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Clyde's Water

Date August 1954
Track ID 10599
Part 1

Track Information

Original Track ID

SA1954.96.A6

Original Tape ID

SA1954.096

Summary

In this ballad, Willie rides out to see his sweetheart, Maggie, crossing the treacherous Clyde river in doing so. Her mother [?] refuses him entry and he is forced to return home, again via the Clyde. This time he drowns in crossing. Maggie goes to look for Willie. Wading into the Clyde, she finds his body, but she herself drowns.

Maggie Stewart learned the song from her brother.

Item Notes

13 verses of 4 lines (except v.9 and v. 13 with 6 lines). This version makes only fleeting reference to the curse placed on Willie by Maggie's mother (and does not mention the curse placed on Willie by his own mother, which also sometimes occurs in the song).

See:
Greig-Duncan vol. 6, pp. 433-441
'Tocher' 40 (1986) pp. 211-214
'Scottish Ballads' (E. Lyle, 1994) pp. 206-210
'The Scottish Ballads' (R. Chambers, 1829) pp. 301-305
'Book of Scottish Ballads' (A. Whitelaw, 1845) pp. 38-39
'Ballads of Scotland' vol. 1 (W. E. Aytoun, 1858) pp. 154-157
'Minstrelsy Ancient & Modern' (W. Motherwell, 1827) pp. 155-160
'Ancient Ballads and Songs' vol. 2 (P. Buchan, 1828) pp. 137-142
'Traditional Ballad Airs' vol. 2 (W. Christie, 1881) pp. 250-251
'Last Leaves of Traditional Ballads' (A. Keith & G. Greig, 1925) pp. 146-150
'Andrew Crawfurd's Collection of Ballads & Songs' vol. 2 (E. Lyle, 1996) pp. 30-32
'Folk-Song of the North-East' (G. Greig, K. Goldstein & A. Argo, 1963 reprint) art. LX

Recording Location

County - Aberdeenshire

Parish - Aberdeen

Village/Place - Aberdeen

Item Location

Village/Place - River Clyde

Language

English, Scots

Collection

SoSS

Classification

R91 GD1231 C216

Source Type

Reel to reel

Audio Quality

Fair