Artist: Jean Ritchie
Author: traditional
Label: Elektra
Year: 1954

On 10" Kentucky Mountain Songs. Oldest American version collected in 1906. Uses lyrics from Scottish ballad Jamie Douglas (Waly, Waly). First published in 1727. Lyrically related with The Water Is Wide (see there) and Fair And Tender Ladies (see there). Another variation (Let No Man Steal Your Thyme) was covered by Pentangle, June Tabor and others. Cecil Sharp, the English folk collector who compared songs all over the Appalachians (1916-18) found some 18 Thyme variations.

Not the Dolly Parton song, covered by Bettye LaVette.