Loreena McKennitt
Loreena McKennitt - The Bonny Swans songtekst
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Over deze songtekst:
Dit is een van de vele Engelse versies van het lied 'The Twa Sisters'.
Het gaat over 2 zussen die naar een rivier gaan (in sommige varianten is het de zee). De oudere zus duwt haar jongere zusje in het water en weigert haar te redden. Het meisje verdrinkt. Ze wordt gevonden en men maakt van haar botten een muziekinstrument. Meestal een harp of viool. De snaren worden gemaakt van haar haren.
Het bijzondere is dat het muziekinstrument vanuit zichzelf kan spelen en zingen. Het zingt over de moord die heeft plaats gevonden.
In sommige versies wordt de oudere zus veroordeeld vanwege de moord. Het motief voor de moord is (sexuele) jaloezie.
'The Twa Sisters' behoort tot het genre dat men 'Murder ballads' noemt.
A farmer there lived in the north country a hey ho bonny o And he had daughters one, two, three The swans swim so bonny o These daughters they walked by the river`s brim a hey ho bonny o The eldest pushed the youngest in The swans swim so bonny o Oh sister, oh sister, pray lend me your hand with a hey ho a bonny o And I will give you house and land the swans swim so bonny o I`ll give you neither hand nor glove with a hey ho a bonny o Unless you give me your own true love the swans swim so bonny o Sometimes she sank, sometimes she swam with a hey ho and a bonny o Until she came to a miller`s dam the swans swim so bonny o The miller`s daughter, dressed in red with a hey ho and a bonny o She went for some water to make some bread the swans swim so bonny o Oh father, oh daddy, here swims a swan with a hey ho and a bonny o It`s very like a gentle woman the swans swim so bonny o They placed her on the bank to dry with a hey ho and a bonny o There came a harper passing by the swans swim so bonny o He made harp pins of her fingers fair with a hey ho and a bonny o He made harp strings of her golden hair the swans swim so bonny o He made a harp of her breast bone with a hey ho and a bonny o And straight it began to play alone the swans swim so bonny o He brought it to her father`s hall with a hey ho and a bonny o And there was the court, assembled all the swans swim so bonny o He laid the harp upon a stone with a hey ho and a bonny o And straight it began to play lone the swans swim so bonny o And there does sit my father the King with a hey ho and a bonny o And yonder sits my mother the Queen the swans swim so bonny o And there does sit my brother Hugh with a hey ho and a bonny o And by him William, sweet and true the swans swim so bonny o And there does sit my false sister, Anne with a hey ho and a bonny o Who drowned me for the sake of a man the swans swim so bonny o