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Twa Corbies
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'Twa Corbies' is a 'folk-metal' version of a traditional Scottish border ballad. In it, two crows discuss their dinner vis-a-vis a slain knight. How metal is that!?
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Riffs and weirdness from high in the Andes! Eclectically influenced & viscerally direct guitar rock.
Formed in 1971 ;) Carl grew up on a musical diet of folk, jazz, and classical music, before succumbing to the heady glories of rock-and/or-roll in a teenage daze. Since then, he's played various instruments (badly) on several continents. Recently relocated to Bogotá, Colombia, he has mucking around in his (extremely rudimentary) home studio -- and, of course, is hoping to (re)connect with other musicians for collaboration, on-line or on-stage!
Song Info
Genre
Metal • Heavy Metal
Charts
#7,353 today Peak #79
#2,663 in subgenre Peak #27
Author
Trad. arr. Carl Edlund Anderson
Rights
2008 Carl Edlund Anderson.
Uploaded
June 17, 2008
Track Files
MP3
MP3 6.2 MB • 128 kbps • 6:43
Story behind the song
This is a folk-metal version of the Scottish border ballad "Twa Corbies". The lyrics are traditional (originally collected without a tune), here based on those found in Sir Walter Scott's collection Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. The music is also largely traditional, based principally Breton tune called "An Alarc'h" ("The Swan", first published in 1839 in Hersart de Villemarque's Berzaz Breiz). Both words and music are perhaps likely to be some centuries older than their collection/publication dates, but who knows? At any rate, they were first combined in the 1960s by Maurice Blythman (aka Thurso Berwick) or Ray Fisher (or both). In any case, Fisher's 1962 recording on Far over the Forth went on to inspire the versions by artists such as Steeleye Span, Boiled in Lead, the Old Blind Dogs -- and now me! :) Besides generally rocking things up with a kind of "late Sabbath" vibe ;) my version adds a short bridge-like riff of my own composition that occurs after some verses. I'm honoured that on 03 March 2008 a lecture entitled "Border Ballads, Past and Present" by folk-music researcher and professional singer Poppy Holden for the Music in the North East and Borders module of the International Centre for Music Studies, University of Newcastle upon Tyne quoted my version of "Twa Corbies" as an example of living border ballad tradition. Traditional music will never die: it just gets louder! :)
Lyrics
As I was walking all alane, I heard twa corbies making a mane; And t'ane untae the t'other say-o, Where sall we gang and dine to-day-o? Where sall we gang and dine to-day? In behind yon auld fail dyke, I wot there lies a new slain knight; And naebody kens that he lies there-o But his hawk, his hound, and lady fair-o, His hawk, his hound, and lady fair. His hound is to the hunting gane, His hawk to fetch the wild-fowl hame, His lady's ta'en another mate-o, So we may mak our dinner sweet-o, We may mak our dinner sweet. O you sit on his white hause-bane, And I'll pike out his bonny blue een. Wi' many lock o his golden hair-o We'll theak our nest when it grows bare-o, Theak our nest when it grows bare. O many a one for him makes mane, But nane shall ken where he is gane. Oer his white banes, when they are bare-o The wind shall blow for evermair-o, The wind shall blow for evermair.
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