I love a song that tells a good story. Here’s a traditional, performed by Pentangle:
In Bruton town there lived a farmer
Who had two sons and one daughter dear.
By day and night they were contriving
To fill their sister’s heart with care.One told his secrets to no other,
but to his brother this he said,
“I think our servant courts our sister,
I think they have a mind to wed.
I’ll put an end to all their courtship,
I’ll send him silent to his grave.”A day of hunting was prepared,
Where only bush and briars grew.
And there they did this young man murder,
And in the brake his body threw.“Now welcome home, my dear young brothers,
“Our serving man, is he behind?”
“We’ve left him where we’ve been a-hunting,
“We’ve left him where no man can find.”As she lay dreaming on her pillow,
She thought she saw her own true love;
She dreamt she saw him standing by her,
She saw his coat was red with blood.“Don’t weep for me, my dearest jewel,
Don’t weep for me nor care nor pine,
For your two brothers killed me cruel-
In such a place you may me find.”“Rise up, my love, tomorrow morning,
Go straightway to that brake you know,
For there you’ll find my body lying,
Where only bush and briars grow.”She went out early in the morning,
And in the garden brake she stood
And there she found her own dear jewel,
All covered o’er in a gore of blood.She took a kerchief from her pocket,
And wiped his eyes though he was blind.
“Because he was my own true lover,
My own true love and a friend of mine.”Three days and nights she did sit by him,
And her poor heart was filled with woe,
Till cruel hunger crept upon her,
And home she was obliged to go.
What’s this? Evil triumphs? The villains aren’t subjected to justice? That was the nature of the context: in Britain in the days of yore, the landed did not mix with the servants. Romance between the daughter of a farmer who owned his own lands and one of his servants was simply not done. Any measure to prevent it would be tolerated, if not openly condoned.
Here’s another traditional, performed by Loreena McKennitt:
A farmer there lived in the north country / a hey ho bonny o
And he had daughters one, two, three / The swans swim so bonny o
These daughters they walked by the river’s brim / a hey ho bonny o
The eldest pushed the youngest in / The swans swim so bonny o“Oh sister, oh sister, pray lend me your hand” / with a hey ho a bonny o
“And I will give you house and land” /the swans swim so bonny o
“I’ll give you neither hand nor glove” / with a hey ho a bonny o
“Unless you give me your own true love” / the swans swim so bonny oSometimes she sank, sometimes she swam / with a hey ho and a bonny o
Until she came to a miller’s dam / the swans swim so bonny o
The miller’s daughter, dressed in red / with a hey ho and a bonny o
She went for some water to make some bread / the swans swim so bonny o“Oh father, oh daddy, here swims a swan” / with a hey ho and a bonny o
“It’s very like a gentle woman” / the swans swim so bonny o
They laid her on the bank to dry / with a hey ho and a bonny o
There came a harper passing by / the swans swim so bonny oHe made harp pins of her fingers fair / with a hey ho and a bonny o
He made harp strings of her golden hair / the swans swim so bonny o
He made a harp of her breast bone / with a hey ho and a bonny o
And straight it began to play alone / the swans swim so bonny oHe brought it to her father’s hall / with a hey ho and a bonny o
And there was the court, assembled all / the swans swim so bonny o
He laid the harp upon a stone / with a hey ho and a bonny o
And straight it began to play alone / the swans swim so bonny o“There does sit my father the King” / with a hey ho and a bonny o
“And yonder sits my mother the Queen” / the swans swim so bonny o
“And there does sit my brother Hugh” / with a hey ho and a bonny o
“And by him William, sweet and true” / the swans swim so bonny o“And there does sit my false sister, Anne” / with a hey ho and a bonny o
“Who drowned me for the sake of a man” / the swans swim so bonny o
Another murder en famille! And no clear indication that the murderer will be punished! Well, context matters – and in the context of that time, for the younger daughter to wed before her elder sister was another “not done” thing. It automatically relegated the older sister to spinsterhood, a greatly disliked status. But note a few other interesting facets of this jewel:
- The younger sister could not escape the river; why?
- The miller’s daughter, who found the girl’s corpse, thought her a swan. Huh?
- Why would a harper have made a harp from the hair and bones of a woman’s corpse – and why did no one else remark (at the very least) upon this strange choice of materials?!
- Then the harp begins to play alone, without the touch of the harper’s hand…surely someone should suspect something at this point…
- …But no! The harper takes this ensorcelled harp to the court of the King – the murdered girl’s father!! Did he know the girl was of royal lineage before he carved her up for working materials?
You’ve got to wonder about the “life choices” some of the characters in these songs make.
