Goodnight Irene is a 20th-century American folk standard that began with Lead Belly, Huddie Ledbetter, who first recorded it in 1933. The song was later published in 1936 by John Lomax as Goodnight, Irene, and Ledbetter helped shape it into a three-chord folk ballad in waltz time. The lyrics tell of a troubled romance with Irene and include despairing lines such as sometimes I take a great notion to jump in the river and drown. A version by The Weavers, released by Decca in 1950 and arranged by Gordon Jenkins, became a worldwide hit, reaching number one on the charts for 13 weeks as a B-side to Tzena, Tzena, Tzena. Lead Belly’s melody has been described as his theme song by Pete Seeger and is linked to earlier songs like the 1892 Irene, Good Night by Gussie L. Davis. The tune has been widely covered in many styles and inspired other works, including its influence on Woody Guthrie’s Roll On, Columbia, Roll On.
