Oh My Darling, Clementine is an American western folk ballad usually credited to Percy Montrose (1884), though sometimes to Barker Bradford. The song is believed to have been based on another called Down by the River Liv'd a Maiden by H. S. Thompson (1863). Poster from the Western Music, directly related to the old English, Scottish, and Irish folk ballads, was originally composed by and about the people settling and working in the American West and western Canada. ... Year 1884 (MDCCCLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

The words are those of a bereaved lover singing about his darling, the daughter of a "49er", (a miner in the 1849 California Gold Rush). He loses her in a drowning accident – though he consoles himself towards the end of the song with Clementine's "little sister". The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was discovered at Sutters Mill. ... 1849 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was discovered at Sutters Mill. ...

Oh My Darling, Clementine has become popular, especially with Scouts and other groups of young people, as a campfire and excursion song, and there are several different versions of the words. (There is even a Scottish version, the Climbing Clementine, which begins "In a crevice, high on Nevis...") The lyrics most often sung are those shown below. Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, so that they may play constructive roles in society. ... Wikibooks Transwiki has more about this subject: Campfire A campfire in a fire pit A campfire is a fire lit at a campsite, usually in a fire ring. ... This article is about the country. ... Ben Nevis (Gaelic: Beinn Nibheis) is the highest mountain in the British Isles. ...

The verse about the little sister was often left out of folk song books intended for children, presumably because it seemed morally questionable.

In his book South from Granada, Gerald Brenan attributes the melody to originally being an old Spanish ballad, which was made popular by Mexican miners during the Gold Rush, and given various English texts. No particular source is cited to verify that the song he used to hear in the 1920s in a remote Spanish village was not an old text with new music, but Brenan states in his preface that all facts mentioned in the book have been checked reasonably well. Gerald Brenan (1894-1987) was an English writer who spent much of his life in Spain. ... Illustration by Arthur Rackham of the ballad The Twa Corbies A ballad is a story, usually a narrative or poem, in a song. ... The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was discovered at Sutters Mill. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The 1920s is a decade that is sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ... Gerald Brenan (1894-1987) was an English writer who spent much of his life in Spain. ...

Lyrics

In a cavern, in a canyon,

Excavating for a mine

Dwelt a miner forty niner,

And his daughter Clementine.

Refrain:

Oh my darling, oh my darling,

Oh my darling, Clementine!

You were lost and gone forever

Dreadful sorry, Clementine.

Light she was and like a fairy,

And her shoes were number nine,

Herring boxes, without topses,

Sandals were for Clementine.

Refrain

Drove she ducklings to the water

Ev'ry morning just at nine,

Stubbed her toe against a splinter,

Fell into the foaming brine.

Refrain

Ruby lips above the water,

Blowing bubbles, soft and fine,

But, alas, I was no swimmer,

So I lost my Clementine.

Refrain

How I missed her! How I missed her,

How I missed my Clementine,

But I kissed her little sister,

I forgot my Clementine.

Refrain

Then the miner, forty-niner,

Soon began to peak and pine,

Thought he oughter join his daughter,

Now he's with his Clementine.

Refrain

In a corner of the churchyard,

Where the myrtle boughs entwine,

Grow the roses and the posies,

Fertilized by Clementine.

Refrain

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.

Older version of the lyrics

In the centre of a golden valley,

Dwelt a maiden all divine,

A pretty creature a miner's daughter

And her name was Clementine.

Refrain

Oh my darling, oh my darling,

My darling Clementine,

You are lost for me forever,

Dreadful sorry, Clementine.

Her noble father was the foreman

Of ev'ry valued mine,

And ev'ry miner and ranchman

Was a brother to Clementine.

The foreman miner, an old forty niner,

In dreams and thoughts sublime,

Lived in comfort with his daughter,

His pretty child Clementine.

When far away, he would often pray

That in his sunny clime

No harm might overtake her,

His favorite nugget, Clementine.

When the day was done and the setting sun

Its rays they ceased to shine,

Homeward came the brawney miner

To caress his Clementine.

None was nearer, none was dearer,

Since the days of forty-nine

When, in youth, he had another

Who was then his Clementine.

She led her ducks down to the river,

The weather it was fine,

Stubbed her toe against a sliver,

Fell into the raging brine.

He heard her calling: father,

Her voice was like a chime,

But alas he was no swimmer,

So he lost his Clementine

Humorous version of the lyrics (last verse)

Listen Boy Scouts, heed the warning

In this tragic tale of mine,

Artificial respiration,

Would have saved My Clementine!

References in pop culture

• The episode "My Darlin' Clementine" of the 1986 television series Tall Tales and Legends, starred Shelley Duvall as the Clementine of legend.

• It is a famous catchphrase of cartoon character Huckleberry Hound, who would sing it horrendously off-key.

• It is the inspiration for Kate Winslet's character's name in the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Clementine Kruczynski.

• It featured in Back to the Future Part III (1990).

• In the episode Future Echoes in Series 1 of the comedy series Red Dwarf the character Lister sings a modernised version of the song, featuring an "old plutonium miner".

• The song has been adopted by various football teams in the UK as a popular terrace chant.

• The satrist Tom Lehrer wrote a parody of the song, "improving" it by singing each verse in the style of a famous artist or genre: Cole Porter, Mozart, Jazz and Gilbert and Sullivan.

• The tune to this ballad is also frequently adapted by secondary school teachers worldwide to teach about matrix multiplication:

Row by column, row by column,

Multiply them line by line,

Add the products, form a matrix,

Now you're doing it just fine.

• The rock band Guster recorded an album Lost and Gone Forever, whose title is taken from the lyrics of "Oh My Darling, Clementine."

• Oh My Darling, Clementine is referenced in the song "Clementine" by Elliott Smith.

• The song was the inspiration of O. P. Nayyar's famous song "Aye Dil Hai Mushkil Jeena Yahan" in the Hindi film C.I.D.

• A cast member in the Fuse TV show Rad Girls is named Darling Clementine.

• The song was used as the title tune of the 1946 film My Darling Clementine, which tells the tale of the Gunfight at the OK corral in Tombstone, Arizona. In the film Wyatt Earp falls in love with a school-teacher called Clementine.

• Metal act System of a Down reference the song in their song "Revenga":

Bleeding in a sink

Poisoning a drink

Burning up

My sweet Clementine

• The song was used as a base for the story "Dreadful Sorry" by Kathryn Reiss

Shelley Alexis Duvall (born July 7, 1949) is an award winning American film and television actress. ... A catch phrase is a phrase or expression that is popularized, usually through repeated use, by a real person or fictional character. ... A cartoon is any of several forms of illustrations with varied meanings that evolved from its original meaning. ... Huckleberry Hound Huckleberry Huck Hound is a fictional cartoon character created by Hanna-Barbera, and the star of the late 1950s animated series The Huckleberry Hound Show, Hanna-Barberas second series made for television after The Ruff & Reddy Show. ... Kate Elizabeth Winslet (born October 5, 1975) is a five time Academy Award-nominated Emmy Award-nominated BAFTA, Grammy and Screen Actors Guild Award winning English actress. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Back to the Future Part III is a science fiction western comedy film starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd that opened on May 25, 1990. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... Future Echoes was the second episode to air in the original series of Red Dwarf, and the fourth produced. ... Red Dwarf is a British science fiction comedy franchise, the primary form of which comprises eight series of a post-watershed television sitcom that ran on BBC2 between 1988 and 1999, and which has achieved a global cult following. ... For the origami historian, see David Lister (Origami Historian). ... General Name, Symbol, Number plutonium, Pu, 94 Chemical series actinides Group, Period, Block n/a, 7, f Appearance silvery white Standard atomic weight (244) g·mol−1 Electron configuration [Rn] 5f6 7s2 Electrons per shell 2, 8, 18, 32, 24, 8, 2 Physical properties Phase solid Density (near r. ... Thomas Andrew (Tom) Lehrer (born April 9, 1928) is an American singer-songwriter, satirist, pianist, and mathematician. ... Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter from Indiana. ... Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791) was one of the most significant and influential of all composers of Western classical music. ... For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ... W. S. Gilbert Arthur Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian era partnership of librettist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900). ... This article gives an overview of the various ways to perform matrix multiplication. ... Guster is an alternative rock band that is known for its live performances, unique sound, humor, and cult following. ... Lost and Gone Forever is an album that was released by the band Guster in September, 1999. ... Steven Paul Elliott Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. ... O. P. Nayyar (1926 - 2007) Omkar Prasad Nayyar (January 16, 1926 - January 28, 2007) was a famous Indian film music director and composer born in Lahore,in undivided India. ... Hindi ( , Devanagari: or , IAST: , IPA: ), an Indo-European language spoken mainly in northern and central India, is the official language of the Union along with English. ... C.I.D. is a 1956 Indian Hindi film. ... Fuse is a music video-oriented television channel. ... Rad Girls is a television show on the network Fuse TV. The shows format is much like a female version of MTVs Jackass, with 3 best friends (Ramona Cash, Munchie, and Darling Clementine) doing a variety of stunts that include nudity and vomit. ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... My Darling Clementine is a 1946 western film, directed by John Ford, based on the story of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral between the Earp brothers and the Clanton gang. ... The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral was an event of legendary proportion which has been portrayed in numerous Western films. ... Tombstone in year 1891 Tombstone is a city located in Cochise County, Arizona, USA, founded in 1879 in what was then the Arizona Territory. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... For the bands self-titled album, see System of a Down (album). ...

References in science

The Clementine space mission was named after the song, as (once it is complete) the spacecraft was "lost and gone forever". Clementine (officially called the Deep Space Probe Science Experiment (DSPSE)) was a joint space project between the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO, previously the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization, or SDIO) and NASA. The objective of the mission was to test sensors and spacecraft components under extended exposure to the space...

External links

• MIDI sound file
• Passage referring to the song in the book South from Granada