My Son David
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1952.43.B9; SA1952.43.B10
Original Tape ID
Summary
David's mother questions him about the blood on his sword. He tries to tell her it is the blood of his hound or horse, but breaks down and confesses that he has killed his brother John and he will go away forever.
Jeannie Robertson heard the song from her mother when she was about seven or eight. She had many more verses. John provokes David, the older brother, to a fight and draws his sword first, but David is horrified to have killed his brother even in self-defence. Missing verses from this part of the ballad include one about the blood of the hawk, and one about a bottomless boat.
Item Notes
Text transcribed in School of Scottish Studies. 8 verses. Sung much faster than Jeannie Robertson later came to sing it.
Language
English
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good