The Two Sisters (9) There were two sisters in one bower Edinburgh, Edinburgh There were two sisters in one bower Stirling for aye Ah, there were two sisters in one bower And there came a knight to be their wooer Bonny Saint Johnston stands upon Tay Oh, he courted the eldest with glove and ring But he loved the youngest above all things Oh, the eldest, she was vexed full sore And sore she envied her sister fair And as it fell on one morning clear The eldest came to her sister fair Oh, sister, oh, sister, won't you walk down And view the ships all sailing around Oh, the youngest, she stood on the water's brink And the eldest came and she pushed her in Oh, she's took her by the middle so small And she's broke her bonny back to the jaw Oh, sister, oh, sister, lend me a hand And you will be heir to half my lands Oh, sister, oh, sister, I'll not lend me hand I'll have your man and your houses and all of your land Oh, sister, oh, sister, save my life I swear I shall never be any man's wife Oh, your cherry cheeks and your yellow hair Make me go a maiden for ever more Oh, sometimes she sank and sometimes she swam Until that she came to the bonny mill dam Oh, the miller's daughter was baking the bread And she came out for water as she had need Oh, father, father, there swims a swan So now, won't you hasten and draw up your dam Oh, the miller, he came and he drew up his dam And there he saw the drowned woman He laid down on the bank to dry When the King's own harper, he passed by Oh, he made a harp of her breastbone Whose sounds would melt a heart of stone And the strings he formed of her yellow hair Whose notes made sad the listening ear Oh, and he laid the harp down on a stone And soon it began to play all alone And the first tune it played was, me father the King And the second it played was, me mother the Queen Oh, and yonder stands my brother Hugh And by him, my William, sweet and true And the third tune it played was, me false sister Jean So slyly she pushed me into the stream Oh, and then up spoke her false sister Jean Says, we'll pay this harper and have him be gone Oh, but up then spoke her father the King Says, we'll have the tune played over again Well, they built a fire that would burn any stone And in it they threw her false sister Jean Child #10 JN oct96
Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!