The Twa Sisters (Child 10R) by Francis James Child
The Twa Sisters (Child 10R) by Francis James Child

The Twa Sisters (Child 10R)

Francis James Child * Track #10 On The English and Scottish Popular Ballads

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Album The English and Scottish Popular Ballads

The Twa Sisters (Child 10R) by Francis James Child

About

“The Twa Sisters” (“The Two Sisters”) is a traditional murder ballad, dating at least as far back as the mid seventeenth century. The song recounts the tale of a girl drowned by her jealous sister. At least 21 English variants exist under several names, including “Minnorie” or “Binnorie”, “Cruel Sis...

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The Twa Sisters (Child 10R) Annotated

There was a king of the north countree,
Refrain: Bow down, bow down, bow down
There was a king of the north countree,
And he had daughters one, two, three.
Refrain: I’ll be true to my love, and my love’ll be true to me

To the eldest he gave a beaver hat,
And the youngest she thought much of that.
To the youngest he gave a gay gold chain,
And the eldest she thought much of the same.
These sisters werе walking on the bryn,
And the eldеr pushed the younger in.
‘Oh sister, oh sister, oh lend me your hand,
And I will give you both houses and land.’
‘I’ll neither give you my hand nor glove,
Unless you give me your true love.’
Away she sank, away she swam,
Until she came to a miller’s dam.
The miller and daughter stood at the door,
And watched her floating down the shore.
‘Oh father, oh father, I see a white swan,
Or else it is a fair woman.’
The miller he took up his long crook,
And the maiden up from the stream he took.
‘I’ll give to thee this gay gold chain,
If you’ll take me back to my father again.’
The miller he took the gay gold chain,
And he pushed her into the water again.
The miller was hanged on his high gate
For drowning our poor sister Kate.
The cat’s behind the buttery shelf,
If you want any more, you may sing it yourself.

The Twa Sisters (Child 10R) Q&A

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