Braes of Strathblane

DESCRIPTION: Singer meets a girl. He wants to marry her; she says her parents would be displeased if she married a rover. He'll go court another. She begs him to come back; she's changed her mind. She regrets slighting him, fearing she'll never find another
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1891 (Kidson-TraditionalTunes); c.1850 (broadside, NLScotland L.C.Fol.178.A.2(063))
LONG DESCRIPTION: Singer meets a young girl, bleaching her clothes. He tells her he's been wanting to marry her for the past year; she tells him to hold his tongue, as her parents would be displeased if she married a rover. He tells her the clouds are heavy, and he fears it will rain, so he'll go court another. She tells him to come back, for she's changed her mind. But he leaves, and she regrets slighting him, fearing she'll never find another man
KEYWORDS: courting rejection parting rambling lover
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber,Bord,High)) Canada(Mar,Newf) US(Ro)
REFERENCES (12 citations):
Ford-VagabondSongsAndBalladsOfScotland, pp. 77-78, "The Braes o' Strathblane" (1 text)
Ord-BothySongsAndBallads, p. 125, "The Braes o' Strathblane" (1 text)
MacColl/Seeger-TravellersSongsFromEnglandAndScotland 53, "The Braes of Strathblane" (1 text, 1 tune)
Greig-FolkSongInBuchan-FolkSongOfTheNorthEast #18, pp. 1-2, "The Braes o' Strathdon" (1 text)
Kidson-TraditionalTunes, pp. 90-91, "The Braes of Strathblane" (1 text, 1 tune)
Greig/Duncan6 1132, "The Braes o' Strathdon" (8 texts, 9 tunes)
Peacock, pp. 499-500, "The Beach of Strablane" (1 text, 1 tune)
Karpeles-FolkSongsFromNewfoundland 61, "The Bleaches So Green" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-FolksongsFromSouthernNewBrunswick 45, "Just As I Was Going Away" (1 fragment, 1 tune)
Pottie/Ellis-FolksongsOfTheMaritimes, pp. 104-105, "The Blades of Strawblane" (1 text, 1 tune)
Manny/Wilson-SongsOfMiramichi 60, "The Braes of Strathblaine" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hubbard-BalladsAndSongsFromUtah, #47, "The Braes of Strachblane" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #1096
RECORDINGS:
M. Curran, "The Banks of Tralee" (on MUNFLA/Leach)
Nicolas Keough, "The Beach of Strablane" (on PeacockCDROM)
Mrs. McCarthy, "Beaches So Green" (on MUNFLA/Leach)
Mike McGrath, "The Bleach of Strathblane" (on ITMA/CapeShoreNL)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 26(73), "The Braes of Strathblane," unknown, n.d.; also Firth c.26(240), "The Braes of Strathblane"
Murray, Mu23-y1:044, "The Braes of Strathalbene," James Lindsay Jr. (Glasgow), 19C
NLScotland, L.C.Fol.178.A.2(063), "The Braes of Strathblane," unknown, c.1850
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Rejected Lover" [Laws P10] and references there
cf. "The Chippewa Girl" [Laws H10] (words, theme)
cf. "As I Stood At My Cottage Door" (tune, see notes for broadside NLScotland L.C.Fol.178.A.2(063))
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Blades of Strawblane
NOTES [76 words]: Commentary to broadside NLScotland L.C.Fol.178.A.2(063): "This song, indeed, an identical match to the lyrics of 'The Braes of Strathdon', which lies in Aberdeenshire. On other broadsides the suggested to tune to these lyrics is often 'As I stood at my cottage door'."
According to the ITMA/CapeShoreNL notes for this song, "The Bleach of Strathblane," "The 'bleach' refers to the hills around Strathblane where local women laid their laundry to dry." - BS
Last updated in version 4.5
File: McCST053

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