The Dowie Dens o Yarrow
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1971.190.4
Original Tape ID
Summary
A lady in the north is courted by nine noblemen and a Yarrow ploughboy, whom she prefers. He has to fight all nine; he kills three, three run away and three are badly wounded, but her brother comes up and stabs him in the back. The ploughboy tells him to go and confess his treachery to his sister. He is on his way home when he meets her. She tells him she has had a dream that he has shed blood and he tells her her true love is dead. She wraps her hair round the ploughboy and carries his body home. Her father says he will find her a noble bridegroom but she says no one can match her ploughboy.
Hamish Henderson says that the song was first written down by Sir Walter Scott but Willie Scott has a different version, older than the one in the 'Minstrelsy'. As a shepherd Willie has a great knowledge of Yarrow and all the Border lands.
Item Notes
10 verses.
See:
Greig-Duncan vol. 2, pp. 99-113
Ord pp. 426-427
Recording Location
County - Midlothian
Parish - Edinburgh
Village/Place - Edinburgh
Language
Scots
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good