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Lord Lovat

Date January 1970
Track ID 65567
Part 1

Track Information

Original Track ID

SA1970.20.A4

Original Tape ID

SA1970.020

Summary

In this ballad, Lord Lovat goes on a long voyage, leaving behind his lover Lady Nancybell. After years of journeying, he has a foreboding dream one night, causing him to return him at once. When he arrives, he finds ladies weeping, and learns that his beloved has died out of love for him. Weeping, he holds her body one last time.

Lizzie Higgins' mother, Jeannie Robertson, would sing this to her as a lullaby.

Item Notes

6 verses of 4 lines. In other versions of this ballad, Nancy pleads with her lover not to leave; he sometimes dies at the end of the song out of grief.

See:
Greig-Duncan vol. 6, pp. 442-447, no. 1232
'Scottish Studies' 14 (A. Munro, 1970) pp. 159-161; (J. Porter & H. Gower, 1970) pp. 45-46
'Ancient Scottish Ballads' (G. R. Kinloch, 1827) pp. 31-35
'Jeannie Robertson' (J. Porter & H. Gower, 1995) pp. 255-257
'Last Leaves of Traditional Ballads' (A. Keith & G. Greig, 1925) pp. 57-58
'Andrew Crawfurd's Collection of Ballads & Songs' vol. 1 (E. Lyle, 1975) pp. 54-55
'Travellers' Songs from England and Scotland' (E. MacColl & P. Seeger, 1977) pp. 70-72
'Folk-Song of the North-East' (G. Greig, K. Goldstein, A. Argo, 1963 reprint) art. CLIX

Recording Location

County - Aberdeenshire

Parish - Aberdeen

Village/Place - Aberdeen

Language

English

Collection

SoSS

Classification

R48 GD1232 C75

Source Type

Reel to reel

Audio Quality

Good