Learn English – What does ‘aye’ mean in this context

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So, I'm actually a native American English speaker, but I can't figure out what 'aye' could mean in this song.

"At the sad decree…they'll depart for aye", "for alas I'm doomed…for aye".

The Lost Soul by Doc Watson Family

I already know aye can mean "yes", but it doesn't make sense here. I looked it up and could only find the Scottish "always/still" (which is archaic, on top of that), but I still have doubts, especially since the speakers are from Southern USA (North Carolina).

So, does the phrase "for aye" really mean "for always; forever" or is it something else? Thanks for any input! πŸ˜€

Best Answer

In this case, aye almost certainly does mean always. For one thing it makes perfect sense contextually. Moreover, the connection with Scottish actually makes a lot of sense. We learn from Morag, in another answer, that aye is still used in Scotland. Even if it weren't, archaic English or Scottish would not be out of place in this song.

The Watson Family lived in the Appalachian Mountains, a region settled by Scottish and Irish immigrants. Difficulty of travel kept them functionally isolated, and the pre-radio music of that region is known for strong ties to old ballads of Scotland, England and Ireland. Here's a great radio piece about this history: http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2014/10/01/wayfaring-strangers-book

The corpus of Appalachian folk music also includes a lot of references to political roles that never really existed in the U.S. - Lords, ladies, knights, kings, etc. Examples abound here: http://www.contemplator.com/america/index.html

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