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MARY HAMILTON (5) My mother was a brave woman, A brave woman and bold; She sent me to the queen's court When scarce eleven years old. The queen's meat was so sweet, The wine it was so fine, That I had lain in the old king's arms And rued it all sin syne. News is to the kitchen News has come to me That Mary Hamilton's borne a babe And thrown him in the sea. Down came the old queen Gold tassels round her head; Mary Hamilton, where's the babe That lay all in your bed? Mary, put on your robe of black, Put on your robe of brown; Mary, come along with me To ride to Edinburgh town. She didn't put on the black, the black, She didn't put on the brown. She put on her brightest white To ride to Edinburgh town. As she rode up the Canongate The Canongate rode she; The ladies leaned over their casements And wept for that lady. As she walked up the Parliament Stairs A loud, loud laugh gave she. When she walked down the Parliament Stairs She was condemned to die. Go bring me the red wine, The reddest that may be; I'll drink a toast to the sailory boys Who brought me over the sea. Last night I washed the old queen's feet, Put gold round her hair; Today she gave me my reward The gallows to be my share. They'll put a kerchief round my eyes They'll never more let me see; They'll never let on to my mammy and my daddy I died way over the sea. Last night there were four Maries, Tonight there'll be but three; There's Mary Seaton and Mary Beaton, Mary Carmichael and me. "Mary Hamilton", as sung by Peggy Seeger, which she received from Hally Wood: On Volume 4 of Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger's series BLOOD AND ROSES, a collection of "traditional ballads from Scotland and North America", Peggy sings an unaccompanied version of "Mary Hamilton" (Child 173). She says that, "I learned this song from the singing of that magnificent Texas woman, Hally Wood. It is rather moving to think of a Texas singer telling the story of a doomed woman moving down ancient Edinburgh streets and laughing on the steps of Parliament..." The text is somewhat unique. The tune is quite different from the one that I am familiar with, which is the one sung by Jeannie Robertson, Texas Gladden, Joan Baez and others. Wood's variant is not listed in Bronson, and so far I have been unable to find it either in print or recorded anywhere else. In a personal communication from Peggy, she says, "I learned it from a cassette that she made and sent." But she could provide no other information on it. @murder @royalty Child #173 Roud-79 filename[ MARYHAM5 TUNE FILE: MARYS4 CLICK TO PLAY TOM Feb07 |
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