Tamsin
I'm away from home for a few days so I can't give you chapter and verse but when Baring-Gould collected the song on Dartmoor he described it as Jacobean and said it was written by Withers. I think that I checked that out - the reference is probably in the notes to the song in 'Songs of the West'.
Regards
Martin
> from: Tamsin Lewis <[log in to unmask]>
> date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 11:05:31
> to: [log in to unmask]
> subject: Re: The Indian Weed
>
> Can anyone tell me when this ballad first appeared? Was it around at all in
> the 16th Century?
> The Indian weed witherèd quite,
> Green at morn, cut down at night,
> Shows thy decay;
> All flesh is hay:
> Thus think, then drink tobacco
> Many thanks
> Tamsin Lewis
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