The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #123868   Message #2731696
Posted By: Crow Sister (off with the fairies)
26-Sep-09 - 06:39 AM
Thread Name: tam linn child ballad no 39
Subject: RE: tam linn child ballad no 39
At five mins, sounds like it may possibly an abridged version? Tam Lin's one of those I've hummed and hah'ed about due to length.
I have an abridged version (that might be same as Dicks one) somewhere I was considering learning (collected off the singing of a "Mrs. Somebody"), but the abridged song sounds a bit err "abridged" so it ends up being a song about the age old tradition of "pulling branches down" with a bit of shape-shifting at the end:

First she's sewing looking at the green woods - thinking about pulling on branches.
Then she goes into the woods to pull on branches.
Then Tam shows up and say's "'Ere missy stop pulling those branches down!"
She sez "It's my bleeding wood - I'll pull the branches down if I want!"
Then he has his will of her (without asking her leave) & she asks his name).
All of a sudden he's her true love but tomorrow's Hallowe'en & the 'gentry' ride.
He changes into all sorts of animals, and she saves him!

Otherwise, yeah, jolly nice.