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The Two Sisters

Date 1964
Track ID 39443
Part 1

Track Information

Original Track ID

SA1964.160.A3

Original Tape ID

SA1964.160

Summary

In this ballad, two sisters are courted by a young man, with the younger sister winning his favour. The jealous older sister invites the younger to walk and view the birds flying down by the river's edge, and there pushes her into the water. The younger sister pleads to be saved; even promising to yield her houses and land, but the elder sister leaves her to drown. The young girl's body is washed downstream where it is trapped behind a miller's dam. The miller retrieves her body and robs it of five gold rings, before dumping it back in the water. The miller is later hung [it is implied that he is found guilty of the murder].

The contributor learned the song from a record by American singer Ed McCurdy; the song itself is a New England version. The contributor is originally from Gloucestershire, but has been living in St Andrews for a few years, where he studies Zoology.

Item Notes

Recorded at Sandy Bell's, Forest Road, Edinburgh. 11 verses of 4 lines, with an interlinear refrain at the end of lines 1, 2 and 4. Company joins in with refrain.

In many versions from the same area (cf. Sharp) the miller is killed for robbing the girl's body, and the older sister is hung for the murder.

See:
'Ozark Folk Songs' vol. 1 (V. Randolph, 1949) pp. 50-63
'Folk Songs of the Southern Appalachians' (J. Ritchie, 1965) p. 63
'English Folk-Songs Southern Appalachians' vol. 1 (C. Sharp, 1917) pp. 26-35
'Traditional Tunes of the Child Ballads' vol. 1 (B. H. Bronson & F. J. Child, 1959) pp. 143-184
'Ancient Ballads Traditionally Sung in New England' vol. 1 (H. H. Flanders, 1960-1965) pp. 150-170

Recording Location

County - Midlothian

Parish - Edinburgh

Village/Place - Edinburgh

Language

English

Collection

SoSS

Classification

R8 GD213 C10

Source Type

Reel to reel

Audio Quality

Fair