Recordings & Info 216. The Mother's Malison, or, Clyde's Water
[A US song, with the theme of the "Drowned Lovers" titled "Running Bear," was a number 1 hit for Johnny Preston in 1959. Some info and lyrics are below.
R. Matteson 2013]
CONTENTS:
1) Alternative Titles
2) Traditional Ballad Index
3) Child Collection
4) Notes from Carthy/Swarbrick, Skin and Bone.
5) 'Running Bear" lyrics and info Wiki)
ATTACHED PAGES: (see left hand column)
1) Roud No. 91: The Mother's Malison, or, Clyde's Water (71 Listings)
Alternative Titles
Willie an' May Margeret
Sweet William
The Clattering of the Clyde Waters
The Drowned Lovers
Maggie's Bowers
Clyde's Waters
Traditional Ballad Index: Mother's Malison, The, or Clyde's Water [Child 216]
NAME: Mother's Malison, The, or Clyde's Water [Child 216]
DESCRIPTION: Willie wishes to visit his lover. His mother bids him stay, and curses him to drown in Clyde if he goes. Willie, trusting in his horse, goes anyway, but his lover's mother bids him away. Returning, he drowns in Clyde; his lover drowns as she seeks him
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1800 (GordonBrown/Rieuwerts)
KEYWORDS: river death love drowning curse horse
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber,Bord))
REFERENCES: (10 citations)
Child 216, "The Mother's Malison, or, Clyde's Water" (3 texts)
Bronson 216, "The Mother's Malison, or, Clyde's Water" (14 versions+2 in addenda)
GordonBrown/Rieuwerts, pp. 252-253, "Willie and May Margaret" (1 text)
GlenbuchatBallads, pp. 125-127, "Sweet William" (1 text)
Greig #60, pp. 1-2, "Clyde's Waters" (1 text)
GreigDuncan6 1231, "Clyde's Waters" (10 texts plus a single verse on p. 582, 11 tunes) {A=Bronson's #7, B=#2, C=#1,D=#10, E=#9, F=#8, G=#5, H=#4, I=#12, J=#13, K=#11?}
Lyle-Crawfurd2 98, "Willie an' May Margeret" (1 text)
Leach, pp. 572-575, "The Mother's Malison, or, Clyde's Water" (1 text)
OBB 90, "Clyde Water" (1 text)
DT 216, CLYDWATR*
Roud #91
RECORDINGS:
Stanley Robertson, "The Clattering of the Clyde Waters" (on Voice03)
John Strachan, "Clyde's Water (The Mother's Malison)" (on FSBBAL2) {Bronsons #12.2}
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Annan Water"
cf. "Lord Derwentwater" [Child 208] (lyrics)
cf. "Ballad of the Drover (Death of Harry Dale)" (theme)
cf. "Martha Dexter" (theme)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Drowned Lovers
Maggie's Bowers
Child Ballad 216: The Mother’s Malison, or, Clyde’s Water
Child--- Artist-- Title-- Album-- Year-- Length-- Have---
216 Alex Campbell Clyde's Water The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
216 Alex Troup Clyde's Water The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
216 Alison McMorland & Geordie McIntyre Clyde's Water Where Ravens Reel 2010 No
216 Anais Mitchell Clyde Water In Search of Nic Jones 2011 6:07 Yes
216 Atwater-Donnelly Drowned Lovers And Then I'm Going Home: Atwater-Donnelly Live 2001 6:21 Yes
216 Bell Duncan Clyde's Waters The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
216 Bob Lewis The Drowned Lovers Old Songs & Bothy Ballads - There's Bound to Be a Row 2010 No
216 Bob Lewis The Drowned Lovers Drive Sorrows Away 2010 No
216 Craig, Morgan, Robson The Drowned Lovers Hummingbird’s Feather 2009 No
216 Ellen Mitchell Clyde's Waters On Yonder Lea - Scots Songs & Ballads 2002 No
216 Ellen Rettie Clyde's Waters The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
216 Ewan MacColl Clyde's Water Blood and Roses - Vol. 1 1979 6:50 Yes
216 Ewan MacColl Clyde's Water (The Mother's Malison) The English and Scottish Popular Ballads (The Child Ballads) - Vol. 7 [Reissue] 196? 8:08 Yes
216 Ewan MacColl Clyde's Water (The Mother's Malison) The English and Scottish Popular Ballads (The Child Ballads) - Vol. 4 1956 No
216 Ewan MacColl Clyde's Water (The Mother's Malison) Ballads - Murder Intrigue Love Discord 2009 8:16 Yes
216 Jo Burke Drowned Lovers As I Walked Through the Meadows 2009 No
216 John Riddoch Clyde's Water The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
216 John Strachan Clyde's Water Songs from Aberdeenshire 2002 2:41 Yes
216 John Strachan Clyde's Water (1) The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
216 John Strachan Clyde's Water (2) The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
216 John Strachan Clyde's Water (3) The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
216 John Strachan Clyde's Water (4) The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
216 John Strachan Clyde's Water (The Mother's Malison) Classic Ballads of Britain & Ireland - Folk Songs of England, Ireland, Scotland & Wales, Vol 2 2000 2:42 Yes
216 John Strachan Clydeswaterside Glenlogie - The Classic Ballads 1975 No
216 John Strachan Clydeswaterside or the Mother's Malison The Baffled Knight - The Classic Ballads 2 1976 No
216 John Strachan + Willie Edward Clyde's Water Scottish Tradition 5: The Muckle Sangs - Classic Scottish Ballads 1992 5:51 Yes
216 Jon Boden Clyde Water A Folk Song a Day - February 2011 4:48 Yes
216 June Tabor The Drowned Lover Martin Carthy & June Tabor Live at McCabes Guitar Shop,Santa Monica, CA 03-14-87 1987 4:11 Yes
216 Kate Rusby Drowned Lovers Live at Warwick Folk Festival 2005 2005 5:14 Yes
216 Kate Rusby Drowned Lovers Heartlands - Music from the Motion Picture 'Heartlands' 2003 5:09 Yes
216 Kate Rusby Drowned Lovers Hourglass 1997 5:09 Yes
216 Kate Rusby Drowned Lovers 10 2003 5:28 Yes
216 Kate Rusby The Drowned Lovers Roots - 20 Years of Essential Folk Roots & World Music - Britain, Ireland & North America 1999 No
216 Kate Rusby The Drowned Lovers Live at the Merlin Theatre, Frome, UK, 29th January 1999 1999 4:53 Yes
216 Kate Rusby The Drowned Lovers Live at Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, Scotland 2001 5:24 Yes
216 Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman The Drowned Lovers 1. 2001 2:17 Yes
216 Kevin & Ellen Mitchell Clyde's Waters Have a Drop Mair 2001 6:13 Yes
216 Legacy The Drowned Lovers An Triréad - Un Truh-Raid: the Trio 2006 No
216 Liam's Fancy The Drowned Lovers Storysongs for the Eminence Faire 2008 No
216 Martin Carthy Clyde's Water Guitar Maestros 2006 No
216 Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick Clyde's Water Skin and Bone 1992 6:23 Yes
216 Nancy Wallace The Drowned Lover Old Stories 2009 3:34 Yes
216 Nic Jones Clyde Water Game Set Match 2006 6:04 Yes
216 Nic Jones Clyde Water Unearthed 2001 7:11 Yes
216 Nic Jones Clyde Water Three Score and Ten - A Voice to the People 2009 6:03 Yes
216 Nic Jones The Drowned Lovers And We'll All Have Tea.. English Folk Anthology 2000 6:27 Yes
216 Nic Jones The Drowned Lovers Penguin Eggs 1980 6:27 Yes
216 Nic Jones The Drowned Lovers Anthology of English Folk 2006 6:31 Yes
216 Nic Jones The Drowned Lovers The Folk Collection 2 1995 6:30 Yes
216 Polly Bolton The Drowned Lover No Going Back 1989 4:03 Yes
216 Raymond Crooke Drowned Lovers <website> 2007 3:44 Yes
216 Raymond Crooke Drowned Lovers Axis of Evil and Other True Stories 2003 No
216 Robert Smith The Drowned Lover Volume 2 1956 No
216 Sam Larner The Drowned Lover Now Is the Time for Fishing 2000 5:35 Yes
216 Stanley Robertson Clatterin' O' the Clyde's Waters Scots Songs and Music - Live from Kinross Festival 1 1973 4:24 Yes
216 Stanley Robertson The Clattering of the Clyde Waters The Voice of the People, Vol. 3: O'Er His Grave the Grass Grew Green - Tragic Ballads 1998 5:00 Yes
216 Stanley Robertson Clyde Waters Reg Hall Archive 1953-1977 5:19 Yes
216 The Albion Dance Band Drowned Lover Rockin' Barn Dance 2009 4:06 Yes
216 The Big Eyes Family Players & Friends The Clyde Water Folk Songs II 2012 No
216 William McKenzie Clyde's Water (1) The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
216 William McKenzie Clyde's Water (2) The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
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Notes from Carthy/Swarbrick, Skin and Bone:
Clyde's Water is an astonishing song of iron parental control. There is no question of the iron fist being encased in a velvet glove - the glove too is made of iron. I don't think that I have ever heard a song so relentless or so pared down. The tune comes from Christie's Ms with grateful thanks to Ethel Raim.
Kate Rusby learned this song from a Nic Jones record; he adapted it from a set published by Walter Scott, which is also in the thread MMario linked to. She also recorded a song which she called The Drowned Lovers; this she also learned from a Nic Jones record.
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"Running Bear" Info & Lyrics
Johnny Horton's lyrics (US version theme of "Drowned Lovers")
On the bank of the river
Stood Running Bear
Young Indian brave
On the other side of the river
Stood his lovely Indian maid
Little White Dove was her name
Such a lovely sight to see
But their tribes fought with each other
So their love could never be
Running Bear loved Little White Dove
With a love big as the sky
Running Bear loved Little White Dove
With a love that couldn't die
He couldn't swim the raging river
'Cause the river was too wide
He couldn't reach the Little White Dove
Waiting on the other side
In the moonlight he could see her
Throwing kisses 'cross the waves
Her little heart was beating faster
Waiting for her Indian brave
Running Bear loved Little White Dove
With a love big as the sky
Running Bear loved Little White Dove
With a love that couldn't die
Running Bear dove in the water
Little White Dove did the same
And they swam out to each other
Through the swirling stream they came
As their hands touched and their lips met
The raging river pulled them down
Now they'll always be together
In their happy hunting ground
Running Bear loved Little White Dove
With a love big as the sky
Running Bear loved Little White Dove
With a love that couldn't die
Running Bear
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Bear Run.
Running Bear by Johnny Preston
Single by Johnny Preston
B-side "My Heart Knows"
Released 1959
Genre Rock 'N' Roll
Length 2:39
Label Mercury Records
Writer(s) J. P. Richardson
Producer Bill Hall
Johnny Preston singles chronology
"Running Bear"
(1959) "Cradle of Love"
(1960)
"Running Bear" is a song written by J. P. Richardson (aka The Big Bopper) sung most famously by Johnny Preston in 1959. Preston first sang the song in 1959 with background vocals by Richardson and George Jones, who did the Indian chanting of "UGO UGO" during the three verses, as well as the Indian war cries. It was #1 for three weeks in January 1960 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. The song also reached #1 in the UK in 1960.
Richardson was a friend of Preston and offered "Running Bear" to him after hearing him perform in a club. Preston recorded the song at the Gold Star Studios in Houston, Texas, in 1958. The session's producer was Bill Hall with Preston on vocals and Link Davis on saxophone. Richardson, Hall, and Jones performed the song's Indian chants.
Preston was signed to Mercury Records, and "Running Bear" was released in August 1959, seven months after Richardson's death in the plane crash that also killed Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens.
[edit] PlotThe song tells the story of Running Bear, a "young Indian brave", and Little White Dove, an "Indian maid". The two are in love but are separated by two factors:
Their tribes' hatred of each other: they hail from tribes that are at war with each other. ("Their tribes fought with each other / So their love could never be.")
A raging river: this is a physical separation that also serves as a metaphor for their cultural separation.
The two, desiring to be together despite their obstacles and the risks of navigating the river, dive into the raging river to unite. After sharing a passionate kiss, they are pulled down by the swift current and drown. The lyrics describe their fate: "Now they'll always be together / In their happy hunting ground."
[edit] Cover versionsDuring the late 1960s and early 1970s, Sonny James enjoyed an unprecedented streak of success with his commercially released singles, many of them covers of previous pop hits. One of his 16 consecutive No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart was a cover version of "Running Bear." Released in April 1969, James' topped the Hot Country Singles chart in mid-June and spent three weeks at No. 1. The song soon became one of James' most popular recordings of his career.
Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys did this song frequently. It is on their albun Time Changes Everything and many greatest hits compilations.
The Guess Who included the song on their 1972 album Rockin', although the songwriting credit is given to Clarence "Curly" Herdman, a country & bluegrass fiddler.
Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass recorded a toe-tapping version of the song, complete with the standard Nashville Brass banjo-and-steel solo, for their 1975 album Dream Country.
Mud recorded the song on their album mud rock which reached #8 in the UK charts
In 2012 Ray Stevens covered the song on his 9-CD box set, The Encyclopedia of Recorded Comedy Music.
Northern Irish punk band, Stiff Little Fingers did a live cover of this, which ended up on their album All the Best and later on the re-issue of their live album, Hanx!.
A German version titled Brauner Bär und Weiße Taube was performed by Gus Backus.
The song was occasionally part of Led Zeppelin's live repertoire in the early 1970s, during rock medleys contained within long versions of "Whole Lotta Love".[1]
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