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Edom O’ Gordon (Child 178)

from Blood & Roses Volume 1 by Ewan MacColl & Peggy Seeger

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The assassination in 1570 of the regent Murray plunged Scotland into a three-year orgy of furious and constant butchery. In Aberdeenshire, the struggle for power between Queen Mary's Catholic party, on the one hand, and her son's (James VI) Protestant party, on the other, was fought out between the Catholic Cordons and the Protestant Forbes family. Sir Adam Gordon (Edom o' Gordon), the queen's lieutenant-deputy in the north, was successful, on two occasions, in routing the Forbesee in armed encounters. "But what glory and renown," says the contemporary history of King James VI, "he (Gordon) obtained of these two victories was all cast down by the infamy of his next attempt; for immediately after this last conflict, he directed his soldiers to the castle of Towie, desiring the house to be rendered to him in the queen's name; which was obstinately refused by the lady, and she burst forth with certain injurious words. And the soldiers being impatient, by command of their leader, Captain ter, fire was put to the house, wherein she and the number of 27 persons were cruelly burnt to death." This was in November, 1571.

Of the seven versions given by Child, only the one taken from Motherwell's MS contains the moving epitaph that concludes our version of the ballad.

lyrics

It fell aboot the Martinmas time
When the wind blew shrill and cauld,
Said Edom o' Cordon tae his men,
"We maun draw tae some ha'.

"Whit ha', whit ha', my merry men?
"Whit ha', whit ha'?" quo' he.
"I think we'll gang tae Towie's hoose,
"And see his fair lady."

She thocht it was her ain dear lord
That she saw riding hame;
But 'twas the traitor, Edom o' Gordon
That reeked nee sin nor shame.

"Come doon, come doon, Lady Campbell," he said,
"And gie your hoose to me;
"Or else this nicht I swear I'll burn
You and your bairns three."

"I winna come doon,", the lady said
"For laird nor yet for loon,
"Nor yet for ony rank robber
"That comes frae Auchendown.

"Come here, come here, my Jock," she cried,
"And gie my gun tae me.
"This nicht I'll malt' a Gordon bleed,
"A fause traitor tae dee."

The lady, free the battlements,
Twa bullets she let flee;
But she missed her mark wi' Gordon
For it only grazed his knee.

"Noo, Lady Campbell," the Gordon cried,
"That shot will cost you dear."
And he has ca'd the lady's Jock
To bring the faggots near.

"For seven years," the lady said,
"I paid ye weel your fee;
"And would ye noo turn Gordon's Jock
"And burn my babes and me?"

For seven years I served ye weel
And ye paid me weel my fee;
But noo I am turned Gordon's Jock,
I maun either do or dee.

Then oot it spak her youngest son,
Sat on the nurse's knee:
"Open the door and let me oot,
"For the reek is choking me."

"I would gie a' my land," she said,
"My gear and a' my fee,
"For ae blast o' yon wastlin' wind
"Tae blaw the reek frae thee."

Then oot and spak her dochter dear
She was baith jimp and sma:
"O, row me in a pair o' sheets
"And throw me ower the wa'."

They've rowed her in a pair o' sheets,
And thrown her ower the wa',
But on the point o' Gordon's sword
She's got a deidly fa'.

The Gordon turned her ower and ower,
And O, her face was wan;
Ye are the first that e'er I slew
I wished alive again."

The Gordon turned her ower and ower,
And O, her face was white;
I micht hae spared that bonnie face
T'hae been some man's delight.

O, wae tae see yon castle brunt
That was built wi' stone and lime;
And wae for Lady Campbell hersel
That was brunt wi' her bairns nine.

Three o' them were married wives,
And three o' them were bairns,
And three o' them were leal maidens
That ne'er lay in men's airms.

credits

from Blood & Roses Volume 1, released September 12, 1979
Ewan MacColl - vocals

Produced by Neill MacColl
Engineered by Nikki Cohen & Nigel Sharpe
Recorded at Pathway Studios, London

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Ewan MacColl London, UK

This site is maintained by the MacColl family, aiming to make Ewan's catalogue available to download.
Ewan MacColl is known to most as a songwriter and singer, but he was also of significant influence in the worlds of theatre and radio broadcasting. His art reached huge numbers through the folk clubs, greater numbers through his recordings and untold millions through the radio. ... more

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