The Arbutus Tree

THE ARBUTUS TREE - as sung by Paddy Graber (Surrey, B.C., Canada)

Our King he has a daughter fair, and Arbutus is her name
And he has gone a soldiering to the court of the king of Spain

His harper sang of her gentle grace, of her beauty and her fame
And the Spanish King's declared his love, and begged she might share his name

Our Irish king has hurried back home, with all speed he could command
And he has told his daughter fair that he has promised her hand

Her lovely eyes they filled with tears and her cheeks blushed scarlet red
Oh father dear, I can't marry him, In truth I'd rather be dead

Oh, you will do as I command, I swear upon my sword
Go dress yourself in Bride's array, I'll hear not another word

But father dear, I love a man, Will of Winsboro is his name
And I'll not leave my own true love for the hand of the King of Spain

I swear you were a virgin fair and my Chiefs did all agree
I command you now, cast off your gown, that we might examine thee

Oh father dear don't shame me so, I would rather you see me dead
Before you'd let your noble Chiefs search for my maidenhead

Cast off, cast off that berry brown gown and stand upon that stone
For if ye be a virgin fair, the truth it must be made known

Then she cast off her berry brown gown, and the gown she let fall free
Yet ere its hem it touched the ground, she changed into a tree

Her love became that gentle sea breeze, through her branches he did play
And she has shed her soft brown bark until this very day

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"One of the songs I often heard my mother sing was The Arbutus Tree. Now, in and around our home, there's rocks and boulders, trees and old buildings, and in fact almost anything that you could possibly think of. There's songs and stories and poems made about them, usually to pass on a thought or concept, or to explain how they came about. And the arbutus tree, in the States it's known as the madrona, but in Ireland and also here in Canada it's known as the arbutus. The arbutus sheds it's bark the whole year round, and of course there has to be a reason for it. And we used to have an arbutus tree on our farm in Kilkeen (sp?), County Kerry. And it has to grow on very, very rocky soil, usually on an outcrop, and the sea breeze has to blow through the branches to be able to make it work, or at least make it grow halfway decently. Anyway, this is the song that explains how it came to be." Paddy Graber, Surrey, B.C., Canada.

Madrone, Madrona Tree

            The Madrone or Madrona is a low branching western
        tree common to the Pacific slopes. It is a slow growing
        and long lived dense evergreen tree with leathery leaves
        three to five inches long, shiny above and pale below.
        It's bark is brick-red and smooth, peeling in thin
        sheets from the older trees. The bark can be used to
        make a brown dye. Flowers occur in white clusters which
        become orange-red berries, eaten by pigeons and other
        birds. The wood is brownish and brittle and dries badly
        so has little use beyond making charcoal. (In my
        opinion - better to let it live in that case.) The
        Pacific madrone includes three species, two of which are
        rare. The trees may grow twenty to fifty feet on average
        and are members of the Heath family. The Arbutus menziesi
        is the largest of the family and can grow up to 100 feet.

Candace McBride