Here are the notes from Carthy/Swarbrick, Skin and Bone:

Clyde's Water is an astonishing song of iron parental control. There is no question of the iron fist being encased in a velvet glove - the glove too is made of iron. I don't think that I have ever heard a song so relentless or so pared down. The tune comes from Christie's Ms with grateful thanks to Ethel Raim.

Wolfgang