Binorie- Willie Mathieson (Aber) pre1910 Grieg/Carpenter
[From James Madison Carpenter Collection, JMC/1/5/1/T, p. 08715; see also Grieg's newspaper article c. 1910; School of Scottish studies (1952), listen; http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/en/play/2937;jsessionid=C2F2CF585A7DF68179A59B4052740214
Curiously there's a different single stanza fragment sung by Mathieson which begins:
There were three sisters lived in a toon,
Binorie, aye an' Binorie, O,
The one was she was dark and the other she was brown,
The bonnie millert's lass o Biniorie, O.
This sentiment is reminiscent of the "brown girl" ballads (Child 73 and 295) except the line should be "The one she was fair and the other she was brown." Curiously, this is the motive for murder in most Scottish Child 10 versions (see below). Less dialect was used by Grieg in the same version published in Greig's newspaper column about 1910. The 1931 recording by Carpenter is harder to hear than the 1952 Scottish Studies recording although Mathieson was 20 years younger.
R. Matteson 2018]
"Binorie" sung by Willie Mathieson b. 1879 of Ellon, Aberdeenshire before 1910 as learned from his second wife's grandfather Sandy Ross.
1 Two sister lassies lived in a toon,
Binorie, aye an' Binorie, O,
An' a bonnie miller lad came a courtin' them,
The bonnie miller lad o Binorie, O.
2 He courted the eldest wi' ribbons an' wi' rings,
Binorie, aye an' Binorie, O,
But he courted the youngest wi' far better things,
The bonnie miller lad o Binorie, O.
3 "O sister, O sister we'll go tae the broom,
Binorie, aye an' Binorie, O,
We will hear a' the blackbirds whistle ower their tune,
An' we'll maybe see the bonnie miller laddie, O."
4 They walked up, an' sae did they doon,
Binorie, aye an' Binorie, O,
They heard a' the blackbirds whistle ower their tune,
But they didna see the bonnie miller laddie, O."
5. "O sister, O sister we will go tae the milldam,
Binorie, aye an' Binorie, O,
We will see a' the ducks an' the swan she will swim,
An' we'll maybe see the bonnie miller laddie, O."
6. They walked up, an' sae did they doon,
Binorie, aye an' Binorie, O,
They saw a' the ducks an' the swan she did swim,
But they didna see the bonnie miller laddie, O."
7. They walked up, an' sae did they doon,
Binorie, aye an' Binorie, O,
The eldest dang the youngest into the dam,
Intae the dam o Binorie, O.
8. "O sister, O sister lend me your hand,
Binorie, aye an' Binorie, O,
An' I'll mak you heir ower a' I command,
An' heir ower the bonnie miller laddie, O."
9. "It wisna for your money that I dang you in,
Binorie, aye an' Binorie, O,
It's because you're sae fair an' I'm sae very din,
So you can droon in the dam o Binorie, O."
10. The miller's servant lassie came oot tae the dam,
Binorie, aye an' Binorie, O,
It wis for some water ti wash the miller's hands,
The bonnie miller lad o Binorie, O.
11. "O miller, O miller, there's fish in your dam,
Binorie, aye an' Binorie, O,
It's either a drooned lady or else a silken swan,
That lies in the dam o Binorie, O."
12. He didna ken her by the rings that he has gi'en her,
Binorie aye an' Binorie, O,
But weel did he ken her by her bonnie gowden hair
As she lay in the dams o Binorie, O.
13. Mony was the ane at her oot-takin',
Binorie, aye an' Binorie, O
And the bonnie miller lad died at her grave makin';
The bonnie miller lad o Binorie, O.