Cindy

One of the most popular folk songs in America, “Cindy” was used in many elementary school music programs in the early and middle 20th century. This song originated in North Carolina, according to John Lomax, an American teacher, a pioneering musicologist, and a folklorist who did much for the preservation of American folk music. One of the characters in "At the Big House, where Aunt Nancy and Aunt 'Phrony Held Forth on the Animal Folks," Tim, sang the plantation song called “Cindy Ann.” As for the tune, it was taken from the spiritual melody called “The Gospel Train,” also known as “Get on Board Little Children.”

Each singer was free to add verses in folk songs. That being said, there are different adaptations of “Cindy.” Performers could swap verses with those of other songs, as noted by Byron Arnold and Bob Hallo in An Alabama Songbook. Some songs that have swapped verses with Cindy were “Old Joe Clark” and “Boil Them Cabbage Down.”

“Cindy, Cindy,” a version which was written by Benjamin Weisman, Fred Wise, and Dolores Fuller, was a famous version of the song and performers like Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson, Nick Cave, Warren Zevon, and many others have used. In 1961, Bing Crosby included the folk song in a medley on his album 101 Gang Songs.

Dr. Mack arranged a tune for choral that is available for any choir to practice and perform. It has a four-hand piano, double eight-part choirs xylophone, a string bass, a score of quintessential Americana instruments to supplement the melody during the arrangement's hoedown section. Wilberg also wrote a special arrangement that was performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The accompaniment has been rewritten for full orchestra but the choral parts are the same. Another arrangement was written by Robert Plant and titled it “Cindy, I’ll Marry You Someday” which he featured on his album Band of Joy in 2010.