it could be that Clifton lifted the tune, something he wasn’t averse to doing!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Clifton first seems to have featured the song in his act in 1862, and notices advertising the sheet music started appearing later that year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Sept. 7, 1862;  <\/strong>The Era <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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 Oct. 25, 1862; The Illustrated London News <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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