The Cruel Mother
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1970.20.B1
Original Tape ID
Summary
In this ballad, a young woman kills her two babies immediately after their birth. She later sees two children playing ball and tells them she wishes they belonged to her. They reveal themselves to be the ghosts of the two murdered children; they are in Heaven, but she will be going to Hell.
Item Notes
7 verses of 4 lines (couplets with interlinear refrain).
See:
Greig-Duncan vol. 2, pp. 31-35, no. 193
'Scotland Sings' (E. MacColl, 1953) p. 7
'Traveller's Joy' (M. Yates, 2006) pp. 58-59
'Scottish Ballads' (E. Lyle, 1994) pp. 248-249
'Bothy Songs & Ballads' (J. Ord, 1930) pp. 459-460
'Ballads of Scotland' vol. 2 (W. E. Aytoun, 1858) pp. 366-368
'Minstrelsy Ancient & Modern' (W. Motherwell, 1827) pp. 161-162
'Traditional Ballad Airs' vol. 1 (W. Christie, 1876) pp. 106-107
'Everyman's Book of British Ballads' (R. Palmer, 1980) pp. 54-55
'Ancient Scottish Ballads' (G. R. Kinloch, 1827) pp. 44-48, 272
'Ancient & Modern Scottish Songs' vol. 2 (D. Herd, 1869, 1973) pp. 237-238
'Last Leaves of Traditional Ballads' (A. Keith & G. Greig, 1925) pp. 21-23
'Ancient Ballads and Songs' vol. 2 (P. Buchan, 1828) pp. 207-209, 211-214
'The Scots Musical Museum' vol. 4 (J. Johnson & R. Burns, 1853) p. 331, no. 320
'Andrew Crawfurd's Collection of Ballads & Songs' vol. 1 (E. Lyle, 1975) pp. 36-38; vol. 2 (E. Lyle, 1996) pp. 92-94
'Traditional Tunes of the Child Ballads' vol. 1 (B. H. Bronson & F. J. Child, 1959) pp. 276-296
Recording Location
County - Aberdeenshire
Parish - Aberdeen
Village/Place - Aberdeen
Language
Scots
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good