Unfortunately the DT transcription of this text (SHEATH AND KNIFE 2) names no traditional source (quite possibly Ewan's fault; perhaps it was another one of those otherwise extremely rare songs that so many of his relations seemed somehow to have versions of), and lines like And tak twa horses stood and evil lead me to suspect that it was made by ear by someone who couldn't quite make out what MacColl was on about, but wanted to try anyway. The refrain seems on the face of it to be close to gibberish, and unlike any other known traditional variant; perhaps someone else will be able to place it.