Special Sub-Topic: Names in Traditional Songs Click Here To Play: Names in Traditional Songs

What name completes the title of the folk song "______, Row the Boat Ashore"?

Michael. "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore" is a very old song indeed. It was likely sung by slaves in Georgia before the Civil War. The Highwaymen reached Number One on the Billboard charts with it in 1961.

What name completes the old miners' song "Oh My Darling, _______________"?

Clementine. "Oh My Darling Clementine" dates back at least to the 1880s, and is beloved around America despite its tragic ending.

What name completes the Civil War song "When _______ Comes Marching Home"?

Johnny. "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" is one of the great songs of the American Civil War, antedating "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ye" from Ireland in publication date, though sharing the tune.

What name completes the old English folk song "___________ Allen"?

Barbara. "Barbara Allen" is one of the classic folk songs, dating well before 1780, and reappearing for Joan Baez and others in the 1960s.

What name completes the tearful Irish ballad "___________ Mavourneen"?

Kathleen. "Kathleen Mavourneen" dates to 1837, before the Potato Famine in Ireland. Now it is a staple on almost every anthology of Irish songs.

What name completes the American railroad song "The Ballad of _____ Jones"?

Casey. "The Ballad of Casey Jones" was based on a real incident, and a real railroad engineer. Casey Jones appears on a 1950 US postage stamp honoring "Railroad Engineers." His widow survived until 1958, long after the 1902 song had passed into American folklore.

What name completes the Irish rebel song "_________ McCorley"?

Roddy. "Roddy McCorley" was a real person, executed on Good Friday in 1799 for his role in the Irish Rebellion of 1798. The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem made this Presbyterian famous again in the 1960s.

What name completes the tragic love song "_______ and Johnny"?

Frankie. "Frankie and Johnnie" is yet another tragic folk song based in fact. It is most probably is based on an 1831 murder in North Carolina. Carl Sandburg dated the song to before 1888, which makes it unlikely to refer to an 1899 murder case.

What name completes the old American folk song (Hang Down Your Head) " ____ Dooley"?

Tom. "Tom Dooley" is probably best known as a hit for the Kingston Trio in 1958. The song dates back to the Civil War era, and a real person named Tom Dula.

What name completes The Weavers' hit song "Goodnight, _____ "?

Irene. "Goodnight, Irene" was famously recorded by Leadbelly in 1936, but 1950 versions by The Weavers and Frank Sinatra made it the number one hit in the Cash Box list for ten weeks. It dates back at leat to 1896, and a version by Gussie L. Davis.