Bloodstains

from The Wanton String Band by The Wanton String Band

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about

While the lyrics for this murder ballad can be traced back to
Victorian England via the Child Ballads, we first encountered it on
the 1976 recording of Nimrod Workman’s solo singing. Workman
was a musician, miner and unionist from West Virginia and the
source for many Appalachian versions of old English and Scottish
ballads. We were deeply attracted to his haunting melody which
differs dramatically from its more common melodic settings.

lyrics

What is that bloodstain on your shirt
The one that looks so red?
That is the blood of my hunting hound
I killed him yesterday.
Well I know the blood of your hunting hound.
It could not be so red.
That is the blood of your one true love.
You killed him yesterday.

What is that bloodstain on your shirt
The one that looks so red?
That is the blood of my little white horse
I killed him yesterday.
Well I know the blood of your little white horse.
It could not be so red.
That is the blood of your one true love.
You killed him yesterday.

What is that bloodstain on your shirt
The one that looks so red?
That is the blood of my old milking cow
I killed her yesterday.
Well I know the blood of your old milking cow.
It could not be so red.
That is the blood of your one true love.
You killed him yesterday.

What is that bloodstain on your shirt
The one that looks so red?
That is the blood of my laying hen
I killed her yesterday.
Well I know the blood of your laying hen.
It could not be so red.
That is the blood of your one true love.
You killed him yesterday.

What is that bloodstain on your shirt
The one that looks so red?
That is the blood of my one true love
I killed him yesterday.

Down in the piney grove.

credits

from The Wanton String Band, released November 11, 2022
What is that Bloodstain on your Shirt?; trad. arr. The Wanton String Band

license

about

The Wanton String Band London, UK

The Wanton String Band play shamelessly hedonistic folk dance psychedelia, ranging from face-melting renditions of Appalachian fiddle tunes to synth-infused trip-hop murder ballads. Their ecstatic, infectious take on traditional music has had audiences dancing on tables and hanging from rafters since its unlikely inception. ... more