I first heard this song about 63 years after it was written. I knew of it but had never really heard the song. My introduction to it was on a CD called "Rarities, B-Sides and Other Stuff" by Sarah McLachlan.

I thought it was a positively beautiful and haunting song. I was at that time on an Internet mailing list of fans of Sarah's who would occasionally discuss her music. This song became a hot topic among our list members because of all the folklore surrounding it.

This was very interesting to me. I love stories like this. I read all the posts that people wrote about what they knew about the song with great interest but didn't do any research on my own. Then one day recently, I pulled out that CD and once again, was captivated by Sarah's version of the song.

I did some searching on the Internet and this page is a result of what I have found.

Lyrics

Folklore

Other Performers who have covered this haunting song.