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The Twa Magicians (Child 44)

from Blood & Roses Volume 5 by Ewan MacColl & Peggy Seeger

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about

Child's only version of this fine ballad, a Scots one from Aberdeenshire; was "Englished" by A.L. Lloyd in the 1960's and wedded to a Greig-Duncan tune of "Katherine Jaffray" (Child 221). It became, and deservedly so, a very popular item in the repertory of folk-revivalists. France, Poland, Italy, Catalan Spain, Greece, Roumania and Turkey have all yielded sets of the ballad.

lyrics

The lady stands at her bower door
As straucht's a willow-wand
The blacksmith stood a little forbye
Wi' his hammer in his haund.

O, weel hae ye dressed, ye lady fair
In a' your robes o' reid.
Before the morn at this same time
I'll gain your maidenheid.

Awa', awe' ye coal-black smith
And wad ye dae me wrong?
To think to gain my maidenheid
That I hae kep' sae lang.

Then she has hauden up her haund
And swore by the Trinity,
Though ye gie me thoosand poonds,
Your leman I'd never be.

And he has hauden up his haund tae
And he swore by the Mass,
I'll tak' ye tae my bed, lady,
For the half o' that and less.

Bide, lady, bide,
And aye he bade her bide,
The rusty smith your Leman shall be
For all your muckle pride

Then she became a turtle-dow
To fly up in the air,
And he became anither dow
And they flew pair and pair.

Bide, lady, bide,
And aye he bade her bide,
The rusty smith your Leman shall be
For all your muckle pride

She's turned hersel' intae an eel
Tae swim intae yon burn,
And he became a speckled trout
To gie the eel her turn,

Bide, lady, bide,
And aye he bade her bide,
The rusty smith your Leman shall be
For all your muckle pride

Then she became a duck, a duck
To paddle in the burn,
And he became a rose-kaimed drake
To tread her at ilka turn.

Bide, lady, bide,
And aye he bade her bide,
The rusty smith your Leman shall be
For all your muckle pride

She's turned hersel' intae a hare
Tae run upon yon hill,
And he became a guid greyhoond
And coursed her at his will,

Bide, lady, bide,
And aye he bade her bide,
The rusty smith your Leman shall be
For all your muckle pride

Then she became a bonnie grey mare
And stood in yonder slack,
And he became the gilt saddle
That lay across her back.

Bide, lady, bide,
And aye he bade her bide,
The rusty smith your Leman shall be
For all your muckle pride

Then she became a hot girdle
And he became a cake;
And a' the ways she turned hersel'
The blacksmith was her make.

Bide, lady, bide,
And aye he bade her bide,
The rusty smith your Leman shall be
For all your muckle pride

She's turned hersel' intae a ship
To sail out ower the flood,
But he's drove a nail intae her tail
And syne that ship she stood.

Bide, lady, bide,
And aye he bade her bide,
The rusty smith your Leman shall be
For all your muckle pride

Then she became a silken plaid
And stretched oat on the bed,
And he became a green blanket
And gained her maidenheid.

Bide, lady, bide,
And aye he bade her bide,
The rusty smith her leman was
For a' her muckle pride.

credits

from Blood & Roses Volume 5, released September 14, 1986
Ewan MacColl - vocals
Peggy Seeger - dulcimer
Neill MacColl - mandolin, backing vocals
Calum MacColl - backing vocals

Produced by Calum MacColl
Engineered by Nigel Cazaly

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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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