[The Two Sisters] Twa Sister- W. Maynard (Rhode Island) 1864
[My title, replacing the generic. Informants name from Barry MSS by Bronson, his No. 33. From: Traditional Ballads in New England I by Phillips Barry; The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 18, No. 69 (Apr. - Jun., 1905), pp. 123-138.
This is the first part of Barry's Traditional Ballads in New England, all three parts were published in 1905 in three consecutive editions of the JOAFL. These early ballads are fully preserved because Barry recognized that including the tune whenever possible was as important as including lyrics.
R. Matteson 2011, 2014]
III. THE TWA SISTERS
A. Recollected June, 1904, by W. Maynard, of the U. S. Navy, as sung forty years ago by the midshipmen at Newport, R. I.
1. There was a man lived in the West,
Bow down, bow down,
There was a man lived in the West,
Bow once to me.
There was a man lived in the West,
And he had two daughters just of the best.
So it's I'll be true, true to my love,
And my love will be true to me!
2. The miller, he loved the youngest one,
But he was loved by the eldest one.
3. He gave the youngest a gay gold ring,
But he gave the eldest never a thing.
4. He gave the youngest a satin hat,
But the eldest, she got mad at that.
5. They took a walk by the river side,
Alas! I must tell what did betide.
6. The eldest, she pushed the youngest in,
And all for the sake of the gay gold ring.
7. "Oh, sister, oh, sister, oh, save my life!
And you shall be the miller's wife!"
8. She swam till she came to the miller's pond,
And there she swam around and around.
9. The miller, he took his hook and line,
And caught her by her hair so fine.