The Two Sisters- W.W. Newell (NY) pre 1883; Child Version U
[My title. From The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, Francis J. Child; 1883. Child has nothing to say about Version U.
R. Matteson 2013]
The Two Sisters; Version U. Communicated by Mr. W.W. Newell, as repeated by an ignorant woman in her dotage, who learned it at Huntington, Long Island, N.Y.
1 There was a man lived in the mist,[1]
Bow down, bow down
He loved his youngest daughter best.
The bow is bent to me,
So you be true to your own true love,
And I'll be true to thee.
2 These two sisters went out to swim;
Bow down, bow down
The oldest pushed the youngest in.
The bow is bent to me,
So you be true to your own true love,
And I'll be true to thee.
3 First she sank and then she swam,
Bow down, bow down
First she sank and then she swam.
The bow is bent to me,
So you be true to your own true love,
And I'll be true to thee.
4 The miller, with his rake and hook,
Bow down, bow down
He caught her by the petticoat.
The bow is bent to me,
So you be true to your own true love,
And I'll be true to thee.
* * * * *
1. "west," not "mist"- as pointed out by Barry BFSSNE no. 11, p.17, 1936.