# Banks of the Ohio

## Classification

- Queue shelf: dark
- Current website category: archive
- Research category: public-domain
- Rights status: public-domain-us
- Confidence: confirmed

## Writer / Source

Traditional murder ballad; no single verified author located in project files

## Earliest Located Evidence

Collected/recorded in early twentieth-century Appalachian and commercial country traditions

## Context

Traditional ballad family with early collected forms; use only Scrips/public-domain-derived wording.

## Rights Assessment

The package uses the current U.S. public-domain rule of thumb that U.S. works published before 1931 are public domain in 2026, while modern works and later arrangements need separate clearance. For traditional material, the underlying tune/text may be public domain while The Scrips arrangement and any modern variant source remain separate rights questions.

## Source Links

- https://archives.vwml.org/search?collectionfilter=RoudFS;RoudNumber=157
- https://www.loc.gov/collections/

## Local Scrips Evidence

- Current source text: src/_content/song-text/banks-of-the-ohio.txt
- Existing site status: listed in master repertoire, unknown
- Existing site notes: lyric/chord sheet present; listed in master list; appears in setlist

## Scrips Arrangement Notes

The text/chords supplied here follow the Scrips working source where available. Differences from older printed or collected versions should be treated as arrangement choices unless separately documented.

## Chords / Key / Tuning

- Key: not documented
- Capo: not documented
- Tuning/comment: not documented

## Alternate Titles / Indexes

- Alternate titles: Down on the Banks of the Ohio
- Roud number: Roud 157

## Open Questions

- No cleaned Scrips ChordPro file found; chords need confirmation.