"The Bonny Bunch of Roses" (Roud

Roud Folk Song Index

The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 300,000 references to over 21,600 songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world...

 664), also called "Bonaparte's Retreat", is an English (or Irish) folk song.

The earliest known version of the tune is in William Christie's "Tradition Ballad Airs" (1881), but there is another tune, of Irish origin. There is an obvious difficulty in identifying the narrator's voice. It is a conversation between Napoleon's son (Napoleon II, 1811-1832, named King of Rome by his father upon birth) and his mother (Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma

Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma

Marie Louise of Austria was the second wife of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French and later Duchess of Parma...

, Napoleon's second wife, whom he married after divorcing Josephine). The sentiment is pro-Napoleon, which would indicate an Irish origin.

The Irish, who were themselves under the British thumb through the 18th & 19th centuries, were actually big fans of Napoleon Bonaparte. His bravery captivated the national imagination, as did his defiance even in defeat. The Irish also adored the tragic story of the romance between the doomed emperor and his second wife, Marie Louise. So it's no surprise they chose her words to frame the story of Bonaparte's fall.

Lyrics

In the lyrics below, from 1881, the "Bonnie Bunch o' Roses" is, according to some, Europe; others say it's a figure of speech for the British Empire, and others say it is Britain. And St. Helena is, of course, the island to which Bonaparte was exiled (the second time, that is - his first exile was on Elba).

Near by the swelling ocean,

One morning in the month of June,

While feather'd warbling songsters

Their charming notes did sweetly tune,

I overheard a lady

Lamenting in sad grief and woe,

And talking with young Bonaparte

Concerning the bonny Bunch of Roses, O.

Thus spake the young Napoleon,

And grasp'd his mother by the hand:-

"Oh, mother dear have patience,

Till I am able to command;

I'll raise a numerous army,

And through tremendous dangers go,

And in spite of all the universe,

I'll gain the bonny Bunch of Roses, O."

Oh, son, speak not so venturesome;

For England is the heart of oak;

Of England, Scotland, and Ireland,

The unity can ne'er be broke.

And think you on your father,

In the Island where he now lies low,

He is not yet interred in France;

So beware of the bonny Bunch of Roses, O.

Your father raised great armies,

And likewise kings did join the throng;

He was so well provided.

Enough to sweep the world along.

But when he went to Moscow,

He was o'erpower'd by drifting snow;

And though Moscow was blazing

He lost the bonny Bunch of Roses, O.

"Oh, mother, adieu for ever,

I am now on my dying bed,

If I had liv'd I'd have been brave

But now I droop my youthful head.

And when our bones do moulder,

And weeping-willows o'er us grow,

Its deeds to bold Napoleon

Will stain the bonny Bunch of Roses, O."

Cover versions

There are many recorded versions, including the Chieftains

The Chieftains

The Chieftains are a Grammy-winning Irish musical group founded in 1962, best known for being one of the first bands to make Irish traditional music popular around the world.-Name:...

 (with Dolores Keane

Dolores Keane

Dolores Keane is an Irish folk singer and occasional actress. She was a founding member of the successful group De Dannan, and has since embarked on a very successful solo career, establishing herself as one of the most loved interpreters of Irish song.-Background:Keane was born in a small village...

 as the singer), De Dannan

De Dannan

De Dannan was an Irish folk music group. They were formed by Frankie Gavin , Alec Finn , Johnny "Ringo" McDonagh and Charlie Piggott as a result of sessions in Hughes's Pub in An Spidéal, County Galway, subsequently inviting Dolores Keane to join the band...

, Fairport Convention

Fairport Convention

Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...

, Glen Campbell

Glen Campbell

Glen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...

, Harry Cox

Harry Cox

Harry Fred Cox , was a Norfolk farmworker and one of the most important singers of traditional English music of the twentieth century, on account of his large repertoire and fine singing style....

, Cyril Poacher, Séamus Ennis

Séamus Ennis

Séamus Ennis was an Irish piper, singer and folk-song collector.- Early years :In 1908 James Ennis, Séamus's father, was in a pawn-shop in London. Ennis bought a bag of small pieces of Uilleann pipes. They were made in the early nineteenth century by Coyne of Thomas Street in Dublin. James worked...

, Nic Jones

Nic Jones

Nicolas Paul "Nic" Jones is an English folk singer, fingerstyle guitarist and fiddle player whose professional career spanned the years 1964-1982. He recorded five solo albums, and was a frequent guest performer.-Biography:...

, Maddy Prior

Maddy Prior

Maddy Prior is an English folk singer, best known as the lead vocalist of Steeleye Span.-Early life:...

 and June Tabor

June Tabor

June Tabor is an English folk singer.- Early years :June Tabor was inspired to sing by hearing Anne Briggs' EP Hazards of Love in 1965. "I went and locked myself in the bathroom for a fortnight and drove my mother mad. I learned the songs on that EP note for note, twiddle for twiddle. That's how I...

 in collaboration with the Oysterband

Oysterband

Oysterband is a British electric folk or folk rock band formed in Canterbury in or around 1976.-Early history:...

. Bob Dylan featured Paul Clayton's version on his Theme Time Radio Hour

External references

• Folkinfo
• "Bonny Bunch of Roses", 19th cent broadside