Lily of the West

"Lily of the West" is a traditional American folk song about a man who travels to Louisville and falls in love with a young girl named Flora, the eponymous Lily of the West. He catches Flora being unfaithful to him, and, in a fit of rage, stabs the man she is with, and is subsequently imprisoned. In spite of this, he finds himself still in love with Flora.

The song is often interpreted as a metaphor for the Irish experience in America. Some versions of the song, notably the cover by The Chieftains, end with the man being released and traveling across the Atlantic to "ramble through old Ireland/And travel Scotland o'er". Despite leaving America, he finds that he is still in love and mentally fixated on Flora.

The song has been recorded by Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, The Chieftains, Josh Andrews, The Flash Girls, Caroline Groussain, Sheri Kling, Show of Hands, Peter, Paul and Mary (as "Flora"), Mark Knopfler, Crooked Still and Azra (in Croatian, titled "Usne Vrele Višnje" [cite web|url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=kXoYIZ5-oRU|title=Usne vrele višnje|publisher=Azra|accessdate=2008-04-28] ) among others.

From "The Collected Reprints from Sing Out! the Folk Song Magazine Volumes 7-12, 1964-1973"page 6, preceding the songs notation and Lyrics:

This old ballad has been kept alive over the centuries by both print and oral tradition. Originally an English street ballad (or broadside), the song became particularly popular in the United States by parlor singers and ballad-printers. During the 19th century it was known throughout the country and, in time, became part of the folk heritage. Its popularity was such that in Kansas, local versifiers used the song for a parody:"Come all you folks of enterprise who feel inclined to roamBeyond the Mississippi to seek a pleasant home.Pray take a pioneer's advice, I'll point you out the best-I mean the state of Kansas, the Lily of the West"

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