Loreena McKennitt - Annachie Gordon

Harking is bonny and there lives my love
My love lies on him and cannot remove
It cannot remove for all that I have done
And I never will forget my love Annachie
For Annachie Gordon he's bonny and he's bright
He'd entice any woman that e'er he saw
He'd entice any woman and so he has done me
And I never will forget my love Annachie.

Down came her father and he's standing at the door
Saying Jeannie you are trying the tricks of a whore
You care nothing for a man who cares so much for thee
You must marry Lord Saltoun and leave Annachie
For Annachie Gordon is barely but a man
Although he may be pretty but where are his lands
For the Saltoun's lands are broad and his towers they run high
You must marry Lord Saltoun and leave Annachie.

With Annachie Gordon I beg for my bread
Before I marry Saltoun his gold to my head
With gold to my head and straight down to my knee
I'll die if I don't get my love Annachie
And you who are my parents to church you may me bring
But onto Lord Saltoun I'll never bear a son
To a son or a daughter I'll never bow my knee
And I'll die if I don't get my love Annachie.

Jeannie was married and from church was brought home
When she and her maidens so merry should have been
When she and her maidens so merry should have been
She goes into her chamber and cries all alone.

Come to bed my Jeannie my honey and my sweet
To stile you my mistress it would be so sweet
Be it mistress or Jeannie it's all the same to me
But in your bed Lord Saltoun I never will lie
And down came her father and he's spoken with reknown
Saying you who are her maidens
Go loosen up her gowns
And she fell down to the floor
And straight down to his knee saying
Father look I'm dying for my love Annachie.

The day that she married was the day that Jeannie died
And the day that young Annachie came home on the tide
And down came her maidens all wringing of their hands
Saying oh it's been so long? You've been so long on the sands
So long on the sands so long on the flood
They have married your Jeannie and now she lies dead.

You who are her maidens come take me by the hand
And lead me to the chamber where my love she lies in
And he kissed her cold lips till his heart it turned to stone
And he died in the chamber that his love she lies in.


Traditional, arranged by Loreena McKennitt
From: Parallel dreams (1989).

The lyrics in the CD-booklet have in the second line "My heart lies on him ...", but Loreena sings "My love ..." [with thanks to TLModoono].

Lord Saltoun / Lord Sultan

Regarding the name of the Lord that Jeannie has to marry: CD-the booklet says "Sultan", but that is not really the name of a Scottish lord. Lauri Murakami pointed out to me that it should be "Lord Saltoun", which in Scottish sounds like the English word "sultan" (which is an islamic title). See for example the lyrics on this web page.

For more info on the background of the song, see this page at Wikipedia, which notes that the lyrics of this Scottish folk song were first published in 1824-28.

 
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last modified: 30 September 2010