Binorie- Mrs. William Duncan (Aber) 1931 Carpenter
[From James Madison Carpenter Collection, JMC/1/5/1/T, p. 08709, standard text, cf. Child M.
R. Matteson 2018]
Binorie - sung by Mrs. William Duncan, Tories, Oyne, By Turriff, Aberdeenshire, about 1931.
1 Twa Scottish girlies lived in a booer,
Binorie, O Binorie,
A miller laddie a courted them cam,
By the bonnie milldams o Binorie, O.
2 He courted the elder wi jewels and rings,
Binorie, O Binorie,
He's courted the younger wi far better things,
His ane dearest lassie o Binorie, O.
3. "O sister, O sister will ye tak a walk?
Binorie, O Binorie,
We'll hear the blackbirds whistlin' ower their tune,
An' see the bonnie miller o Binorie, O.
4 They walked up, an' sae did they doon,
Binorie, O Binorie,
Until the elder one dang the younger in,
To droon in the dams o Binorie, O."
5. "O sister, O sister, ye'll reach me yer han',
Binorie, O Binorie,
An' ye'll get pairt o my siller an' third pairt my land,
An' be the millert's lassie o Binorie, O."
6. "It wasna for that that I dang ye in,
Binorie, O an' Binorie,
(Because) that ye're sae very fair, an' I sae very dun,
An' ye'll droon in the dam o Binorie."
7. She swimmed up an' she swimmed doon,
Binorie, O Binorie,
An' she sank tee the bottom nae mair tee rise again,
Frae the bonnie milldams o Binorie, O."
8. The miller's servant girl came for water to wash his hands,
Binorie, O Binorie,
There's somebody in, or else there's a swan,
In the bonnie milldam o Binorie, O."
9. "They fished up an' they fished doon,
Binorie, O Binorie,
They've ta'en her out and laid her on a stane,
By the bonnie milldams o Binorie, O."
10. They wisna ane kent her by her yellow hair,
Binorie O an' Binorie,
But the bonnie miller laddie he knew the rings he gae her,
She was his ane dearest lassie o Binorie, O.
11. There wis mony a ane there at her oot-takin',
Binorie, O Binorie,
The bonnie millert laddie died at her grave makin';
She was his ane dearest lassie o Binorie, O.