DESCRIPTION:
From the CD booklet:
"This is a Swedish version of the weel-kent ballad which Steve translated into Scots. We first heard this during a tour of Sweden in 2003 when we were introduced to the music of the band Folk och Rackare, as Malinky had been advertised as "the Scottish Folk & Rackare" - namely a band which took old traditional ballads and made them anew. We were delighted to perform a duet Swedish/Scots version with the band Ranarim at the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow in 2007. The harp metaphor is often found as a fiddle in Scottish versions."

Trad. Translated S. Byrne, arr. Malinky
Child ballad no. 10

Lyrics:
A fermer he bade on the white sea strand
Blaws a cald cald weather ower the faim
And twa fine dochters had this man
Blaws a cald cald weather ower the faim

The ane wis bricht as the clearest sun
Blaws...
The ither she wis black as the blackest coal
Blaws...

We twa maun ging wash in the watter noo
So I micht mak masel sae milkwhite as you

Gin ye wash as the nicht and the leelang day
Ye'll ne'er mak yersel sae milkwhite as me

Syne they baith stood on the white sea strand
So stotted the black ane her sister aff the sand

Oh sister, oh sister help me tae land
An ah'll gie tae you ma bonniest leman

It's weel Ah'll hae yer fair leman
But nae mair upon this green earth ye'll gang

There bade a harper on the strand
He spied in the water a deid body swam

The harper he's brocht her body fair
He's made fae her breist bane a harp sae rare

The harper he's taen her gowden hair
Harpin strings he's made frae her
The harper he's taen her fingers sma
He made the harp pegs frae them sa
He's pit them tae her white breist bane
The harp it rang wi a voice tae melt stane

He's taen the harp tae the merriage fayre
The bride she danced wi a gowd band in her hair

Twa blaws up on the gowd harp rang
This bride she has taen ma fairest leman

On Sunday she sat on the bride stool reid
On Monday she wis burned intae ashes and she deed

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As always I am not affiliated with this band and only uploading this for the sake of sharing some of their music. Please support bands that you like, you can order their album Far Better Days that this is from on their site:
http://malinky.com/