The Two Sisters- Lance (AR) 1953 Parler
[Fragment of The Two Sisters from Ozark Folksong Collection, Reel 148 Item 1. Collected & transcribed by Mary Celestia Parler.
R. Matteson 2014]
Brief bio on the collector: Mary Celestia Parler married Vance Randolph in 1962 after working with him for over 12 years. She was born in South Carolina in 1904, the daughter of a country doctor and farmer, Marvin Lamar Parler, and a local historian, writer, and teacher, Josie Platt Parler. A Chaucer scholar she move to Arkansas in 1948 and launched the Arkansas Folklore Research Project through her Arkansas Folklore courses at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. From 1949-1965, Parler, her research assistants, who included Max Hunter and students made 3,640 audio folklore and folksong recordings.
The Two Sisters- Virgil Lance of Mountain Home, Ark., September 4, 1953
There was an old woman lived by the sea shore,
Bow down,
There was an old woman lived by the sea shore,
Bow down to me,
There was an old woman lived by the sea shore,
And she had some daughters, some three or four.
I'll be true to my love,
If my love'll be true to me.
The youngest she got a beaver hat,
Bow down,
The youngest she got a beaver hat,
Bow down to me,
The youngest she got a beaver hat,
The oldest one got mad at that,
I'll be true to my love,
If my love'll be true to me.
The youngest she got a gay gold ring,
Bow down,
The youngest she got a gay gold ring,
Bow down to me,
The youngest she got a gay gold ring,
The oldest didn't get anything,
I'll be true to my love,
If my love'll be true to me.
The youngest she had a beau, you know,
Bow down,
The youngest she had a beau, you know,
Bow down to me,
The youngest she had a beau, you know,
The oldest got jealous and so,
I'll be true to my love,
If my love'll be true to me.
As they were walking along the sea [brim] [1]
Bow down,
As they were walking along the sea [brim]
Bow down to me,
As they were walking along the sea [brim]
The oldest shoved the youngest in,
I'll be true to my love,
If my love'll be true to me.
At first she sank and then she swam,
Bow down,
At first she sank and then she swam,
Bow down to me,
At first she sank and then she swam,
She swam till she came to the old mill dam,
I'll be true to my love,
If my love'll be true to me.
The miller was hung on his old mill gate,
Bow down,
The miller was hung on his old mill gate,
Bow down to me,
The miller was hung on his old mill gate,
For the drowning of my sister Kate,
I'll be true to my love,
If my love'll be true to me.
1. This was written on MS, probably by Parler, in brackets so the stanza rhymed.