“The Blackest Crow,” also known as “My Dearest Dear” and “The Lover’s Lament,” is a traditional Appalachian love song. It spread through the Appalachian and Ozark mountains after the Civil War, and a set of its verses was printed in Carl Sandburg’s “The American Songbag” in 1927.
The song is a lover’s vow of constancy. Facing a coming separation, the singer promises that his love will not change — declaring that sooner would the blackest crow turn white than his heart would turn from his dearest dear. That striking image gives the song its name.
The song has long been a favorite among old-time and string-band musicians. The version heard here is by Bruce Molsky.
