Laird o' Elfin (Elfin Knight) Child 2- Alexander Robb, New Deer, Aberdenshire c.1875
[From James Madison Carpenter Collection, JMC/1/8/1/B, p. 11511, dated c. 1930; compare to Robb's version in Greig-Duncan dated c. 1907 (bottom of page). Robb was about was eleven years old in 1875 and at that time he "was a boy in farm service from his employer, who used to sing them while working the whin-mill" (see Greig-Duncan VIII, p. 578). Ref. Kloss.
R. Matteson 2011/2018]
"Laird o' Elfin" sung by Alexander Robb, School College, New Deer, (Aberdenshire) Scotland. Learned from William Booth of Rathen about c.1875.
The Laird o' Elfin stands on yon hill
Ba-ba-ba lily ba,
An' he blows his trumpet lood an' shrill
An' the wind blaws aye my plaid awa.
"O gin I had that horn in my kist
An' then be wedded wi' that knicht.
"But afore that I do that wi' thee,
A weel-shewed sark ye maun shew tee me.
"An' ye maun shew it needle-thread free
An' a weel-shewed sark ye maun sew to me.
"But afore that I do that tee thee
I'll gie you some wark to do tee me.
"I have a little wee acre o' land,
An' it's atween the salt seas an' the sand.
"Ye maun ploo it wi' a bugle horn
And ye maun saw't wi' Indian corn.
"An' ye maun cut it wi' your penknife
An' bind it up just as your life.
"An' ye maun stook it ower the sea
An' a dry sheaf ye maun bring to me.
"Robin Redbreast an' the wran
They'll bring tee me my corn hame.
"An' ye maun thras't i' your shee sole
An' ye maun riddle't in younder moose hole.
"An' ye maun winnie it in your nive,
An' ye maun sech it in your glive.
"An' when once ye've done a' this wark
Come ye tee me an' ye'll get your sark."
_________________________________________
Alexander Robb- Greig- Duncan, transcription with music, c. 1907
THE LAIRD O' ELFIN
The Laird o' Elfin stands on yon hill
Ba-ba-ba leelie ba
And he blows his trumpet loud and shrill
And the wind blaws aye my plaid awa
O gin that I'd that horn in my kist
And then get wedded wi' him next
But afore I do that to thee
A weel-sewed sark ye maun sew to me
An ye maun sew it needle-thread free
And a weel-sewed sark ye maun sew to me.
But before I do this to thee
I'll gie ye some wark to do to me.
I have a little wee acre of lan'
That's atween the salt seas and the san'
And ye maun ploo't wi' your bugle horn
And ye maun saw't wi' Indian corn
And ye maun cut it wi' your pen knife
And bund it up just as your life.
And ye maun thrasht in your shee-sole
And ye maun riddle't in younder moose hole.
And ye maun winny't in your nieves
And ye maun seek it in your gloves.
And ye maun stook it on the sea
And a dry sheaf ye maun bring to me.
Robin Redbreast and the wran
They'll bring me my corn hame
And when ye have done a' this warl
Come to me and ye'll get your sark.
-----------------------------------
X:1
T:Laird o' Elfin
S:Alexander Robb, New Deer, Aberdenshire 1908
B:Greig-Duncan Collection II no 329A p 483
Z:Noted by Gavin Greig
N:Aeolian
L:1/8
Q:1/4=100
M:4/4
K:C
E3|E3 E c2 B2|A2 E E D3 z|E4 E4|D2 E G A2
w:The Laird o' El-fin stands on yon hill Ba ba ba lee-lie ba:
c d|e3 e c2 B2|A E3 D2 C D|E3 D C2 D2|E2 A2 A2|]
w:And he blows his trum-pet loud and shrill And the wind blows aye my plaid a-wa.
------------------------------------------
X:1
T:The Laird o' Elfin
T:The Elfin Knight
B:Bronson
C:Trad
O:Greig MSS, p. 139; text, Bk. 739, XXIX, pp. 6off. Also
O:in Greig and Keith, 1925, p. 2(1). Sung by Alexander
O:Robb, New Deer, Aberdeenshire, 1908.
N:Child 2
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:Dm % Hexatonic ( -2) Aeolian/Phrygian Bronson has it as Dor/Aeo
D2 | D2>D2 B2 A2 | G2 DD C2 z2 |
w:The Laird o' El-fin stands on yon hill
D4 D4 | C2 DF G2 Bc | d2>d2 B2 A2 |
w:Ba ba ba lee-lie ba And he blows his trum-pet
GD-D2 C2 B,C | D2>C2 B,2 C2 | D2 G2 G2 |]
w:loud and* shrill And the wind blows aye my plaid a-wa.
W:
W:The Laird o' Elfin stands on yon hill
W:Ba ba ba lee-lie ba
W:And he blows his trum-pet loud and shrill
W:And the wind blows aye my plaid a-wa.
W:
W:O gin I'd that horn in my kist
W:And then get wedded wi' him next.
W:
W:But afore that I do that to thee
W:A weel-sewed sark ye maun sew to me.
W:
W:And ye maun sew it needle-thread free
W:And a weel-sewed sark ye maun sew to me.
W:
W:But afore that I do this to thee
W:I'll gie ye some wark to do to me.
W:
W:I have a little wee acre o' lan'
W:That's atween the salt seas & the san'
W:
W:And ye maun ploo't wi your bugle horn
W:And ye maun saw't wi' Indian Corn.
W:
W:And ye maun cut it wi' your pen knife
W:And bind it up just as your life.
W:
W:And ye maun thrasht in yout shee-sole
W:And ye maun riddle't in yonder moose hole.
W:
W:And ye maun winny't in your nieves
W:And ye maun seek it in your gloves.
W:
W:And ye maun stook it on the sea
W:And a dry sheaf ye maun bring to me.
W:
W:Robin Redbreast and the wran
W:They'll bring me my corn hame.
W:
W:And when ye have done a' this wark
W:Come ye to me & ye'll get your sark.
-----------------------------------------
The Elfin Knight
Ewan MacColl, Classic Scots Ballads, Tradition TCD 1051 (recorded 1959; original release: TLP 1015). Learned from Gavin Grieg's Last Leaves of Traditional Ballads and Ballad Airs, 1925.
There stands three trumpeters on yon hill
Blaw, blaw, blaw winds, blaw
And they blaw their trumpets sae loud and shrill
And the wind it blaws my plaid awa'
Gin I'd his trumpet in my kist
Blaw, blaw, blaw winds, blaw
And was in the lad's arms that I like best
And the wind it blaws my plaid awa'
Gin ye would be wed wi' me
Blaw, blaw, blaw winds, blaw
There's ae thing ye maun dae for me
And the wind it blaws my plaid awa'
Ye maun mak' me a linen sark
Blaw, blaw, blaw winds, blaw
Without a stitch o' needlewark
And the wind it blaws my plaid awa'
Ye maun wash it in yon draw-well
Blaw, blaw, blaw winds, blaw
Where water never sprang or fell
And the wind it blaws my plaid awa'
Ye maun drt't on yon hawthorn
Blaw, blaw, blaw winds, blaw
That hasna seen blossom since man was born
And the wind it blaws my plaid awa'
And gin I mak'a sark for thee
Blaw, blaw, blaw winds, blaw
There's ae thing ye maun dae for me
And the wind it blaws my plaid awa'
My faither has an acre o' land
Blaw, blaw, blaw winds, blaw
Ye maun plough it wi' you ae hand
And the wind it blaws my plaid awa'
Ye maun sow it wantin' corn
Blaw, blaw, blaw winds, blaw
And roll it wi' a sheep's shank-bone
And the wind it blaws my plaid awa'
Ye maun shear it wi' a scythe o' leather
Blaw, blaw, blaw winds, blaw
And bind it wi' a peacock's feather
And the wind it blaws my plaid awa'
Ye maun stook it in the sea
Blaw, blaw, blaw winds, blaw
And bring the whaetsheaf dry to me
And the wind it blaws my plaid awa'
And gin ye wark noo all this wark
Blaw, blaw, blaw winds, blaw
Come to me and you'll get your sark
And the wind it blaws my plaid awa'