Back in the auldin days, fan these sangs wir screeved, yi coodna jist mairry a quine; ye hid tae ask aa her faimly’s permishin or yid be in trouble.
This sang’s aboot a knicht forgettin tae ask the lassie’s brither if it wis aricht tae mairry her. Big mistake! Maybe he felt insulted, or maybe he jist didna wint her tae mairy an hae bairns, as it wid cut intae his inheritance.
Note
There’s a puckle different versions o this sang, some wi three ladies, some wi three knichts, but I’ve jist cut it doon tae one o each or we’d be here a nicht.
The earliest version comes fae a wifey caed ‘Mrs Brown o Falkland’ in 1800. She wis only in Falkland cos she moved there wi her husband fa wis a meenister. She wis born & bred in Aiberdeenshire.
Ballad: The Cruel Brither (Child 11) Singer: Emma Spiers Accompanists: Tom Spiers, Fiddle / Martin McDonald, Guitar
