Ed de Moel

Child Ballads - Lyrics

Child 20
The Cruel Mother
Version I

  1. Buchan's Manuscript, II, 111.
  2. Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotland, II, 217.
  3. Christie, Traditional Ballad Airs, I, 106.

Narrative

1   The minister's daughter of New York,
      Hey wi the rose and the lindie, O
Has faen in love wi her father's clerk.
      Alone by the green burn sidie, O
2   She courted him six years and a day,
      Hey wi the rose and the lindie, O
At length her belly did her betray.
      Alone by the green burn sidie, O
3   She did her down to the greenwood gang,
      Hey wi the rose and the lindie, O
To spend awa a while o her time.
      Alone by the green burn sidie, O
4   She lent her back unto a thorn,
      Hey wi the rose and the lindie, O
And she's got her twa bonny boys born.
      Alone by the green burn sidie, O
5   She's taen the ribbons frae her hair,
      Hey wi the rose and the lindie, O
Bound their bodyes fast and sair.
      Alone by the green burn sidie, O
6   She's put them aneath a marble stane,
      Hey wi the rose and the lindie, O
Thinking a maiden to gae hame.
      Alone by the green burn sidie, O
7   Looking oer her castle wa,
      Hey wi the rose and the lindie, O
She spied her bonny boys at the ba.
      Alone by the green burn sidie, O
8   'O bonny babies, if ye were mine,
      Hey wi the rose and the lindie, O
I woud feed you with the white bread and wine.
      Alone by the green burn sidie, O
9   'I woud feed you wi the ferra cow's milk,
      Hey wi the rose and the lindie, O
And dress you in the finest silk.'
      Alone by the green burn sidie, O
10   'O cruel mother, when we were thine,
      Hey wi the rose and the lindie, O
We saw none of your bread and wine.
      Alone by the green burn sidie, O
11   'We saw none of your ferra cow's milk,
      Hey wi the rose and the lindie, O
Nor wore we of your finest silk.'
      Alone by the green burn sidie, O
12   'O bonny babies, can ye tell me,
      Hey wi the rose and the lindie, O
What sort of death for you I must die?'
      Alone by the green burn sidie, O
13   'Yes, cruel mother, we'll tell to thee,
      Hey wi the rose and the lindie, O
What sort of death for us you must die.
      Alone by the green burn sidie, O
14   'Seven years a fowl in the woods,
      Hey wi the rose and the lindie, O
Seven years a fish in the floods.
      Alone by the green burn sidie, O
15   'Seven years to be a church bell,
      Hey wi the rose and the lindie, O
Seven years a porter in hell.'
      Alone by the green burn sidie, O
16   'Welcome, welcome, fowl in the wood[s],
      Hey wi the rose and the lindie, O
Welcome, welcome, fish in the flood[s].
      Alone by the green burn sidie, O
17   'Welcome, welcome, to be a church bell,
      Hey wi the rose and the lindie, O
But heavens keep me out of hell.'
      Alone by the green burn sidie, O

This page most recently updated on 05-Mar-2011, 11:01:49.
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