Bonny Banks Of Ardrie O- Osborne (Newfoundland) 1960
[Collected in 1960 from Joshua Osborne of Seal Cove, White Bay, NL, by Kenneth Peacock and published in Songs Of The Newfoundland Outports, Volume 3, pp.809-810, by The National Museum Of Canada (1965), and recorded by Peacock on his album Songs and Ballads of Newfoundland (Folkways FG 3505, LP, 1956).
R. Matteson 2012, 2014]
The Bonny Banks Of Ardrie-O from Joshua Osborne of Seal Cove, White Bay, Newfoundland 1960, by Kenneth Peacock
There were three sisters lived alone,
All a-lee and a-lonely-o;
The deep green wood they called their home,
On the bonny, bonny banks of Ardrie-o.
To gather herbs they went one day,
All a-lee and a-lonely-o;
They met a robber on their way,
On the bonny, bonny banks of Ardrie-o.
He took the eldest by the hand,
All a-lee and a-lonely-o;
He wheeled her 'round till he made her stand,
On the bonny, bonny banks of Ardrie-o.
Saying, "Will you be a robber's wife,"
All a-lee and a-lonely-o;
"Or will you die by my pen-knife?"
On the bonny, bonny banks of Ardrie-o.
"I will not be a robber's wife,"
All a-lee and a-lonely-o;
"I would rather die by your pen-knife."
On the bonny, bonny banks of Ardrie-o.
He then took up his own pen-knife,
All a-lee and a-lonely-o;
'Twas there he ended her sweet life,
On the bonny, bonny banks of Ardrie-o.
He then took the second by the hand,
All a-lee and a-lonely-o;
He wheeled her 'round till he made her stand,
On the bonny, bonny banks of Ardrie-o.
Saying, "Will you be a robber's wife?"
All a-lee and a-lonely-o;
"Or will you die by my pen-knife?"
On the bonny, bonny banks of Ardrie-o.
"I will not be a robber's wife."
All a-lee and a-lonely-o;
"I would rather die by your pen-knife."
On the bonny, bonny banks of Ardrie-o.
He took the youngest by the hand,
All a-lee and a-lonely-o;
He wheeled her 'round till he made her stand,
On the bonny, bonny banks of Ardrie-o.
Saying, "Will you be a robber's wife?"
All a-lee and a-lonely-o;
"Or will you die by my pen-knife?"
On the bonny, bonny banks of Ardrie-o.
"I will not be a robber's wife."
All a-lee and a-lonely-o;
"And I will not die by your pen-knife."
On the bonny, bonny banks of Ardrie-o.
"If my brothers were only here,"
All a-lee and a-lonely-o;
"You would not have killed my sisters dear."
On the bonny, bonny banks of Ardrie-o.
"Who are your brothers, come tell me."
All a-lee and a-lonely-o;
"A minister one hopes to be."
On the bonny, bonny banks of Ardrie-o.
"Who is the other, come tell to me."
All a-lee and a-lonely-o;
"He is a robber just like thee."
On the bonny, bonny banks of Ardrie-o.
"Oh, my God, look what I have done,"
All a-lee and a-lonely-o;
"I have killed my sisters all but one."
On the bonny, bonny banks of Ardrie-o.
He then took up his own pen-knife,
All a-lee and a-lonely-o;
'Twas there he ended his own sweet life,
On the bonny, bonny banks of Ardrie-o.