Cruel sister

X:2837
T:Cruel sister
T:The Twa Sisters o Binnorie
C:anon.
O:Scotland
N:Based on Pentangle's recording (written down from memory)
Z:Transcribed by Frank Nordberg - http://www.musicaviva.com
F:http://abc.musicaviva.com/tunes/scotland/cruel-sister.abc
%Posted at abcusers June 20th 2001 by Frank Nordberg
M:3/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=88
K:Dm
%Verses 1 and 3:
z A, DE|"Dm"F>F EF GF|"A"E3 z FG|"F"A2AG A<c|"A"A2zA AG|
w:There lived a lad-y by the North Sea shore. (Lay the bent to the bon-nie broom) Two daught-ers
"Dm"F3(E/F/) GF|"C"E3 z "Dm"D E/F/|"C"GF E<C "Dm"D>E|"Dm"D2|]
w:were the_ babes she bore (Fa la la la la la la la la la)
%Other verses:
z A, DE|"Dm"F3(E/F/) GF|"A"E3 z FG|"F"A2AG A<c|"A"A2zA AG|
w:As one grew bright as_ in the sun, (Lay the bent to the bon-nie broom) so coal black
"Dm"F3(E/F/) GF|"C"E3 z "Dm"D E/F/|"C"GF E<C "Dm"D>E|"Dm"D2|]
w:grew the_ oth-er one. (Fa la la la la la la la la la)
W:
W:There lived a lady by the North Sea shore.
W:  Lay the bent to the bonnie broom
W:Two daughters were the babes she bore.
W:  Fa la la la la la la la la la
W:
W:As one grew bright as in the sun,
W:so coal black grew the other one.
W:
W:A knight came riding to the lady's door.
W:He'd travelled far to be their wooer.
W:
W:He courted one with gloves and rings,
W:but loved the other above all things.
W:
W:Oh sister will you go with me
W:to watch the ships sail on the sea?
W:
W:She took her sister by the hand
W:and led her down to the North Sea strand.
W:
W:And as they stood on the windy shore,
W:the dark girl threw her sister o'er.
W:
W:Sometimes she sank, sometimes she swam,
W:crying "sister, reach to me your hand.
W:
W:Oh sister, sister let me live,
W:and all that's mine I'll surely give."
W:
W:"It's your truelove I'll have and more,
W:but thou shalt never come ashore."
W:
W:And there she floated like a swan.
W:The salt sea bore her body on.
W:
W:Two minstrels walked along the strand
W:and saw the maiden float to land.
W:
W:They made a harp of her breast bone
W:whose sound would melt a heart of stone.
W:
W:They took three locks of her yellow hair
W:and with them strung the harp so rare.
W:
W:They went into her father's hall
W:to play the harp before them all.
W:
W:But as they laid it on a stone,
W:the harp began to play alone.
W:
W:The first string sang a doleful sound;
W:The bride her younger sister drwoned.
W:
W:The second string as that they tried,
W:in terror sits the black-haired bride.
W:
W:The third string sang beneath their bow,
W:and surely now her tears will flow.
W:
W:
W:Variants of this ballad - and its rather groteesque story - are known from
W:all over Europe. Child, the famous Scottish ballad collector, lists 21
W:variants from Britian (mostly Scotland) 12 from Norway, 10 from Denmark,
W:12 from Sweden, 2 from Iceland and 4 from the Faroe Islands. It's also
W:been collected in Poland, Estonia and Slovakia, and there's probably a
W:German version too that Mahler used as the basis for his cantata "Das
W:Klagende Lied". In Scotland it's usually known as "The Twa Sisters o
W:Binnorie".
W:The original ballad might date back to the pre-Christian Dark Ages,
W:although it has of course changed a lot since then. This version is
W:transcribed from Pentangle's recording. It's actually an conflation of
W:two versions, The first few verses and the refrain are taken from "Riddles
W:Wisely Expounded" (Child's ballads no. 1) and the bulk of the story from
W:"The Twa Sisters" (Child's no. 10). I'm not sure where the tune comes
W:from, but it sounds very late 16th Century to me.
W:
W:(Thanks to Phil Taylor
W:<http://www.barfly.dial.pipex.com> and Jack Campin
W:<http://www.purr.demon.co.uk/jack/jack.html> for information about the
W:ballad.)
W:
W:
W:  From Musica Viva - http://www.musicaviva.com
W:  the Internet center for free sheet music downloads.

Alternative sources for this tune:

• trillian.mit.edu/~jc/music/abc/mirror/musicaviva.com/tunes/scotland/cruel-sister/0000

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