The Twa Brithers
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1974.147.2
Original Tape ID
Summary
Two brothers are returning from school and decide to have a wrestling match. A penknife falls from one's pocket, fatally stabbing his brother. He tries to staunch the wound with his shirt but it still bleeds. He asks what he should say to his sister and brother and is told to tell them their brother has gone to a London school, and to tell his sweetheart and father that he is dead and the grass is growing over him. His stepmother should be told he is dead, as she prayed he would never come home.
Item Notes
10 verses plus last verse repeated after interval. Fratricide ballad.
See:
'Minstrelsy Ancient & Modern' (Motherwell) pp. 60-65
'The Sang's the Thing' (Douglas, 1992) pp. 142-143
Recording Location
County - Perthshire
Parish - Rattray
Village/Place - Rattray
Language
English
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good