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Wedding Dress

[ Roud - ; DT WEDDRESS ; trad.]

Peggy, Penny and Barbara Seeger sang The Wedding Dress Song in 1957 on their Folkways album American Folk Songs. Charles Seeger noted tersely on the song’s origin:

A fragment from Tennessee.

Jacqui McShee sang Wedding Dress in 1971 on Pentangle’s Transatlantic album Reflection. A live recording from RTBF Belgium TV 1972 was included in 2007 on their 4 CD Castle anthology The Time Has Come. Another live recording from their 2008 tour with the original line up was released in 2016 on their Topic album Finale: An Evening With Pentangle.

Sandra Kerr sang the Wedding Dress Song, accompanying herself on Appalachian dulcimer, in 1983 on Sandra Kerr and Friends’ Pukka album Supermum. She noted:

This song comes from America and I’ve used an American instrument to accompany it. I don’t sing many songs from that part of the world but it’s on the record because it’s a particular favourite of Leon [Rosselson]’s. It’s also a good one to add to. Think of a colour—think of a word that rhymes—and you’ve got a new verse.

Martin and Jessica Simpson sang Doney Girl (Wedding Dress) in 1987 on their Topic album True Dare or Promise.

Rosie Hodgson sang Wedding Dress in 2014 on Crossharbour’s eponymous album, Crossharbour.

Lyrics

Peggy, Penny and Barbara Seeger sing The Wedding Dress Song

Hey, my little ____ gal,
Don’t you guess
You’d better be a-making your wedding dress,
Wedding dress, wedding dress,
You’d better be a-making your wedding dress.

Hey, it’s already made,
Trimmed in brown,
Stitched around with a golden crown,
Golden crown,
Stitched around with a golden crown.

Hey, it’s already made,
Trimmed in green,
Prettiest thing that you ever seen,
Ever seen, ever seen.

Hey, it’s already made,
Trimmed in white,
Gonna get married on Sunday night,
Sunday night, Sunday night,
I’m gonna get married on Sunday night.

Well, she wouldn’t say yes,
An’ wouldn’t say no, All she’d do was just sit and sew,
Sit and sew, sit and sew,
All she’d do was just sit and sew.

(repeat first verse)

Pentangle sing Wedding Dress

Hey, my little doney girl,
Don’t you guess, better be making your wedding dress,
Wedding dress,
wedding dress,
Better be making your wedding dress.

Well, it’s already made,
Trimmed in brown,
Stitched around with a golden crown,
Golden crown, a golden crown,
Stitched around with a golden crown.

Well, it’s already made,
Trimmed in red,
Stitched around with a golden thread,
Golden thread, a golden thread,
Stitched around with a golden thread.

Well, it’s already made,
Trimmed in green,
Prettiest thing you’ve ever seen,
Ever seen, ever seen,
Prettiest thing you’ve ever seen.

Well, it’s already made,
Trimmed in white,
Gonna be married on Saturday night,
Saturday night, Saturday night,
Gonna be married on Saturday night.

Well, she wouldn’t say yes,
She wouldn’t say no,
All she do is just sit and sew,
Sit and sew, sit and sew,
All she do is just sit and sew.

(repeat first verse)