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Young Johnstone (Child 88)

from Blood & Roses Volume 3 by Ewan MacColl & Peggy Seeger

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about

Of the six versions of this bloody balled given in Child, only Peter Buchan's provides a motive for the unfortunate Johnstone's murder of his mistress. Child's note on the ballad is coloured with some of the prejudice which marks most of his references to Buchan and he treats the explanation with more than a little contempt. And yet is it so far outside the bounds of possibility that a violent young man who has recently killed his friend in a drunken argument should unwittingly stap the sister on being suddenly wakened out of a drunken stupor?

lyrics

Young Johnson and young Connel
They sat drinking at the wine;
Gin ye wad marry my sister
It's I wad marry thine.

I wadnae marry your sister
For your houses and your land
But I'll keep her for my leman
Whe I come over the strand.

I wadnae marry your sister
For a' your gowd sae gay!
But I'll keep her for my leman
When I come by this way.

Young Johnson had a little wee sword
Hung low doon by his gair;
And he stabbed it through young Connel's hairt
And word he ne'er spak' mair.

Then he's awa' tae his sister's bower
And tirled at the pin;
Whaur hae ye been, my brither dear,
Sae late as ye come in?
I hae been at the school, sister,
Learnin' young clerks tae sing.

I dreamed a dreary dream this nicht
I dout it means nae gude;
I dreamed the ravens tore your flesh
And the wolves did drink your blood.

ae dream o' blood, my sister dear,
I dout means muckle ill;
For I hae slain young Connel
And they're seekin' me to kill.

If ye hae slain young Connel
Then ye'll get nae help fae me;
May wolves and ravens tear your flesh
As you hing on the gallows-tree.

Then he's awa' tae his true love's bower
And tirled at the pin;
Whaur hae ye been, young Johnson,
Sae late as ye come in?
I hae been at the school, my love,
Learnin' young clerks tae sing.

I dreamed a dreary dream this nicht
I dout it means nae gude.
They were seekin' ye wi' hawks and hounds
And the wolves did drink your blood.

Hawks and hounds they may seek me,
As I trow weel they be;
For I hae killed young Connel,
The ae brither was he.

Gin ye hae slain my ae brither,
Alas and wae is me!
But gin your body's free frae wounds
The easier I will be.

Lie doon, lie doon, then, young Johnson,
Lie doon and tak' your sleep;
It's ower this chaulmer I will watch,
Thy fair body to keep.

He hadnae slept within' that bower
An hour but barely three,
When four-and-twenty belted knichts
Did seek his fair body.

And when they cam' unto the gate
Unto her they did say:
O did you see yon bloody knicht
As he rode by this way?

Whit colour was his hawk, she said,
Whit colour was his hounds?
Whit colour was his gallant steed
That bore him frae the toon?

O, bloody, bloody was his hawk
And bloody was his hounds;
But milk-white was the gallant steed
That bore him frae the toon.

Gin his hawk was red wi' blood,
And bloody was his hounds,
He's ower yon hill and far awa'
He's gane tae Embro toon.

They've turned their high horses' heids
And fast they rode awa';
And she's gane whaur young Johnson lay
And softly she did ca'.

Lie still, lie still, my young Johnson,
Lie still and tak' your sleep;
But he's ta'en up his twa'edged sword
And wounded her fu' deep.

Whit aileth thee, my young Johnson,
Some ill deith may ye dee!
First ye hae slain my ae brither
And noo ye hae slain me.

O live, O live, my ain true love,
O live but half-an-hour!
And the best doctor in Embro toon
Shall come within your bower.

How can I live? How shall I live?
Young Johnson, dinna ye see
The red draps o' my bonnie hairt's blood
Rin trinklin' by my knee?

Tak' aff, tak' aff my holland sark
And rive't frae gair tae gair;
And stap it in my bloody wound
That it may bleed nae mair.

Syne he's ta'en aff her holland sark,
And rive't frae gair tae gair;
And stapped it in her bloody wound
But aye it bled the mair.

Then he has ta'en his twa-edged sword
And leaned it on the ground,
And he has gi'en his ain body
A deep and deadly wound.

credits

from Blood & Roses Volume 3, released September 14, 1982
Ewan MacColl - vocals

Produced by Neill MacColl
Engineered by Nick Godwin
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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