This edition was prepared by David Anderson — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
I love my love
Staff Notation • Secular, Folk songs
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6 editions of this piece
Different typesettings and voicings of the same work. This page shows the main edition; the others are below.
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I love my love by George Barnet Gardiner — Lyrics
Abroad as I was walking
One evening in the spring
I heard a maid in Bedlam
So sweetly for to sing;
Her chain she rattled with her hands
And thus replied she:
Chorus:
I love my love because I know
My love loves me
Oh cruel were his parents
Who sent my love to sea
And cruel was the ship
That bore my love from me:
Yet I love his parents since they’re his
Although they’ve ruined me:
Chorus
"With straw I'll weave a garland,
I'll weave it very fine;
With roses, lilies, daisies,
I'll mix the eglantine;
And I'll present it to my love when he returns from sea.
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About I love my love
George Barnet Gardiner’s arrangement of I love my love sets a poignant English folk text. The song recounts the story of a woman confined to Bedlam who sings of her enduring love for a man sent to sea. Despite her plight and the cruelty of her circumstances, her devotion remains unwavering, expressed in the recurring chorus: "I love my love because I know / My love loves me." The SATB setting allows for a rich exploration of the text’s emotional landscape, from the despair of separation to the hopeful anticipation of reunion. It is a secular piece that captures the universal theme of steadfast love in the face of adversity.
