Help Me Find a Song Please

[Muffinhead]

The song is about a young girl whose boyfriend or husband is off to war (US Civil War I believe) and she misses him terribly. She decides to dress up as a soldier and pass herself off as a man so she can try and find her true love.

I thought that the song was on either "Old and in the way" or the Jerry Garcia Band "Almost Acoustic", but the song I am looking for is not on either CD.

Anybody have any clues what the title of this song is and where I can find it?

[JonPR]

I don't know the specific song you're thinking of, but I've heard a few songs with the same story (sorry I can't remember titles), and it's an old theme of folk ballads from many countries.

Check these out:
http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/fo...he_Soldier.htm
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...eetPollyOliver
http://open.salon.com/blog/mjwycha/2...women_warriors

[stanron]

This looks a bit like the plot of a song called High Germany but there will almost certainly be other songs with similar story lines.

[Muffinhead]

Originally Posted by JonPR

I don't know the specific song you're thinking of, but I've heard a few songs with the same story (sorry I can't remember titles), and it's an old theme of folk ballads from many countries.

Check these out:
http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/fo...he_Soldier.htm
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...eetPollyOliver
http://open.salon.com/blog/mjwycha/2...women_warriors

You helped me find it! The last URL was the one that did it. The song is Jack-a-Roe or Jack the Sailor. I was on the right track with the Jerry Garcia connection. I first heard it on the Reckoning CD by the Grateful Dead

Thanks, this has been bugging me for weeks.

[JonPR]

Glad to be (accidentally) of service.

stanron reminded me it was probably High Germany I was thinking of .
Here's a version by the man who was an influence on the young Dylan and Paul Simon (among others):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxPw6QPW2ZQ

[jimmybee]

Dylan did this song on Good As I Been To You Album.