Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair

Many different versions of this song exist, some addressed to men and others addressed to women. There are other differences: • ...like some rosy fair... or ...like a rose so fair... or ... something wondrous fair • ...the prettiest face and the neatest hands... or ...the sweetest face and the gentlest hands... or ...the clearest eyes and the strongest hands • ...still I hope the time will come... or ...some times I wish the day will come... or ... I shall count my life as well begun, when he and I shall be as one. • ...you and I shall be as one... or ...s/he and I can be as one... These words are set to two distinct melodies, one of which is traditional and the other was written by the Kentucky folk singer and composer John Jacob Niles by 1941. Niles recalled that his father thought the traditional melody was "downright terrible", so he wrote "a new tune, ending it in a nice modal manner." This melody was used in the Folk Songs song cycle by Luciano Berio. The song has become a part of the traditional repertory of Celtic music artists. The song was collected as "Black is the color" by Cecil Sharp and Maud Karpeles in 1916 from Mrs Lizzie Roberts, it is listed in English folk songs from the southern Appalachians (1917). It also appeared in Sharps English Folksongs From The Southern Appalachians (1932). In the 1960s, Patty Waters sang an extended version for an ESP record that leaned toward the avant garde and extremes of vocal improvisation. ==Recorded versions==