A 19th-century American folk song, recorded for AI Country Music as one of a small number of public domain covers in the catalogue.
The story behind the song
"Wildwood Flower" started life as a parlor poem called "I'll Twine 'Mid the Ringlets," published in 1860 with lyrics credited to Maud Irving (likely a pseudonym) and music by Joseph Philbrick Webster. From there it drifted into oral tradition — passed down, half-remembered, and quietly reshaped, the way old songs are — until it resurfaced in the Appalachian mountains of southwestern Virginia decades later.
That's where the Carter Family found it. A.P., Sara, and Maybelle Carter recorded their version in Camden, New Jersey, in May 1928, and it became one of their signature songs — driven by Maybelle's guitar-picking style, later known as the "Carter Scratch," playing melody and rhythm at once. Their recording is now preserved in the U.S. National Recording Registry.
The original 1860 song is in the public domain — its copyright expired long ago, which is exactly why it's safe to include here without a license. This recording uses that original song, not the Carter Family's specific 1928 arrangement, which is a separate, later work.
Credits
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