“The Riddle Song”,

“The Riddle Song”, also known as “I Gave My Love a Cherry”, is an English folk song,  a lullaby carried over by settlers to the American Appalachians.  “The Riddle Song” descends from a 15th-century English song in which a maiden says she is advised to unite with her lover. Burl Ives recorded it on 11 February 1941  for his first album, Okeh Presents the Wayfaring Stranger. Since then, it has been recorded by many artists, including Josh White, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Doc Watson, Sam Cooke, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Shelby Flint, The Meters, Skid Roper and Carly Simon