John Holland - Green Grow the Rushes

This song is sung a cappella. The last five words "we hope to find rest"  are spoken and the singer taps his feet noticeably before and after speaking them (this is John Holland's trademark after-song stepdance). 1958  This recording is transcribed in Louise Manny and James Reginald Wilson eds. Songs of Miramichi  Brunswick Press Fredericton, N.B. pg. 243.

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This song likely has a very long and rather confusing origin. In short, it should suffice to say that songs with this title have been written, rewritten, and modified perhaps as far back as 1628 according to Sam Henry's book Songs of the People. The chorus that John Holland sing herein (the part "green grow the rushes and the tops of them small") appear in many, many different songs over the last two hundred years (or more) which seem to have little to do with one another but share the same title. Here's a scan of a printed version from Belfast around 1850 and please click here for the relevant page in Sam Henry's Songs of the People discussing some of the history of this song.

To confuse things, there are other famous songs with similar titles, including the very old one, Green Grow the Rushes, O (Roud 133), and a song by Robert Burns, Green Grow the Rashes.

Plenty more research could be done on John Holland's variant and its history. Here's some versions which share a few lines. [[Category:H]]