[There Was An Old Lord] The Miller's Daughters- McCord (MO) c.1890 Randolph Version G
[My title. From Randolph's Ozark Folksongs, Vol. 1, Ballads, 1946.
R. Matteson 2011, 2014]
G. [There Was An Old Lord] No title. The Miller's Daughters. Sung by Mrs. May Kennedy McCord, Springfield, Mo., Nov. 12, 1941. Learned from her mother in Galena, Mo., about 1890.
There was an old lord by the northern sea,
Bow-wee down
There was an old lord by the northern sea,
Bow and balance to me
There was an old lord by the northern sea,
And he had daughters one, two, three,
I'll be true to my love, if my love will be true to me.
Her lover he bought her a beaver hat,
Bow-wee down,
Her lover he bought her a beaver hat,
Bow and balance to me,
Her lover he bought her a beaver hat
The oldest one she didn't like that,
I'll be true to my love
If my love will be true to me.
Oh sister, sister come walk the shore,
Bow-wee down,
Oh sister, sister come walk the shore,
Row and balance to me,
Oh sister, sister come walk the shore
That we may view the landscape o'er,
I'll be true to my love
If my love will be true to me.
As they were walking along the shore,
Bow-wee down,
As they were walking along the shore,
Bow and balance to me,
As they were walking along the shore,
The oldest one pushed the youngest one o'er,
I'll be true to my love
If my love will be true to me.
Oh sister, sister please lend me your hand,
Bow-wee down,
Oh sister, sister please lend me your hand,
Bow and balance to me,
Oh sister, sister please lend me your hand
That you may pull me to dry land,
I'll be true to my love
If my love will be true to me."
I'll neither lend you my hand nor my glove,
Bow-wee down,
I'll neither lend you my hand nor my glove,
Bow and balance to me,
I'll neither lend you my hand nor my glove
For all you want is my own true love.
I'll be true to my love
If my love will be true to me."
She bowed her head and away she swam,
Bow-wee down,
She bowed her head and away she swam,
Bow and balance to me,
She bowed her head and away she swam,
She swum till she come to the miller's dam,
I'll be true to my love
If my love will be true to me.
The miller throwed out his drifting oar,
Bow-wee down,
The miller throwed out his drifting oar,
Bow and balance to me,
The miller throwed out his drifting oar
And pulled the maiden to the shore,
I'll be true to my love
If my love will be true to me.
The miller was hung at his own mill door,
Bow-wee down,
The miller was hung at his own mill door,
Bow and balance to me,
The miller was hung at his own mill door,
For pulling the maiden to the shore,
I'll be true to my love
If my love will be true to me.
The sister was hung at her own yard gate,
Bow-wee down,
The sister was hung at her own yard gate,
Bow and balance to me,
The sister was hung at her own yard gate,
For drownding of her sister Kate,
I'll be true to my love
If my love will be true to me.