> June Tabor > Songs > I Wonder What’s Keeping My True Love Tonight

I Wonder What’s Keeping My True Love Tonight /
The Rue and the Thyme / Green Grass Grows Bonny

[ Roud 858 ; G/D 1:52, 6:1139 ; Ballad Index K157 , Ord187 ; DT KEEPLOVE ; Mudcat 24102 , 61007 ; trad.]

Sylvia Barnes sang I Wonder What Is Keeping My True Love Tonight? on her and Jim Barnes’ 1991 album Mungo Jumbo.

June Tabor sang I Wonder What’s Keeping My True Love Tonight in 1993 with Tomás Lynch on his CD The Crux of the Catalogue. (also included in 2000 on the anthology Mr Straw’s Hallway). She sang is also in 1997 on her Topic CD Aleyn (also included in 2001 on the anthology A Woman’s Voice). She noted:

There are both Scottish and Irish versions of this song (sometimes called Green Grass it Grows Bonny). I learned this one from the Dublin born singer Tomás Lynch.

Kate Rusby sang I Wonder What Is Keeping My True Love This Night in 1999 on her album Sleepless and in 2000 at the Folk Festival Sidmouth.

Maureen Jelks sang the related song Rue and Thyme in 2000 on her CD Eence Upon a Time. She noted:

This song, one of unrequited love, I first heard at a women’s concert at the Auchtermuchty festival, it was sung by Carol Prior. I was so moved by the song I felt I had to learn it. I think the song was first heard sung by Ellen Mitchell. I’m not sure where it is from but some of the verses are to be found in many other songs of the same theme.

Niamh Parsons sang Green Grass It Grows Bonny in 2000 on her Green Linnet album In My Prime. She noted:

Yet another classic song I learnt from Frank Harte. This is from the man’s perspective and is always a healing experience when myself and Graham [Dunne] perform it live—as it was here.

Emily Smith sang Green Grass Grows Bonny in 2002 on her first CD, A Day Like Today. She noted:

I learnt this song from a great Irish singer called Jerry O’Riley. Jerry was over in Glasgow earlier this year and I was lucky enough to meet him and learn this classic song of the Irish tradition.

Ellen Mitchell of Glasgow sang Rue and Thyme in 2002 on her Tradition Bearers album On Yonder Lea. She also sang The Rue and the Thyme in May 2008 at the Fife Traditional Singing Festival, Collessie, Fife. This recording was released a year later on the CD Grand to Be a Working Man (Old Songs & Bothy Ballads Vol. 5). She noted on her album:

This is a kind of composite song which seems to include several ‘floating’ type verses found in many other songs. I learned it from Mary Stewart, who was well known as a singer before she moved to France. Much later on I found she had learned it from Alison McMorland.

Grace Notes sang The Rue and the Thyme in 2007 on their Fellside CD Northern Tide. They and Lucy Wright also sang it at the Rugby Club, Whitby in 2010:

Josienne Clarke sang I Wonder What’s Keeping My True Love Tonight in 2014 on her and Ben Walker’s CD Nothing Can Bring Back the Hour.

Cara Dillon sang I Wonder What’s Keeping My True Love Tonight in 2024 on Ben Nicholl’s Hudson album Duets.

Lyrics

June Tabor sings I Wonder What’s Keeping My True Love Tonight

I wonder what’s keeping my true love tonight,
I wonder what is keeping you out of my sight.
I wonder if you know of the pain I endure
And yet you stay from me this night I’m not sure.

Oh love, are you coming your own cause to advance?
Or yet are you waiting a far far better chance?
Are you coming to tell me you’ve a new love in store?
Are you coming to tell me you love me no more?

Oh no, I’m not coming my own cause to advance
For yet I’m a-waiting a far far better chance.
I’m coming to tell you I’ve a new love in store,
I’m coming to tell you I love you no more.

For I can love lightly and I can love strong
And I can love the old love till the new love comes on.
I only said I loved you for to give your heart ease
And when I’m not with you I’ll love whom I please.

I’ve gold in my pocket and pain in my heart
For I can’t love a love with one too many sweethearts.
You’re my first and only false love but it’s lately I knew
The fonder I loved you the falser you’d prove.

Spring grass grows the sweetest, spring water runs clear,
I’m sorry and tormented for the love of my false dear.
Your love it lies as lightly as the dew on the thorn
That descends in the evening, goes away with the dawn.

(repeat first verse)

Kate Rusby sings I Wonder What Is Keeping My True Love This Night

I wonder what is keeping my true love this night,
I wonder what is keeping him out of my sight.
I wonder if he knows of the pain I endure
And stays from me this night I’m not sure.

Oh love, are you coming your cause to advance?
Or yet are you waiting for a far far better chance?
Are you coming for to tell me you’ve a new love in store
Or are you coming for to tell me you love me no more?

For I can love lightly and I can love strong,
I can love the old love till the new love comes on.
I only said I loved you for to give your heart ease
For when I’m not with you I’ll love whom I please.

Oh, there’s gold in my pocket and pain in my heart
For I can’t love a man with too many sweethearts.
You’re my first and only false love but it’s lately I knew
The stronger I loved you the falser you grew.

Oh, the spring grass grows the greenest and spring water runs clear,
I’m sorry and tormented for the love of my dear.
Your love it lies so lightly as the dew on the thorn
That’s there in the evening and away with the dawn,
That’s there in the evening and away with the dawn.

Niamh Parsons sings Green Grass It Grows Bonny

I wonder what is keeping my true love tonight,
I wonder what is keeping her out of my sight.
For little she knows the pain I endure
For she would not stay from me this night I am sure.

O love are you coming my cause to advance?
Or love are you waiting for a far better chance?
Or have you a sweetheart laid by you in store
And are you coming for to tell me you love me no more?

O love I’m not coming your cause to advance
Nor love am I waiting for a far better chance.
But 1have a sweetheart laid by me in store
And I’m coming for to tell you I love you no more.

For I can love lightly and I can love long,
And I can love the old love till the new love comes along.
1 just said I loved you to set your mind at ease,
But when I am from you I’ll love whom I please.

I have gold in my pocket and love in my heart,
But I can’t love a maiden who has got two sweethearts.
Your love lies just lightly like the dew upon the thorn
That comes down in the evening, goes away in the morn.

Green grass it grows bonny, spring water runs clear,
I’m weary and lonesome when I think of my dear.
You were my first and fond true love but it’s lately I knew
That the fonder I loved you, the falser you grew.

So come all of you young men take a warning by me
And never build your nest on the top of a high tree.
For the leaves they will wither and the branches decay
And like a false-hearted young maid they will soon fade away.

Emily Smith sings Green Grass Grows Bonny

I wonder what is keeping my true love this night
Oh I wonder what is keeping him out of my sight
Tis little he knows of the pain I endure
Or he would not stay from me this night I am sure

Oh love are you coming my pain to advance?
Or love are you waiting for a far better chance?
Or have you a sweetheart laid by you in store?
Or are you comin’ for to tell me you love me no more?

Oh love I’m not comin’ your pain to advance
Nor love am I waiting for a far better chance
But I have a sweetheart laid by me in store
And I’m comin’ for to tell you I love you no more

For I’ve gold in my pocket and pain in my heart
But I can’t love a young man who has two sweethearts
You loved me just lightly like the dew on the thorn
Comes down in the evenin’, goes away in the morn

For I can love lightly and I can love strong
And I can love the old love ’til the new love comes along
I just said that I loved you for to put your mind at ease
But when far away from you, I’ll love whom I please

For green grass grows bonny, spring water runs clear
I weary, how I weary when I think on my dear
You were my first and only false love and it’s now I do rue,
For the stronger I loved you the falser you grew

So come all of you fair maids take this warnin’ from me
And never build your nest at the top of a high tree
For the leaves they will wither and the branches decay
And like a false hearted young man, will soon fade away

Ellen Mitchell sings The Rue and the Thyme

There’s a rose in yon garden is now in full bloom,
Has been spreading and growing, it will soon be a tree;
I reached right in tae it the rose to find,
But a thorn pricked my finger and I left it behind.

First chorus:
Oh rue, oh rue, oh rue is in prime,
Oh ye’ll pull the red rose, I will pull the rue an’ thyme.

Oh I loved him oh sae dearly but noo him disdain
For the mair that I loved him the prouder he became,
Aye, the mair that I loved him the saucier he grew
Ah, but now I must tell him that it’s time for tae rue.

Chorus (repeated after each verse):
Oh rue, oh rue, oh rue is in prime,
Oh ye’ll pull the red rose and I’ll pull the thyme.

Oh, ye’ll pu’ the reid rose, I will pu’ the rue and thyme
Since ye’ve been unfaithfu’, then I’ll be unkind.
And drink ye tae yer new love and I’ll drink tae mine
And here’s a health tae the laddie that is maist on my mind.

For I can love a little or I can love long
I can love a new love when my love is gone.
I only said I loved him his mind for tae ease
Ah, but noo his back is tae me, I can love who I please.