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The Bonny Birdy

[ Roud 3972 ; Child 82 ; Ballad Index C082 ; DT BONBIRDI ; trad.]

John Jacob Niles: The Ballad Book of John Jacob Niles Sigrid Rieuwerts: The Ballad Repertoire of Anna Gordon, Mrs Brown of Falkland

Ray Fisher sang Bonny Birdy, accompanied by Martin Carthy on guitar and Bobby Campbell on fiddle, as the title track of her 1972 Trailer album The Bonny Birdy. She noted:

This ballad belongs to the Little Musgrave/Mattie Groves family, and contains a vein of humour that is not so evident in other known versions. To elaborate: The tale-telling little foot page of the Musgrave texts becomes the bonny birdy here and informs the wronged knight of his wife’s infidelity. By means of a chorus—which forms an integral part of the plot—the birdy sets the scene. He explains his reasons for turning informer on his mistress. She has failed to feed him; refused to amuse him with the ‘little wee simmerdale wanny’ (a branch from a willow tree) which she was supposed to dangle gently in front of him, as one would dangle a rattle in front of a child. Instead, she starves him and beats him over the head with the aforementioned ‘simmerdale wanny’. Thus, knight and birdy bring about the demise of the lover. The lady is subsequently incarcerated in her pitch-black chamber, crying “O wow for day” as the credits roll. The form of the ballad contained here is initially the brainchild of Martin Carthy.

Propagators of the highland fling will recognise the tune as being akin to that used by them, namely Devil in the Kitchen. My contribution to this mammoth production is lingual and vocal.

Peter Knight, who played on other songs on Ray Fisher’s album, sang Bonny Birdy on Steeleye Span’s 1998 CD, Horkstow Grange. He noted::

The main part of this Scottish ballad is the same as The Little Musgrave [Child 81]. In this story, the false knight gives his lover a bird, and instructs her to feed it, and play with it. She does neither, so the bird flies off to spill the beans. A box of chocolates would have been safer.

Peter Knight also sang Bonny Birdy on Gigspanner’s May 2010 tour. A live recording was released in the same year on their CD Doors at Eight.

Fiona Hunter learned Bonny Birdy from the singing of Ray Fisher and sang it on her 2024 album Atween the Salt Sea and the Sand.

Lyrics

Ray Fisher sings Bonny Birdy

There was a knight on a simmer’s nicht,
Cam ridin’ ower the lea, Diddle.
There he spied a bonny birdy
Sittin’ in a tree — Singin’

Chorus:
Wow for the day, Diddle: Gin it were the day
O gin it were day and gin I were away,
For I hinna lang time to stay Diddle!

Mak haste, mak haste, my gentle knight,
What keeps ye here sae late? Diddle.
Gin ye kent what was dae’in at hame
I fear ye wad look blate. Diddle!

Chorus

O why should I toil nicht and day
My fair body to kill?
When I hae knights at my command
And ladies at my will?

O ye lee, ye lee, my gentle knight,
Sae loud’s I hear ye lee,
For there lies a knight in your wife’s airms
That she lo’es better gin ye. Diddle!

Chorus

O ye lee, ye lee, my bonny birdy,
Yer o’ercam’ gies me pain.
It’s I’ll tak oot my bonny bow
And yer heid I’ll split in twain!

But before ye get yer guid bow bent
And a’ yer arrows yare,
I will flee, til anither tree
Where I can better fare!

Chorus

O where wis ye gotten,
and where was ye cleek’d,
My bonny birdy, tell me?
It was in the greenwood, intil a holly tree.
And a gentleman cam’ ridin’ by –
And fae my nest he herried me.
Pit me in a cage o’ gowd
And gied me tae his Lady.

Chorus

On guid white breid and farrow-cow milk
Ye bade her feed me aft.
And ye gied her a little wee simmerdale wanny
Tae ding me sindle and saft.

But wi’ guid white breid and farrow-cow milk
I wot, she fed me nocht:
And wi’ yon bonny wee simmerdale wanny,
She dang’d me sair and aft!

Chorus:
O wow for the day, Diddle: Gin it were the day!
Had your guid Lady but keepit her word
I wadna thus betray her

So the knight he rade and the birdy flew,
The lee-lang simmer’s night:
Until they cam tae the Lady’s door
And e’en doon they did light.

Chorus

The birdy flappit: the birdy flew:
The birdy chirpit rarely:
The birdy sat on the crap o’ a tree
And syne he sang fu’ clearly …

Chorus:
Wow for the day Diddle: Gin it were the day!
He that’s in bed wi’ anither man’s wife,
It’s time he wis away!
Time he wis away O! Time he wis away!
He that’s in bed wi’ anither man’s wife,
It’s time he wis away!

Lie still, lie still, my gentle knight,
What maks ye toss and turn?
The birdy’s sang, it troubles me
And I fear a comin’ storm.

Is no yer hawk upon its perch,
Yer horse eats oats and hay:
And ye’ve a Lady in yer airms,
How can ye wish for day?

Chorus:
O wow for the day Diddle: Gin it were the day!
He that’s in bed wi’ anither man’s wife,
It’s time he wis away! Diddle!

Well, he’s turned himsel’ but ower again
Tae tak a little sleep:
When he awoke, the Lady’s Lord
Was standin’ at their feet – Cryin’

Chorus:
Wow for day! O Gin it were the day!
He that’s in bed wi’ anither man’s wife,
It’s time he wis away!

So the knight has drawn oot his lang sword,
And straik’d it ower a strae:
And thro’ and thro’ the false knight’s hairt
He gart cauld iron gae,

Chorus:
O wow for the day, Diddle Gin it were the day!
O gin it were day and gin I were away,
For I hinna lang time tae stay Diddle!

O monie were the servants a
That bore the corpse alang:
And monie were the noble knights
That heard him curse and bang! He cries …

Chorus:
Wow for the day! O Gin it were the day!
O gin it were day and gin I wis away,
For I hinna lang time tae stay! Diddle!

Then he’s dark’d her windows up secure
Wi’ muckle shutters strang:
And there was neither sun nor sky –
But darkness her aroond – She cries …

Chorus:
Wow for day! Diddle! Gin it were the day!
O gin it were day and gin I were away.
For I canna here langer stay!
O wow for day! O Gin it were the day
But there was never a living soul
That ever cam her way! Diddle!

Peter Knight sings Bonny Birdy

O it’s of a knight on a summer’s night
Was riding o’er the lee, diddle
There he spied a bonny bird
Sitting upon a tree. Singing:

Chorus:
“Wow for the day!
An gin it for the day!
Oh gin it were day,
And gin I were away!
I ha na lang time to stay.” diddle

“O make hast, make hast, ye gentle knight,
What keeps you here so late? diddle
Gin ye kent what’s doing at hame,
I fear ye would look blate.” diddle

Chorus

“O why should I toil day and night,
My fair body to kill,
For ninety knights at my command,
An ladys at my will?”

“O ye lee ye lee ye gentle knight
So loud I hear you lee: diddle
There’s a knight in your lady’s arms
And she lees better than thee.” diddle

Chorus

“O ye lee, you lee you bonny bird,
But you’ll no lee again,
For I will tak my bonny bow,
An split your head in twain.”

“But afore ye hae your bow well bent,
An a’ your arrows yare, diddle
I will flee tae another tree,
Where I may better fare.” diddle

Chorus

“O whare was ye gotten, and whare was ye clecked?
Pray bonny birdy, tell me:”
“O it was in the green wood,
Intil a holly tree

An a gentleman came riding by,
An frae my nest he herryed me,
Put me in a silver cage,
An ga me to his lady.”

Chorus

“Then wi good white bread an farrow-cow milk
He bade her feet me aft
An ga her a little wee simmer-dale wanny,
To ding me sindle and saft.

But wi good white bread an farrow-cow milk
I wot she fed me naught,
An wi a little wee simmer-dale wanny,
She dang me sindle and saft.”

Chorus

“Time he was away
O time he was away
For he that’s in bed
Wi’s another man’s wife
It’s time he was away.” diddle

So the knight he rade, and the birdy flew …

“Lie still, lie still, ye gentle knight,
What makes ye toss an turn?”
“A birdy sang an it troubles me,
An I fear a coming storm.”

“But is no your hawk upon its perch?
Your horse eats oats and hay
An ye’ve a lady in your arms
How can ye wish for day?” diddle

So he’s turned himself at o’er again,
To take a little sleep,
And when he awoke the lady’s lord
Was standing at their feet. Crying:

Chorus

So then he’s taken out his sword
An straiked it o’er a strae,
An thro an thro the false knight’s heart
He ’s gard cauld iron gae. diddle

Chorus

Then he’s darked the windows up secure
With muttle shudders sprang
An there was neither sun nor sky
But darkness in her room. She cries:

“Wow for the day!
An gin it for the day!
Oh gin it were day,
And gin I were away!
I can na langer stay.” diddle

“Wow for the day!
An gin it for the day!
For there was never a living soul
That ever came our way.” diddle