"Peter Gray" is an American ballad about a young man whose fiancee is sent out west (Ohio) after her father discovers their plan to wed. The man goes west and is scalped by Indians. The song appears to date back to at least 1858. It was recorded by Burl Ives

Burl Ives

Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives was an American actor, writer and folk music singer. As an actor, Ives's work included comedies, dramas, and voice work in theater, television, and motion pictures. Music critic John Rockwell said, "Ives's voice .....

 on 3 March 1941 for his debut album Okeh Presents the Wayfaring Stranger

Okeh Presents the Wayfaring Stranger

Released in August 1941, Okeh Presents the Wayfaring Stranger is an album consisting of four 10-inch records by Burl Ives. This record set marked Ives's debut as a recording artist...

. It has also been recorded by Ed McCurdy

Ed McCurdy

Ed McCurdy was an American folk singer, songwriter, and television actor. His anti-war classic, "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream" , inspired and gave hope to those in the peace movement.-Career:...

 and Mike Seeger

Mike Seeger

Mike Seeger was an American folk musician and folklorist. He was a distinctive singer and an accomplished musician who played autoharp, banjo, fiddle, dulcimer, guitar, mouth harp, mandolin, dobro, jaw harp, and pan pipes. Seeger, a half-brother of Pete Seeger, produced more than 30 documentary...

, and by Tapio Rautavaara

Tapio Rautavaara

Kaj Tapio Rautavaara was a Finnish athlete, singer and movie actor.-Early life:...

 in Finnish

Finnish language

Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...

(1952).