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Oh, My Darling, Clementine

"Oh, My Darling, Clementine," Lyrics, Text Format
"Oh, My Darling, Clementine," Lyrics, Text Format

Excellent song to assess beginning grade level skills.

 

Description

  • Grade: Fifth
  • Origin: USA – Western Folk Ballad
  • Key: F Major
  • Time: 3/4
  • Form: staves: ABAB – song: AA, verse/refrain
  • Rhythm: beginners: | ta ta ti/ ri | syncopation,
    | ta/ ti ti ti | syncopation, | ta/a ti/ ri | syncopation
  • Pitches: beginners: So Ti Do Re Mi Fa So
  • Intervals: beginners: Do\So (P4), So/Mi (M6), Mi\Do (M3), Re\So (P5), So/Ti (M3),
  • Musical Elements: notes: half, dotted quarter, quarter, dotted eighth, sixteenth; pickup beat, verse/refrain (same), syncopation, ballad
  • Key Words: USA history/geography: California Gold Rush; cavern, canyon, excavating, mine, dwelt, miner, forty-niner, daughter, darling, forever, dreadful, fairy, herring, topses, sandals, ducklings, stubbed, splinter, foaming brine, ruby, bubbles, alas, swimmer, peak, pine, oughter, churchyard, myrtle, boughs, entwine, roses, posies, fertilize, doth, haunt, robed, garments, soaked

“Oh, My Darling, Clementine” 
1. In a cavern by a canyon,
Excavating for a mine,
Dwelt a miner, forty-niner,
And his daughter Clementine.
Refrain:
Oh, my daring, oh, my darling,
Oh, my darling Clementine,
You are lost and gone forever,
Dreadful sorry Clementine.
2.
 Light she was and like a fairy,
And her shoes were number nine,
Herring boxes, without topses,
Sandals were for Clementine.
Refrain
3. Drove she ducklings to the water
Ev’ry morning just at nine,
Stubbed her toe against a splinter,
Fell into the foaming brine.
Refrain
4. Ruby lips above the water,
Blowing bubbles, soft and fine,
But, alas, I was no swimmer,
So I lost my Clementine.
Refrain
5. Then the miner, forty-niner,
Soon began to peak and pine,
Thought he oughter join his daughter,
Now he’s with his Clementine.
Refrain
6. In a corner of the churchyard,
Where the myrtle boughs entwine,
Grow the roses and the posies,
Fertilized by Clementine.
Refrain
7. In my dreams she still doth haunt me,
Robed in garments soaked in brine;
How in life I used to hug her,
Now she’s dead, I draw the line.
Refrain
Additional Formats (click to enlarge)
music
"Oh, My Darling, Clementine," Music Format		 beats
Click to enlarge: "Oh, My Darling, Clementine," Beats Format		 rhythm
Click to Enlarge: "Oh, My Darling, Clementine," Rhythm Format
pitch numbers
Click to Enlarge: "Oh, My Darling, Clementine," Pitch Number Format		 solfeggio
Click to Enlarge: "Oh, My Darling, Clementine," Solfeggio Format		 letter names
Click to Enlarge: "" Letter Names Format