The Two Pretty Boys- Stewart (Aberdeenshire) 1955
[See below the music and article published in 1957.]
Lucy Stewart: Traditional Singer from Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Vol. 1 - Child Ballads; Lucy Stewart FW03519; Year of Release 1961
SIDE I, Band 2: TWO PRETTY BOYS
(The Two Brothers, Child #49)
This ballad appears to be better known in America then in the old world. And, indeed, until recently it was believed to have completely died out in British tradition. Neither Greig nor Ord reported versions from Scotland in this century; however, Hamish Henderson of the School of Scottish Studies reports that several versions have been collected in Scotland in recent years. Lucy Stewart's version was collected earlier (in 1955) by Peter Kennedy, but as published in "The Journal of the English Folk Dance & Song Society" (Vol. VIII, No.2, 1957, pp. 112-113) the text is a poor transcription and is a compilation of Lucy's text with that of her brother Donald Stewart of Huntley.
The present recording , made in December 1959 , is a superb example of Lucy's great singing style. The present version is closely related to Child's "c" text in that the mother (stepfather in Lucy's text) of the two boys appears to have instigated
the death of the younger (smaller) brother. No reason for the action is given however. Perhaps Lucy's 'stepmother' reference supplies a motive in that the younger boy has displeased his stepmother, who then wished (or prayed) that he would never return. The older son (perhaps the real son of the stepmother) is somehow enjoined to put his mother's prayer into action.
For additional texts and information, see:
Child, Vol. I, pp. 439 ff.
T .P. Coffin, THE :BRITISH TRADITIONAL BALLAD IN NORTH AMERICA, pp. 60-62.
B. Bronson, THE TRADITIONAL TUNES OF THE CHILD BALLADS, Vol. I, pp. 384-402.
JEFDSS, Vol. VIII, No.2, 1957, pp. 112-113
TWO PRETTY BOYS
Oh two pretty boys they were goin' to the school,
An' the evenin' comin' hon,
Said the biggest boy to the littlest boy,
Oh can you throw a stone,
Oh can you throw a stone.
I can neither throw a stone,
Oh little can I play at the ball,
If you come down to this merry green woods.
I will try you a wrestling fall,
I will try you a wrestling fall.
They went down tae the merry green woods,
To try their wrestling fall,
The big brother John took out a little pen knife
An' stabbed William to the ground,
He stabbed William to the ground.
Oh you'll take off my white linen shirt
An' tear it from gore to gore,
You'll a-wrapt him around my wound
An' the blood will come no more,
An' the blood will come no more.
He took off his white linen shirt
An' he tore it fae gore to gore,
He a-wrapt him around his wound
But the blood came ten times more,
But the blood came ten times more.
O what will your dear father think
This night when you go home,
Tell him that I'm at London school
An' a good boy I'll come home.
An' a good boy I'll come home.
o what will your dear stepmother think
This night when you go home;
Tell her the last prayer she prayed for me
That I would ne'er come home.
That I would ne'er come home.
_________________
The Two Brothers
A. L. L.
Journal of the English Folk Dance and Song Society, Vol. 8, No. 2 (1957), pp. 112-113
THE TWO BROTHERS
(Words from Lucy Stewart, Fetterangus, Aberdeenshire, and Donald Stewart of Huntley)
1. There were two pretty boys they were going to school,
In the evening coming home
Said William to his brother John,
'Oh can you throw a stone?'
(Last line repeated)
2. 'I can either throw a stone
Or little can I play at the ball
But if you come down to the merry green woods
I will try you a wrestle and fall.'
3. Then they went down to the merry green woods,
The biggest threw the littlest down,
Then John took out a little penknife
And stabbed William to the ground.
4. 'Oh brother dear; oh brother dear
What makes you pale and wan?'
'Do you not see by the light of the moon
That my heart's blood's trickling down.'
3. He took off his lily-white shirt
And he tore from gore to gore
And wrapped it round his lily-white breast
But the blood came ten times more.
6. It's 'What will your dear father say
This night when you go home?'
'Tell him I'm away to a London school
(Donald sang long, long)
And a good boy I'll return.'
(Donald sang scholar)
7. And 'What will your dear step-mother say
This night when you go home?'
'Tell her the last prayer she prayed for me
That I would n'er return.'
In the summer of 1955 Peter Kennedy went on a collecting trip in the North of Scotland. On the way he recorded, in company with Hamish H enderson, a large number of the fraternity known as 'travellers' both in tents and living in houses. Most of these went by the name of Stewart and were all found to be good musicians-singers, pipers, fiddlers and accordion-players. They found many 'Child' ballads still being sung including 'Edward', 'The Knight in the Road' and 'The Two Brothers'.
These ballads have been thought to be uncommon in these islands, though they have survived in the Appalachian Mountains of America, but these particular 'travellers', with an unbroken musical tradition, seem to have retained them under the very noses of previous collectors. The tune given above is that sung by old Lucy Stewart of Duke Street, Fetterangus, Aberdeenshire.
Two of the verses were sung by scrap-metal merchant, Donald Stewart of Huntley, to a tune which was a variant of 'The Star of the County Down'. Lucy Stewart's tune is submitted by Peter Kennedy as being of a most unusual kind. Hamish Henderson has already recorded other versions for the School of Scottish Studies, including some with exceptional beauty of melodic shape.- P. K.
If this melody has unusual qualities it may be because it is apparently made up of tags from different songs. The first and third lines recall a tune sometimes used for 'Little Sir Hugh'. The second line is an echo of 'When the Echo greets the Corncrake, or The Lass of the Whinny Knowes'.- A. L. L.