“The Black Velvet Band” is a traditional Irish ballad dating back to the 19th century that tells the cautionary tale of a young man led astray by a beautiful woman wearing a black velvet band in her hair. The song originated in Ireland but gained widespread popularity through oral tradition and printed broadsides throughout the British Isles and later in Australia and North America. The narrative follows a classic pattern of seduction and betrayal, as the protagonist is framed for theft by the woman and subsequently transported to Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania), a common punishment during Britain’s colonial era. This transportation theme connects it to a broader category of Irish folk songs dealing with exile and colonial injustice.
The song experienced a significant revival during the Irish folk music renaissance of the 1960s, with notable recordings by groups like The Dubliners helping to cement its place in the modern Irish musical canon. Its enduring popularity speaks to both its memorable melody and its resonant themes of caution against temptation and the harsh realities of colonial-era justice.
Lyrics
Chorus
Her eyes the shined like a diamond
you’d think she was queen of the land
and her hair hung over her shoulder
tied up with a black velvet band.
In a neat little town they call Belfast,
apprenticed to trade I was bound
and manys the hour of sweet happiness
I spent in that neat little town
till bad misfortune came o’re me
which sent me away from the land
far away from my friends and companions
betrayed by the black velvet band.
(Chorus)
As I went strolling down Broadway
not intending to stray very far
I met with a frolicksome damsel
applying her trade in a bar
a watch she stole from a customer
and slipped it right into my hand
the very first day that I met her,
bad luck to the black velvet band.
(Chorus)
Before judge and jury next morning,
both of us were to appear
a gentleman claimed his jewelry
and the case against us was quite clear
seven long years transportation
right down to Van Dieman’s Land
far away from my friends and companions
betrayed by the black velvet band.
(Chorus)
So come all ye jolly young fellows
I’ll have you take warnin’ by me
whenever you’re out in the liquor me lads
beware of the pretty colleens
for they’ll fill you with whiskey and porter
till you are not able to stand
and the very next thing that you know me lads,
you’ve landed in Van Dieman’s Land.
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