Romanian Song (Blood and Gold)
(Andy Irvine & Jane Cassidy )
On rides a captain and 300 soldier lads
Out of the morning mist and thro' the silent snow
Whistling gaily rides the captain at their head
Behind him soldier boys sadly weeping go
O lads of mine weep no more
You are gone to kill and die
For when you took my gold and swore to follow me
You sold away your lives and your liberty
No more you'll till the soil, no more you'll work the land
No more to the dance you'll go and take girls by the hand
O mother weep for your son
He is gone to kill and die
You'll weep, you'll die by the keen edge of the sword
You'll all go in the fire there'll be no hiding place
O mother hear the drumbeat in the village square
O mother that drums for me to go for a soldier there
Mothers sisters wives, weep for us
Marked as Cain we lie alone
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sung by Lucienne Purcell on Andy Irvine's "Rainy Sundays...Windy dreams"
(1989 (?)) and by the Silly Sisters (Maddy Prior & June Tabor) on
"No More To The Dance" (1988)
Andy notes:"This one started as a Romanian song collected by Bela Bartok
in the early part of this century. A friend of mine, Jane Cassidy from
Kilkeel, Co. Down and myself re-wrote it a few times and put it to a
Bulgarian dance-song tune (When a dance is danced to singing, the singers
themselves also dance). This song is in Paidushka rhythm 5/16."
copyright Heupferd Music
MJ
Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!