The Two Sisters- Horton Barker (Virginia) 1939
[From a recording by Halpert in 1939. Horton Barker's version, this time titled 'Twa Sisters' was recorded by Dr. W. A. Abrams in 1951, at the time Abrams was editor of the Brown Collection of NC folklore. Horton Barker again sang the ballad for Abrams at Barker's home in Chilhowie, Virginia, in June, 1952. Compare to Barker's version in the Brown Collection of NC folklore. Not sure why Barker is included since he was from Virginia.
R. Matteson 2011, 2014]
FOLK MUSIC OF THE UNITED STATES
Issued from the Collections of the Archive of American Folk Song
33 A. THE TWO SISTERS Sung by Horton Barker at Chilhowie, Virginia, 1939. Recorded by Herbert Halpert.
IN THE United States, the "romantic and mournful song" of "The Twa Sisters" has become pure melodrama, with the miller (who originally came to the younger sister's rescue) displacing the elder sister as the villain of the piece. Gone, too, is the folk-tale motif of the singing bones. This has to do with fitting the hair and other parts of the drowned girl's body into a harp or other musical instrument, whose "voice" exposes the jealous sister's guilt. Horton Barker gives -the song a slightly droll turn, and makes the most of the dance-like refrain. In this connection it is interesting to note that the use of the ballad as a dance-song has been reported from Nebraska by Louise Pound, from Kentucky by Jean Thomas, and from Mississippi by A. P. Hudson. (See The American Play-Party Song, by B. A. Botkin, Lincoln, Nebraska, 1937, pp. 69-61.) For texts and notes, see The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, edited by Francis James Child, Part I (Boston, 1882), No. 10. B. A. B.
1. There was an old woman lived on the seashore,
Bow and balance to me.
There was an old woman lived on the seashore,
Her number of daughters one, two, three, four,
And I'll be true to my love if my love'll be true to me.
2. There was a young man came by to see them,
And the oldest one got struck on him.
3. He bought the youngest a beaver hat,
And the oldest one got mad at that.
4. "Oh, sister, oh, sister, let's walk the seashore,
And see the ships as they sail o'er."
5. While these two sisters were walking the shore,
The oldest pushed the youngest o'er.
6. "Oh, sister, oh, sister, please lend me your hand,
And you may have Willie and all of his land."
7. "I never, I never will lend you my hand,
But I'll have Willie and all of his land."
8. Sometime she sank and sometime she swam,
Until she came to the old mill dam.
9. The miller he got his fishing hook,
And fished the maiden out of the brook.
10. "Oh, miller, oh, miller, here's five gold rings,
To push the maiden in again."
11. The miller received those five gold rings,
And pushed the maiden in again.
12. The miller was hung at his own mill gate,
For drowning little sister Kate.