All Around My Hat
Traditional
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- [Traditional]
- Language
- English
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The song "All Around my Hat" (Roud 567 and 22518, Laws P31) is of nineteenth-century English origin. In an early version, dating from the 1820s, a Cockney costermonger vowed to be true to his fiancée, who had been sentenced to seven years' transportation to Australia for theft and to mourn his loss of her by wearing green willow sprigs in his hatband for "a twelve-month and a day," the willow being a traditional symbol of mourning.
In 1975, the English band Steeleye Span had their highest charting hit with All Around My Hat. The band registered the song as their own but the lyrics came verbatim from two traditional songs. The chorus came from All Around My Hat and the remaining lyrics were from Fare Thee Well, Cold Winter / Farewell He.
My love she was fair and my love she was kind too
And many were the happy hours, between my love and me
I never could refuse her, whatever she'd a mind to
And now she's far away, far o'er the stormy sea.
All 'round my hat I will wear the green willow
All 'round my hat for a twelve month and a day
If anybody asks me the reason why I wear it
It's all because my true love is far, far away.
Will my love be true and will my love be faithful?
Or will she find another swain to court her where she's gone?
The men will all run after her, so pretty and so graceful
And leave me here lamenting, lamenting all alone.
All 'round my hat I will wear the green willow
All 'round my hat for a twelve month and a day
If anybody asks me the reason why I wear it
It's all because my true love is far, far away. - Licensing
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