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| | Down in the Valley (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-09-09) |
 | | DESCRIPTION: "Down in the valley, valley so low, Hang your head over, hear the wind blow." The singer tells of his deep, unrequited love for (his/her) sweetheart. |
 | | Notes: "Birmingham Jail" (sometimes credited to E.V. Body) is considered by some a separate song, but it can hardly be distinguished from "Down in the Valley." The same can be said of Sandburg's and Belden's "Bird in a Cage" texts; it lacks the "Down in the Valley" stanza, but the other verses are common. |
 | | This song is often called "Birmingham Jail," particularly on early recordings; there is also, however, another song called "Birmingham Jail", which is part of the "Sweet Thing/Crawdad Hole" family, and no relation to this. |
| www.csufresno.edu /folklore/ballads/R772.html (328 words) |
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