The Two Sisters- Crawford (Va) 1915; Davis C
[In 1956 Paul Clayton included text C, from A.K. Davis' Traditional Ballads of Virginia, 1929 on his Folkways recording, Folk Ballads of the English-Speaking World. He learned the melody from from Mrs. Kit Williamson of Campbell County, Virginia. Clayton worked with Davis in the 1930s, transcribing folk songs that Davis later published in More Traditional Ballads. ]
Folkways liner notes: SIDE II, Band 7: THE TWO SISTERS (Child 10) (Domestic Tragedies - see pages 161 to 167)
This is one of the most widely distributed of all British traditional ballads, and has proved excellent material for detailed study. Paul G. Brewster, who has spent many years in making an extensive study of the ballad, believes it is definitely Scandinavian in origin. Sometime prior to the 17th century, he conjectures, it began its long journey in oral tradition, spreading from Norway, where it originated, to the other Scandinavian countries and then to Scotland, England and America.
Child considered the heart of this ballad to be the making of a musical instrument from the drowned sister's body, the instrument in turn revealing the identity of the murderer. Most recently collected texts have eliminated this supernatural motif entirely; indeed, of the numerous American texts which have been collected, in only one is the murderer discovered miraculously. Considerable time and energy on the part of the scholars have also been spent in an attempt to analyze the various refrains employed in this ballad. The American version sung here by Mr. Clayton is from A.K. Davis' Traditional Ballads of Virginia, 1929; [Version C] Mr. Clayton's tune- is one he learned from Mrs. Kit Williamson of Campbell County, Virginia.
There was an old man in the North Countrie,
Bow down, bow down.
There was an old man in the North Countrie,
The boughs they bend to me,
There was an old man in the North Countrie,
He had daughters, one, two, three.
Love will be true, true to my love,
Love will be true to you.
There was a young man came courting there,
He did choose the youngest fair.
He gave to the youngest a gay gold ring,
And to the oldest not a single thing.
He gave to the youngest a beaver hat,
And the oldest she thought hard of that.
"Sister, O sister, let's walk the sea shore,
To see the ships come sailing o'er."
They were walking along on yonder sea-brim
When the oldest shoved the youngest in.
"O sister, O Sister, hand me your hand,
And you may have my house and land.
"O sister, O sister, hand me your glove,
And you may have my own true love."
"I'll neither hand you hand nor glove,
For all I want is your true love."
So down she sank and away she swam
Until she reached the old mill dam.
The miller threw out his old grab-hook
And pulled the fair maiden out of the brook.
"O miller, O miller, here's three gold rings,
If you'll take me to my father's again.
He up with her fingers and off with her rings
And threw her back in the brook again.
The miller was hung at his mill gate
For drowning of my sister Kate.