May Colvin
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1973.112.B1a
Original Tape ID
Summary
In this ballad, a knight comes to court a young maid, convincing her to leave with him and bring gold and horses. He takes her to the seaside and tells her to dismount - he has drowned other young women here, and will do the same to her. When he demands her silken gown, she asks him to avert his eyes, and with his back turned she pushes him into the water. He begs to be saved, saying he will marry her if she helps him; she refuses and rides away.
Wattie Wright sings only the first part of this ballad - the second deals with the young woman's regret at stealing from her father and her request that her father bury the knight.
Item Notes
16 verses of 4 lines.
See:
Greig-Duncan vol. 2, pp. 146-147, no. 225
'Scottish Ballads' (E. Lyle, 1994) pp. 70-71
'Traditional Tunes' (F. Kidson, 1891) pp. 26-29, 172
'The Scottish Ballads' (R. Chambers, 1829) pp. 232-236
'The Scotish (sic) Minstrel' vol. 3 (R. A. Smith, 1823) p. 92
'Book of Scottish Ballads' (A. Whitelaw, 1845) pp. 27-28
'Minstrelsy Ancient & Modern' (W. Motherwell, 1827) pp. 67-71
'Traditional Ballad Airs' vol. 2 (W. Christie, 1881) pp. 236-237
'Sam Henry's Songs of the People' (G. Huntington, 1990) pp. 413-414
'Ancient Ballads and Songs' vol. 1 (P. Buchan, 1828, 1875) pp. 22-24
'Last Leaves of Traditional Ballads' (A. Keith & G. Greig, 1925) pp. 2-4
'Ancient & Modern Scottish Songs' vol. 1 (D. Herd, 1869, 1973) pp. 93-94
'Ancient Ballads and Songs' vol. 2 (P. Buchan, 1828, 1875) pp. 43-49, 191-193
'Andrew Crawfurd's Collection of Ballads & Songs' vol. 1 (E. Lyle, 1975) pp. 83-86
'Travellers' Songs from England and Scotland' (E. MacColl & P. Seeger, 1977) pp. 50-51
'Folk-Song of the North-East' (G. Greig, K. Goldstein & A. Argo, 1963 reprint) art. CVI
'Traditional Tunes of the Child Ballads' vol. 1 (B. H. Bronson & F. J. Child, 1959) pp. 39-100
Recording Location
County - Kinross-shire
Parish - Kinross
Village/Place - Kinross
Language
Scots
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good