Peggy-O

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Peggy-O is a Scottish folk song about a thwarted romance between a soldier and girl. Like many old folk songs with a long lineage, the authorship is unknown. There are about as many different titles for Peggy-O as there are versions of the song, including “The Bonnie Lass of Fyvie’O”, “Fennario”, “Pretty Peggy-O”, and “The Maid of Fife”.

The version of Peggy-O the Grateful Dead performed resembled the version that Cecil J Sharp transcribed and included in his venerable collection of folk songs, “English Folks Songs from the Southern Appalachians”, and closest resembles the version played by the folk singers of the 1960s.

The Dead first performed Peggy-O on December 10, 1973 at Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, NC, and played it in every year through to 1995. The song was usually played no more than a dozens times a year, though it was played more often during the 1977 to 1981 period. The last performance of Peggy-O was on July 5, 1995.

When the Dead began playing Peggy-O in 1973 they played it in the key of G. It remained in the key of G until July of 1976 when they transposed it up a whole step to the key of A, where it remained until its last performance in 1995. My guess is that they switched keys because the key of A lent itself better for Garcia's fingerpicking part, but I don't have any idea why they changed it when they did.

Lyrics

As we rode out to Fennario
As we rode out to Fennario
Our captain fell in love with a lady like a dove
And he called her by name pretty Peggy-O

Will you marry me, pretty Peggy-O
Will you marry me, pretty Peggy-O
If you will marry me, I will set your cities free
And free all the ladies in the area-O

I would marry you, sweet William-O
I would marry you, sweet William-O
I would marry you, but your guineas are too few
And I fear my mama would be angry-O

What would your mama think, pretty Peggy-O
What would your mama think, pretty Peggy-O
What would your mama think if she heard my guineas clink
And saw me marching at the head of my soldiers-O

If ever I return, pretty Peggy-O
If ever I return, pretty Peggy-O
If ever I return, all your cities I will burn
Destroy all the ladies in the area-O

Come stepping down the stairs, pretty Peggy-O
Come stepping down the stairs, pretty Peggy-O
Come stepping down the stairs, combing back your yellow hair
And bid a last farewell to young William-O

Sweet William he is dead, pretty Peggy-O
Sweet William he is dead, pretty Peggy-O
Sweet William he is dead, and he died for a maid
And he's buried in the Louisiana country-O

As we rode out to Fennario
As we rode out to Fennario
Our captain fell in love with a lady like a dove
And he called her by name pretty Peggy-O