The Dowie Dens o Yarrow
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1953.240.A2
Original Tape ID
Summary
In this ballad, a young woman has nine suitors, but loves only a ploughboy, who rides out to fight the nine gentlemen. Despite holding his own on the battlefield, the ploughboy is killed by the young woman's brother, who stabs him from behind. The young woman has a foreboding dream, which is interpreted by her father, who confirms that her lover has been slain. She goes to find his body at Yarrow, and laments, praising him as the finest flower of Yarrow.
Item Notes
10 verses of 4 lines. Recorded at the 3rd People's Festival Ceilidh in Edinburgh in 1953.
See:
Greig-Duncan vol. 2, pp. 99-113
'Tocher' 26 (1977) p. 83
'Scottish Ballads' (E. Lyle, 1994) pp. 211-213
'Traditional Tunes' (F. Kidson, 1891) pp. 21-24
'Bothy Songs & Ballads' (J. Ord, 1930) pp. 426-427
'101 Scottish Songs' (N. Buchan, 1962) pp. 132-133
'The Scottish Ballads' (R. Chambers, 1829) pp. 164-167
'Ballads of Scotland' vol. 1 (W. E. Aytoun, 1858) pp. 187-190
'Minstrelsy Ancient & Modern' (W. Motherwell, 1827) pp. 252-255
'Ancient Ballads and Songs' vol. 2 (P. Buchan, 1828) pp. 193-196
'A Collection of Scots Songs' (A. Munro & H. Henderson, 1972) p. 38
'Till Doomsday in the Afternoon' (E. MacColl & P. Seeger, 1986) pp. 179-181
'Last Leaves of Traditional Ballads' (A. Keith, G. Greig, 1925) pp. 141-144
'Travellers' Songs from England and Scotland' (E. MacColl & P. Seeger, 1977) pp. 95-102
'Folk-Song of the North-East' (G. Greig, K. Goldstein, A. Argo, 1963 reprint) art. LVII
Recording Location
County - Midlothian
Parish - Edinburgh
Village/Place - Edinburgh
Item Location
County - Selkirkshire
Parish - Yarrow
Village/Place - Yarrow Valley
Language
Scots
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Fair