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Folksongs of Vermont

Margaret MacArthur
Folksongs of Vermont

Born in 1928 in Chicago, Illinois, Margaret MacArthur spent her childhood moving around the western United States. Her first contact with folk music came in 1933, when her father began work at an Arizona timber company with displaced cowboys and folk singers who had collected songs throughout their travels. In 1948 MacArthur moved to Vermont, where she gathered the songs presented here from churches, friends, and broadsides found near her farm. When speaking of her death, Margaret MacArthur’s granddaughter Robin wrote, "On her deathbed she was sick with morphine, most of her memory gone, but she could still remember the lyrics to any ballad we asked her to sing. This music had etched itself into her soul; song and landscape and self had twined into a fabric that was lasting, resounding, and full of grace."

Track Listing

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101
The Needle's Eye Margaret MacArthur 00:27
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102
Carrion Crow Margaret MacArthur 01:36
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103
Gypsy Davy Margaret MacArthur 01:57
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104
Jennie Jenkins Margaret MacArthur 02:00
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105
Linktem Blue Margaret MacArthur 00:20
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106
Cherries Are Ripe Margaret MacArthur 01:28
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107
Trot Trot to Boston Margaret MacArthur 00:53
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108
This Very Unhappy Man Margaret MacArthur 01:40
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109
Aunt Jemima Margaret MacArthur 01:15
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110
Gorion-Og Margaret MacArthur 03:57
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111
The Scolding Wife Margaret MacArthur 00:56
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112
Riddles Margaret MacArthur 00:24
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201
Old Mr. Grumble Margaret MacArthur 02:11
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202
Single Again Margaret MacArthur 01:21
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203
New Hampshire Miller Margaret MacArthur 03:03
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204
What the Old Hen Said Margaret MacArthur 01:15
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205
Mother in the Graveyard Margaret MacArthur 02:17
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206
Marlboro Merchants Margaret MacArthur 06:40