Gallows Pole – A song that dates back to the 17th century. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #LedZeppelin #FredGerlach #JohnJacobNiles #NicJones #BobDylan #LeadBelly #JudyCollins

Today’s feature is a song with a fascinating history. I was vaguely aware of the tradition behind ‘Gallows Pole’ but I had no idea of the depth of its roots nor the fact that it dates as far back as 1697.

We begin with what is clearly the most commercially successful version of this old folk song. Led Zeppelin released their III album on this day in 1970 and it was a bit of a departure from their first two records because it featured a lot of intricate acoustic work by Jimmy Page along with the masterful musicianship of John Paul Jones, the epic drumming of John Bonham and the superior vocals of Robert Plant. It was recorded at their Bron-Yr-Aur cottage in the countryside of Wales. Jimmy Page used a previous version by Fred Gerlach as his inspiration. More on that later. On the album Led Zeppelin credited the song as ‘Traditional: Arranged by Page and Plant’. The first two verses followed the Gerlach rendition and then Plant created a variation of the standard lyrics to drive the song to its conclusion. Here is Fred Gerlach’s recording:

Consider this influence the next time you listen to Jimmy Page play and you will come away with a deeper respect for his range of influence. This is a band who frequently cite those who came before them. Sometimes their methods left a bit to be desired, but the roots of their material often came through and they served to spread the word of several great artists who came before. Led Zeppelin’s decision to record ‘Gallows Pole’ emerged from a jam at the cottage. Jimmy Page was experimenting with John Paul Jones’ banjo when he gravitated to this traditional chord structure. Gradually the others joined in. Once ‘Gallows Pole’ took form from the basic acoustic foundation they added the mandolin, bass and drums. The beauty of the song emerges as the angst the main character is feeling due to his imminent execution. It comes through in the layering of instruments as the tempo of the song increases. This musical backdrop allows Robert Plant to perform his magic as he portrays a man sentenced to death by hanging. Please read on for more on the interpretation of the song’s lyrics.

In addition to the studio version profiled above, here is a relatively rare Led Zeppelin live recording from 1971. The band didn’t play it live very often on the III tour and it slipped from the band’s live set completely until Page and Plant resurrected it for their 1995 tour.

Now let’s talk a little bit of history. ‘Gallows Pole’ seems to have begun as ‘The Maid Freed from the Gallows’ but its absolute roots are a little uncertain. The thinking is it originated in continental Europe but there are said to be 50 versions of the song in Finland alone. The premise of the song is relatively constant. A condemned maiden lies in wait for someone to negotiate her release from the grips of an executioner. Sometimes the condemned is a man. The doomed figure is always hoping for freedom from a sibling, parent or lover. The figures arrive but none offer the ransom and in the most macabre versions they have only come to witness the execution. In some versions the main character’s lover arrives; in some they bring the necessary silver and gold to save the prisoner, and in others the fate of the accused is left to the interpretation of the listener. Here is “The Maid Freed from the Gallows’ by John Jacob Niles. He does an amazing job getting the plight of the condemned woman through in this variation on the old theme. Played on the lute and dulcimer you can literally feel the anguish.

In this version the condemned is spared the fate of being hanged as her fiancé comes through with a fee worthy of her release. The more you read or listen to the lyrics you get a sense that the words and imagery are metaphors for the personal situation the person is experiencing. Like most fine poetry it is open to interpretation and that can be varied. It adds to the songs intrigue.

One relative constant through the many years and variations of this song is the refrain:

Hangman, hangman, hangman / slack your rope awhile.
I think I see my father / ridin’ many a mile.
“Father, did you bring any silver? / father, did you bring any gold,
Or did you come to see me / hangin’ from the gallows pole?”
“No, I didn’t bring any silver, / no I didn’t bring any gold.
I just come to see you / hangin’ from the gallows pole.”

Traditional

As mentioned, interpretations of the lyrics vary. Some have suggested the reference to bribery in the form of gold may speak to the hope of restoring the condemned maidens honour. Perhaps it is a reference to the age old ideal that a bride be chaste and the subject in this song has a questionable reputation. Keep in mind, the song goes back to the late 17th century. Things were a little bit different then…

There is another version of this song that is known as ‘The Prickly Bush’ This also alludes to the maiden getting herself into a ‘situation’. The prickly brier represents the discomfort and the promise once relieved of the issue is to never get in such a position again. This lends itself effectively to the assertion that the imagery in the lyrics are symbolic and metaphoric.

O the prickly bush, the prickly bush,
It pricked my heart full sore;
If ever I get out of the prickly bush,
I’ll never get in any more.”

Traditional

One of the most famous versions of ‘The Prickly Bush’ was recorded by British folksinger Nic Jones.

As the song has evolved the character became more predominantly male. This is especially true in the United States where the idea of sentencing a woman to death by hanging was extremely rare.

The story takes on a deeper form when one also learns that the general theme has become prominent in a fairy tale called “The Golden Ball”. This format allows for a little more depth to the story and it is learned that the main character loses the ‘golden ball’ and her fiancé is forced to recover the treasured item to save her from execution. Again the idea of a metaphor comes through.

Back to the piece in form of a song, naturally Bob Dylan does a variation on the theme in a song called ‘Seven Curses’. In this piece Dylan sings of a man who steals a stallion and leaves his daughter to negotiate his freedom. The horrid judge declares that the payment for her father’s freedom is ‘her’. The desperate woman relents, only to wake up the next morning to find her father had been hanged. Horrible stuff…A similar story is told in an Italian piece called ‘Cecilia’ where a wife is left in the position to arrange the freedom of her husband from a sea captain. This is where the song takes a macabre turn and the ultimate evil takes precedence over any happy endings.

If you read the lyrics of the Led Zeppelin version of ‘Gallows Pole’ you can definitely interpret that a similar fate awaited the characters in the song they recorded. You decide:

Hangman, hangman, upon your face a smile
Pray tell me that I’m free to ride
Ride for many mile, mile, mile
Oh, yes, you got a fine sister
She warmed my blood from cold
She brought my blood to boiling hot
To keep you from the gallows pole, pole, pole, pole, yeah
Your brother brought me silver
Your sister warmed my soul
But now I laugh and pull so hard
And see you swinging on the gallows pole, yeah
But now I laugh and pull so hard
And see you swinging on the gallows pole, pole, pole
Swingin’ on the gallows pole
Swingin’ on the gallows pole
Swingin’ on the gallows pole
Swingin’ on the gallows pole, pole, pole, pole, pole, pole, pole, pole

Traditional

All these years I have been listening to this song and I was not aware of what an evil premise lay within. Essentially, if you indulge in dubious activity and rely on those close to you to get you out of trouble you run the potential of dragging their reputations down with you.

Another classic version of ‘Gallows Pole’ was released by blues legend Leadbelly in the 1930s. It was titled ‘The Gallis Pole’ and it displays his distinct style. Just listen to this and remind yourself that it was done more than eighty years ago. This man was way ahead of his time.

Folksinger Judy Collins released a version of this tale in the form of a song called ‘Anathea’ that has similarities to a Hungarian folk tale called ‘Feher Anna’.

In reading through various articles about this song I counted more than 25 different song titles and fairy tales that spoke to a similar theme and borrowed from the original story. Like I said, it is a song with a fascinating history that comes through in many different forms. It may be rivaled only by ‘House of the Rising Sun’ in terms of its depth, historical significance and intriguing ability to have its moral left up to the listener when it comes to interpretation. Just sharing this has left me riveted. It is longer than I intended but anything less would not have done the song nor its history any justice.

Let me know your thoughts.