15 Jun 00 - 01:15 AM (#242697) Subject: the two sisters From: GUEST,bedford_simon@hotmail.com i know a little of an american version of this song with a different melody and words but i cant remeber most of it
there was an old lady who lived by the sea shore
there was a young man who came to these... can you fill in the blanks ? do you know this version ? anyone ? |
15 Jun 00 - 02:25 AM (#242715) Subject: Lyr Add: THE TWO SISTERS (Ed McCurdy) From: Stewie I have an American version from an Ed McCurdy album that mentions the 'beaver hat' and has a 'bow (or bough) down' refrain, but it is different from what you have posted. The first bit goes:
There lived an old lord by the northern sea
A young man came a courting there
He gave this girl a beaver hat --Stewie.
|
15 Jun 00 - 03:07 AM (#242722) Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: the two sisters From: Brendy I have Clannad's version on tape (words differ in part), which I can convert to MP3 if you want. It may not be what you want, but the offer is there, anyway. B. |
15 Jun 00 - 04:06 AM (#242727) Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: the two sisters From: Sourdough I used to hear this at the old Yale hoots in Street Hall. THe version that a guy used to sing there may e wha tyou are looking for but I don't know where he got it from.
There was a lord by the Lowland Sea
A young lord he come courting there
He gave the youngest a beaver hat.
Two sisters walk by the river's brim
Down along the river she swam Memory fails here, I remember tha the miller fishes her out of the "brook" with his "crook" and after that missing verse...
From off of her fingers, he takes three gold rings, And then there is the moral verse which I have also forgotten. Somehow, the miller gets hung in hs own dam. Damn. I thought i knew this whole song. What happens if you don't think of a song to sing it then you suddenly find you have forgottens a verse or two. Well, perhaps this is enough to remind someone lese to fill it in. (Now if this is already in DT, I will be really embarrassed.) Sourdough |
15 Jun 00 - 08:14 AM (#242760) Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: the two sisters From: Malcolm Douglas More of this strand of versions may be found at Two Sisters #7 On a "Two Sisters" Song Malcolm |
15 Jun 00 - 09:21 AM (#242778) Subject: Lyr Add: CRUEL SISTER (Pentangle) From: Rana who SHOULD be working Hi, Pentangle recorded a version entitled Cruel Sister which, presumably, a different version of the same song - words as follows CRUEL SISTER There lived a lady by the North Sea shore Lay the bent to the bonnie broom Two daughters were the babes she bore Fa la la la la la la la la la As one grew bright as is the sun So coal black grew the elder one. A knight came riding to the lady's door He traveled far to be their wooer. He courted one with gloves and rings But he loved the other above all things. "O sister will you go with me To watch the ships sail on the sea?" She took her sister by the hand And led her down to the North Sea strand. And as they stood on the windy shore The dark girl threw her sister o'er. Sometimes she sank, sometimes she swam Crying "Sister, reach to me your hand." "O sister, sister, let me live And all that's mine, I'll surely give." "Your own true love that I'll have and more But thou shalt never come ashore." And there she floated like a swan The salt sea bore her body on. Two minstrels walked along the strand And saw the maiden float to land. They've made a harp of her breastbone Whose sound would melt a heart of stone. They took three locks of her yellow hair And with them strung the harp so rare. They went into her father's hall To play the harp before them all. But as they laid it on a stone The harp began to play alone. The first string sang a doleful sound "The bride her younger sister drowned." The second string as that they tried "In terror sits the black-haired bride." The third string sang beneath their bow "And surely now her tears will flow." Rana |
15 Jun 00 - 09:49 AM (#242792) Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: the two sisters From: GUEST,Mrr I also have both the Pentagle version (where I heard the line that goes "The bride her younger sister drowned" as "The brighter, younger sister drowned" - remember, she was golden and the elder one, dark, so it made sense to me!) and a lovely version by Cynthia Gooding that is very close, but not identical, to the Bough Down version put here. When I have the time, I'll post the Cynthia Gooding version. |
15 Jun 00 - 10:35 AM (#242809) Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: the two sisters From: GUEST,simon maybe the cynthia gooding version is the one? it is certainly an american version of the song there is no lords and fair damsels but beaver hats and counting the stars that shone one two three four....also the melody is markedly different than the songs that are listed here...this song comes from a dylan performance i have a snippet of from 1960 . |
15 Jun 00 - 11:03 AM (#242828) Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: the two sisters From: Malcolm Douglas Generally speaking it's a good idea to persevere in your original thread rather than start a new one so soon, though I do realise that it can be frustrating when people post lengthy answers to questions that you haven't asked. The precise version that you're looking for doesn't seem to be in either the DT or the Forum, though the two links I provided above lead to what appear to be close variants. Here is another, from Kentucky: Re: Cruel Sister and one from Florida: Rollin',a Rollin' Of course, there are a lot of different melodies associated with this very widespread song; it's possible that you may be able to re-construct the text you partly remember from resources available here, even if nobody is able to give you the precise one that Dylan sang (he's liable to have changed the lyric a bit in any case). (Just by way of a footnote, the Pentangle version is already in the Forum, here; the melody they used is more usually associated with Lay the Bent to the Bonny Broom -a.k.a. "Riddles Wisely Expounded", "The Elf-Knight" and so on.) Malcolm |
15 Jun 00 - 11:16 AM (#242843) Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: the two sisters From: GUEST,simon thanks malcolm for the advice i did start another thread actually i thought that might work better. have to admit i am very new here. the rollin song is closer getting closer for sure but the structure of the song is like this when bob does it ( he wasnt called the purest of the pure for nothing in his early days ! lol) line bow and balance to me line rhyming line it unique but not just to him i am sure off it! |
15 Jun 00 - 11:26 AM (#242852) Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: the two sisters From: Wolfgang Simon, you'll find the 'bow and balance to me' line in 'The two sisters' (7) of the DT database. Wolfgang |
15 Jun 00 - 11:27 AM (#242853) Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: the two sisters From: GUEST,simon yes i checked that version but its not the one its close but no cigar! |
15 Jun 00 - 11:52 AM (#242872) Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: the two sisters From: GUEST,Mrr The Cynthia Gooding one doesn't have the stars 1234. I will try to do those lyrics over lunchtime... |
15 Jun 00 - 12:06 PM (#242877) Subject: Lyr Add: THE TWO SISTERS (sung by Cynthia Gooding) From: GUEST THE TWO SISTERS Cynthia Gooding version as understood by Mrrzy (Each verse is sung with the same refrains unless otherwise specified, so I'll only indicate them for the first verse)
There was an old man in the North Country
There was a young man came a-courting there
He gave to the youngest a gay gold ring
He gave to the youngest a beaver hat
She said Sister, O sister, let's walk the seashore
They were walking along on yonder sea brim
She said Sister O sister, hand me your hand
She said Sister O sister, hand me your glove
I'll neither hand you hand nor glove
So down she sank and away she swam
That miller threw out his old grab hook
She said Miller O Miller, here's three gold rings One thing I like about this version is that the older sister seems to get away with it. |
15 Jun 00 - 12:08 PM (#242880) Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: the two sisters From: GUEST,Mrr Sorry, that was me up there, forgot to fill in that cell as I was checking and rechecking the html, which I seem to have done right for once. Maybe the "daughters one two three" is the remnant of the stars 1234 lyric mentioned in the original request? |
15 Jun 00 - 12:10 PM (#242881) Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: the two sisters From: MMario Contemplator website has the 21 Child's versions... here |
15 Jun 00 - 12:16 PM (#242888) Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: the two sisters From: MMario This site appears to have something close |
15 Jun 00 - 12:30 PM (#242892) Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: the two sisters From: Wolfgang You see, Simon, you have us hooked. If you follow all links you'll find more than 30 versions so far. Could you answer your own question with these more or less close versions printed out and transcribe what Dylan sings? If that's possible for you, I guess many of us would love to see these lyrics posted here. Wolfgang |
15 Jun 00 - 01:32 PM (#242913) Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: the two sisters From: GUEST,simon so far there is a version of a song called rovin a rovin i think that is lyrically closest to two sisters that i know i will check it again and get back to you all . by the way you folks are the most helpful i have met!!! |
15 Jun 00 - 01:41 PM (#242918) Subject: Lyr Add: THE TWO SISTERS (Dylan) From: GUEST,simon Well, the Max Hunter site has the closest lyrics yet! Here is the Dylan text. It’s recorded poorly, so I will leave blanks where I can’t make out the words.
There was an old lady lived by the seashore.
There was a young man who...there
He gave the younger a beaver hat.
Oh, sister, oh, sister, let’s walk by the...(the tape fades away) |
15 Jun 00 - 02:01 PM (#242929) Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: the two sisters From: MMario Simon - I am working blind here, but from the descriptions you have given and the descriptions I have found on web sites while looking for this, you appear to have the "armpit" version of the St. Paul tape, which according to the sites is the most common version. However, several of the sites pointed out that NONE of the tapes include complete versions of the majority of songs on the tape. |
15 Jun 00 - 06:54 PM (#243094) Subject: Lyr Add: THE TWO SISTERS (sung by Horton Barker) From: Stewie Duncan Emrich printed a version in his 'American Folk Poetry' that seems close to what you want. It was recorded from the singing of Horton Barker at Chilhowie, Virginia, in 1939 for the Library of Congress:
THE TWO SISTERS --Stewie |
15 Jun 00 - 10:24 PM (#243189) Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: the two sisters From: GUEST,simon Well, it looks like Stewie has found the correct answer and thanks for that! Yes, the fragment of the tape is from the armpit version however.... I am sure that Dylan sings the whole song and that he stuck to a traditional version (the Stewie version matches every lyric perfectly) in his early days. (Remember this is pre-Guthrie (at least for Bob), pre-Denver, pre-Jesse Fuller, pre-Tony Glover.) Bob has just arrived in Minnesota and is just starting out. (Big hint at how early: no harmonica!) Thank you all again so much, Simon |