Two Little Sisters- Weare (AR) 1954 Parler
[Version of The Two Sisters from Ozark Folksong Collection, Reel 201, Item 6. Collected by Mary Celestia Parler; Transcribed by Neil Byer.
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.
Two Little Sisters- Henry Weare of DeVall's Bluff, Ark., March, 1954
Two little sisters living all alone,
Say nigh dow, say nigh dee,
Two little sisters living all alone,
The boys are bound for me.
Two little sisters living all alone,
And Johnny fell in love with the youngest one,
Saying, I'll be kind to my true love,
He'll be kind to me.
Walking along by a lovely stream,
Say nigh dow, say nigh dee,
Walking along by a lovely stream,
The boys are bound for me.
Walking along by a lovely stream,
The oldest pushed the younger in,
Saying, I'll be kind to my true love,
He'll be kind to me.
Sister, oh, Sister, oh, lend me your hand,
Say nigh dow, say nigh dee,
Sister, oh, Sister, oh, lend me your hand,
The boys are bound for me.
Sister, oh, Sister, oh, lend me your hand,
And you shall have my house and land,
And I'll be kind to my true love,
He'll be kind to me.
I'll neither lend you my hand nor my glove,
Say nigh dow, say nigh dee,
I'll neither lend you my hand nor my glove,
The boys are bound for me.
I'll neither lend you my hand nor my glove,
For I pushed you in for your own true love,
And I'll be kind to my true love,
He'll be kind to me.
Well, she floated down to the miller's dam
Say nigh dow, say nigh dee,
She floated down to the miller's dam,
The boys are bound for me.
She floated down to the miller's dam,
And the miller brought her safe to land,
Saying, I'll be kind to my true love,
He'll be kind to me.
Johnny and the younger sister wed,
Say nigh dow, say nigh dee,
Johnny and the younger sister wed,
The boys are bound for me.
Johnny and the younger sister wed,
And the oldest slept in the trundle bed,
Saying, I'll be kind to my true love,
He'll be kind to me.