Dink’s Song (Fare Thee Well)

From Vol. 1
Traditional Treasures

SUGGESTED KEY: A

CAPO: Fret 2

CHORD FAMILY: G

TIME SIGNATURE: 3/4

SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate

A Little About This Song…

John A. Lomax and son Alan collected thousands of American folksongs for the Library of Congress and published many books on the subject. In 1904, when documenting the songs of African American levee workers brought from Mississippi to Texas, John Lomax recorded this haunting tune sung by a woman named Dink. When he returned to his home, he realized that he had failed to ask her the name of the song and hence named it simply “Dink’s Song”.