Song View

Edward Harrigan (lyrics) and Dave Braham (music) wrote the song for Harrigan's show “The Blackbird.” It premiered on August 26, 1882, at the Theatre Comique (formerly Wood's Minstrel Hall) on Broadway in New York City. In the show, the song was most probably sung by Harrigan himself. Later publications bore the title “The Rare Old Mountain Dew” or “Good Old Mountain Dew.” It is not unlikely that Harrigan was inspired by the melody of the 16th-century English song “The Girl I Left Behind”.