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Description
An old English song with the usual themes: forbidden love, murder and the odd ghost.
Bruton is in Somerset in south west England ... the story goes back to at least the 14th century and a long version of it is inscribed on the wall of a pub there.
Rebsie: vocals
William: mandolin, fiddle, MDF desk top, PETI software harmonium, software bass
Words and music: traditional, arranged by William and Rebsie (well, mostly William actually)
**Note: we had to repost this because of a technical fault on the mp3. Apologies to those of you who had already left comments!**
Bruton is in Somerset in south west England ... the story goes back to at least the 14th century and a long version of it is inscribed on the wall of a pub there.
Rebsie: vocals
William: mandolin, fiddle, MDF desk top, PETI software harmonium, software bass
Words and music: traditional, arranged by William and Rebsie (well, mostly William actually)
**Note: we had to repost this because of a technical fault on the mp3. Apologies to those of you who had already left comments!**
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Lyrics
In Bruton Town there lived a farmer
Who had three sons and a daughter dear
By day and night they were contriving
To fill their parents' hearts with fear
One told his secret to no other
But to his brothers this he said
I think our servant courts our sister
I think they have a mind to wed
They asked him then to go a-hunting
Without any fear or strife
But these three bold and wicked ruffians
They took away this young man's life
And in the ditch there was no water
Where only bush and briars grew
They could not hide the blood of slaughter
So in the ditch his body threw
When they returned home from from hunting
She asked them for her servant man
We've lost him when we've been a-hunting
No more of him we could not find
As she lay dreaming on her pillow
She thought she saw her heart's delight
By her bedside as she lay weeping
He was all dressed in bloody white
Don't weep for me my dearest jewel
Don't weep for me or care or pine
For your three brothers slayed me cruel
In such a place you may me find
So she went early the next morning
To where the bush and briars grow
The only love that she admired
She found the ditch where he was thrown
Three days and nights she did sit by him
Till her poor heart was filled with woe
Then cruel hunger came upon her
And to her home she had to go
When she returned to her brothers
Sister, why do you look so wan?
Brother, don't ask the reason of me
For his sake you shall be hung
Who had three sons and a daughter dear
By day and night they were contriving
To fill their parents' hearts with fear
One told his secret to no other
But to his brothers this he said
I think our servant courts our sister
I think they have a mind to wed
They asked him then to go a-hunting
Without any fear or strife
But these three bold and wicked ruffians
They took away this young man's life
And in the ditch there was no water
Where only bush and briars grew
They could not hide the blood of slaughter
So in the ditch his body threw
When they returned home from from hunting
She asked them for her servant man
We've lost him when we've been a-hunting
No more of him we could not find
As she lay dreaming on her pillow
She thought she saw her heart's delight
By her bedside as she lay weeping
He was all dressed in bloody white
Don't weep for me my dearest jewel
Don't weep for me or care or pine
For your three brothers slayed me cruel
In such a place you may me find
So she went early the next morning
To where the bush and briars grow
The only love that she admired
She found the ditch where he was thrown
Three days and nights she did sit by him
Till her poor heart was filled with woe
Then cruel hunger came upon her
And to her home she had to go
When she returned to her brothers
Sister, why do you look so wan?
Brother, don't ask the reason of me
For his sake you shall be hung
Tom Atwood
What struck me most about this arrangement is the restraint
throughout. Understated vocal (lovely), spare instrumentation (what is
an MDF?), and the fiddle-playing and mandolin were excellent. The
mandolin on the verses sounds almost like a ghostly harmony, thought
for a minute mando had died and come back singing in tune (just
kidding). Gallows humor.
Ok, great job. Difficult I think to make a long song like this interesting,
but you have done it with what I think is an astounding, inspired
arrangement. 9's & 10's as usual.