BINORRIE(THE TWO SISTERS)
(learned from ballad books in the 1970s)
There were two sisters lived in a bower,
He courted the eldest with glove and ring,
(sempre)
Upon a morning fair and clear,
O sister, sister, tak' my hand,
The eldest said to the youngest one,
She's ta'en her by the lily-white hand,
The youngest stood upon a steyn,
She took her by the middle sma',
O sister, sister, reach your hand,
O sister, I will not reach my hand,
O sister, sister, reach me your glove,
Sink on, nor hope for hand or glove,
Shame fa' the hand that I might take,
Your cherry cheeks, and your yellow hair
Sometimes she sank, sometimes she swam,
The miller's daughter was baking bread,
O father, father, draw your dam,
The miller hasted and drew his dam,
Ye couldn't see her yellow hair
Ye couldn't see her middle sma'
Ye couldn't see her fingers sma'
Ye couldn't see her lilie feet,
Sair will they be, whae'er they be,
And by there came a harper fine,
And when he looked that lady on,
He's made a harp of her breast-bane,
He's ta'en three locks o' her yellow hair,
He brought the harp to her father's hall,
He laid his harp upon a stane,
O yonder sits my father, the king,
And yonder stands my brother Hugh,
And the last tune the harp did play,
(from miriam berg's folksong collection)
Oh, Binorrie, oh, Binorrie,
There came a knight to be their wooer,
By the bonnie, bonnie milldams of Binorrie.
Oh, Binorrie, oh, Binorrie,
But he loved the youngest above any thing,
By the bonnie, bonnie milldams of Binorrie.
The eldest she was vexed sair,
And sair envied her sister fair,
She cried unto her sister dear,
And let's go down to the river strand,
Will ye see our father's ships come in?
And led her down to the river strand,
And the eldest cam' and pushed her in,
And dashed her bonny back by the jaw,
And you shall be heir to half my land,
And I'll be heir to all your land,
And sweet William shall ever be your love,
And sweet William shall then be my love,
For it has twinned (separated)me and my mate,
Have garr'd me gang maiden forevermair,
Until she came to the miller's dam,
And gaed for water as she had need,
There's a mermaid or a milkwhite swan,
And there he found the drown'd woman,
For a string of pearls that were sae rare,
For her gowden girdle that was sae braw,
Wi' diamond rings they were covered a',
Her gowden fringes were sae deep,
The hearts that live to weep for thee,
That harpit at the king to dine.
He sighed and made a heavy mone,
Whose sound would melt a heart of steyn,
And wi' them strung his harp sae rare.
And there was the court assembled all.
And straight it began to play alane,
And yonder sits my mother, the queen,
And by him, my William, sweet and true,
Woe to sister Ellen, that did me slay.