song lyrics
The Cruel Sister lyrics

A farmer lived in the North Country,
Hey ho, bonny-o,
He had daughters one, two, three.
One was as bright as is the sun,
And coal black grew another one.
A knight came riding to the farmer s door,
He d travelled far to be their wooer.
He courted one with gloves and rings,
He loved the other above all things.
Oh sister, won t you walk with me,
The swans they swim so bonny-o.
And see the ships sail on the sea?
And as they passed the river s brim,
The eldest pushed the youngest in.
Sometimes she sank, sometimes she swam,
Crying, "Sister, reach to me your hand!"
I ll give you neither hand nor glove,
Less you give me your own true love.
The miller s daughter, dressed in red,
Went for some water to bake some bread.
Oh, Father, Father, here swims a swan,
The river carries her body on.
They laid her on the bank to dry,
There came a minstrel passing by.
He made pins of her fingers fair,
And he made strings of her golden hair.
He made a harp out of her breastbone,
The sound of which would melt a heart of stone.
He took it to her father s hall
The family there assembled all.
He placed the harp upon a stone
And it began to play alone.
The first string sang a doleful sound:
The younger sister, she is drowned.
The second string the minstrel tried,
And terror seized the black-haired bride.
The third string played beneath her bones,
And surely now her tears will flow.
song lyrics