The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 1 (of 5)

Ballads, English -- England -- Texts; Ballads, Scots -- Scotland -- Texts

1
    There were three sisters lived in a bouir,
      Hech, hey, my Nannie O
    And the youngest was the fairest flouir.
      And the swan swims bonnie O

    2
    'O sister, sister, gang down to yon sand,
    And see your father's ships coming to dry land.'

    3
    O they have gane down to yonder sand,
    To see their father's ships coming to dry land.

    4
    'Gae set your fit on yonder stane,
    Till I tye up your silken goun.'

    5
    She set her fit on yonder stane,
    And the auldest drave the youngest in.

    6
    'O sister, sister, tak me by the hand,
    And ye'll get a' my father's land.

    7
    'O sister, sister, tak me by the gluve,
    An ye'll get Willy, my true luve.'

    8
    She had a switch into her hand,
    And ay she drave her frae the land.

    9
    O whiles she sunk, and whiles she swam,
    Until she swam to the miller's dam.

    10
    The miller's daughter gade doun to Tweed,
    To carry water to bake her bread.

    11
    'O father, O father, what's yon in the dam?
    It's either a maid or a milk-white swan.'

    12
    They have tane her out till yonder thorn,
    And she has lain till Monday morn.

    13
    She hadna, hadna twa days lain,
    Till by there came a harper fine.

    14
    He made a harp o her breast-bane,
    That he might play forever thereon.


H

        Motherwell's MS., p. 147. From I. Goldie, March, 1825.

    1
    There were three sisters lived in a hall,
      Hey with the gay and the grandeur O
    And there came a lord to court them all.
      At the bonnie bows o London town

    2
    He courted the eldest with a penknife,
    And he vowed that he would take her life.

    3
    He courted the youngest with a glove,
    And he said that he'd be her true love.

    4
    'O sister, O sister, will you go and take a walk,
    And see our father's ships how they float?

    5
    'O lean your foot upon the stone,
    And wash your hand in that sea-foam.'

    6
    She leaned her foot upon the stone,
    But her eldest sister has tumbled her down.

    7
    'O sister, sister, give me your hand,
    And I'll make you lady of all my land.'

    8
    'O I'll not lend to you my hand,
    But I'll be lady of your land.'

    9
    'O sister, sister, give me your glove,
    And I'll make you lady of my true love.'

    10
    'It's I'll not lend to you my glove,
    But I'll be lady of your true love.'

    11
    Sometimes she sank, and sometimes she swam,
    Until she came to a miller's dam.

    12
    The miller's daughter was coming out wi speed,
    For water for to bake some bread.

    13
    'O father, father, stop the dam,
    For it's either a lady or a milk-white swan.'

    14
    He dragged her out unto the shore,
    And stripped her of all she wore.

    15
    By cam a fiddler, and he was fair,
    And he buskit his bow in her bonnie yellow hair.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

General

The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 1 (of 5)

Ballads, English -- England -- Texts; Ballads, Scots -- Scotland -- Texts

1
    There were three sisters lived in a bouir,
      Hech, hey, my Nannie O
    And the youngest was the fairest flouir.
      And the swan swims bonnie O

    2
    'O sister, sister, gang down to yon sand,
    And see your father's ships coming to dry land.'

    3
    O they have gane down to yonder sand,
    To see their father's ships coming to dry land.

    4
    'Gae set your fit on yonder stane,
    Till I tye up your silken goun.'

    5
    She set her fit on yonder stane,
    And the auldest drave the youngest in.

    6
    'O sister, sister, tak me by the hand,
    And ye'll get a' my father's land.

    7
    'O sister, sister, tak me by the gluve,
    An ye'll get Willy, my true luve.'

    8
    She had a switch into her hand,
    And ay she drave her frae the land.

    9
    O whiles she sunk, and whiles she swam,
    Until she swam to the miller's dam.

    10
    The miller's daughter gade doun to Tweed,
    To carry water to bake her bread.

    11
    'O father, O father, what's yon in the dam?
    It's either a maid or a milk-white swan.'

    12
    They have tane her out till yonder thorn,
    And she has lain till Monday morn.

    13
    She hadna, hadna twa days lain,
    Till by there came a harper fine.

    14
    He made a harp o her breast-bane,
    That he might play forever thereon.


H

        Motherwell's MS., p. 147. From I. Goldie, March, 1825.

    1
    There were three sisters lived in a hall,
      Hey with the gay and the grandeur O
    And there came a lord to court them all.
      At the bonnie bows o London town

    2
    He courted the eldest with a penknife,
    And he vowed that he would take her life.

    3
    He courted the youngest with a glove,
    And he said that he'd be her true love.

    4
    'O sister, O sister, will you go and take a walk,
    And see our father's ships how they float?

    5
    'O lean your foot upon the stone,
    And wash your hand in that sea-foam.'

    6
    She leaned her foot upon the stone,
    But her eldest sister has tumbled her down.

    7
    'O sister, sister, give me your hand,
    And I'll make you lady of all my land.'

    8
    'O I'll not lend to you my hand,
    But I'll be lady of your land.'

    9
    'O sister, sister, give me your glove,
    And I'll make you lady of my true love.'

    10
    'It's I'll not lend to you my glove,
    But I'll be lady of your true love.'

    11
    Sometimes she sank, and sometimes she swam,
    Until she came to a miller's dam.

    12
    The miller's daughter was coming out wi speed,
    For water for to bake some bread.

    13
    'O father, father, stop the dam,
    For it's either a lady or a milk-white swan.'

    14
    He dragged her out unto the shore,
    And stripped her of all she wore.

    15
    By cam a fiddler, and he was fair,
    And he buskit his bow in her bonnie yellow hair.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 1 (of 5)

The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 1 (of 5)

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