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Can Ye Sew Cushions?

[ Roud 5527 ; Ballad Index MSNR135 ; DT CUSHION2 ; trad.]

Isla Cameron sang O Can Ye Sew Cushions on the 1955 Columbia anthology The Columbia World Library of Folk and Primitive Music – Volume VI: Scotland. She also sang it on the 1964 album of her, Bob Davenport, Jakc Armstrong and The Rakes, Northumbrian Minstrelsy. Reg Hall noted on the latter album::

Isla learned this from a Mrs. Mackay over the border in Scotland. It is a very ancient Scots nurse’s lullaby.

The Ian Campbell Group sang Can Ye Sew Cushions in 1967 on their Transatlantic album New Impressions. Ian Campbell noted:

This another of those songs which fall into the same category as Aye Waukin O. Scotland has many of these nineteenth century drawing room folksongs which are frequently performed in a simpering twitter from behind a lace hanky. This style of singing is irrelevant and misleading, and often alienates the folksong enthusiast from what may be a lovely song. Although these songs have obviously undergone much restoration and refinement in their passage through the drawing room soiree, I feel sure that they are a real part of our tradition and deserve a place in the repertoire of the contemporary folksong revivalist.

Fraser and Ian Bruce sang Can Ye Sew Cushions? on their 1982 album Veil of the Ages. This track was included in 2015 on their Greentrax anthology The Best of Mrs Bruce’s Boys.

Christine Kydd sang Can Ye Sew Cushions / Two Children in 1993 on her Fellside album Heading Home. She noted:

Two songs about children. The first, from Edinburgh and very probably an example of a song which is not attributed to a writer, but by its style is almost certainly the work of one person. There are many songs in the Scottish repertoire which fall into this category. The second song is the words of Kahlil Gibran, set to music by Bernice Regan Johnson and played around with considerably, by me.

Moira Craig sang O Can Ye Sew Cushions on her 2000 album On ae Bonny Day. She noted:

This lullaby appeared in Johnson’s Scots Musical Museum of 1796 and Burns has been credited with having collected and adapted it It bears a striking resemblance to one written by Lady Caroline Nairne, a contemporary of Burns which I found in a little book published after her death (Lady Nairne and Her Songs, 1899). She wrote other well known Scottish songs such as Caller Herrin’ and Land o’ the Leal.

Kathryn Tickell and Corrina Hewat sang Felton Lonnen and one verse of O Can Ye Sew Cushions? in 2006 on their Park album The Sky Didn’t Fall. Kathryn Tickell noted:

I’ve always loved this song. The second verse was added in the 1960s by Johnny Handle of the High Level Ranters and quickly became assimilated into the tradition. The words don’t reveal whether or not the child ever came home, but I like to imagine his mother singing this to him while he’s tucked up in bed after being found safe and well.

And Corrina Hewat added:

When Kathryn sang Felton Lonnen to me, it reminded me of the lullaby O Can Ye Sew… they sound very similar, especially at 3am after a hard day at the tunes.

Christina Stewart sang Can Ye Sew Cushions on her 2010 album of lullabies from Scottish tradition, Kist o Dreams. She noted:

Robert Burns published a version of this song nearly 300 years ago. This is a family version which I got from a variety of sources including my aunts Margaret McKirdy and Chrys Todd. There are ‘darker’ versions in print, particularly in the chorus line which some have as “Hee o wee o, what’ll I dae wi ye, Black’s the life that I lead wi ye, O’er many o ye, little for tae gie ye, Hee o wee o what’ll I dae wi ye?”

Mairi Campbell sang O Can Ye Sew Cushions in 2011 on Concerto Caledonia’s album Revenge of the Folksingers.

Lyrics

Christina Stewart sings Can Ye Sew Cushions?

Can ye sew cushions, an can ye sew sheets?
Can ye sing balulow until the bairn sleeps?
Balulow lammie, Balulow lamb
Balulow lammie, ma bonnie wee one

Hee o wee o, what’ll I dae wi’ ye
Black’s the night, but Minnie’s here wi’ ye
Hee o wee o little for tae gie ye
Hee o wee o what’ll I dae wi’ ye?

I hung thy cradle on yon holly top,
An’ aye when the wind blew thy cradle did rock
Ye’re rockin’ fu’ sweetly on Minnie’s warm knee
Puir Daddy is rockin’ upon the cauld sea

Hush a bye bairnie, hush a bye dear
Does wee lammie ken that yer Daddy’s no here?
The wild wind is ravin’ thy minnies hairt’s sair,
The wild wind is ravin’, but ye dinna care

Can ye sew cushions, an can ye sew sheets?
Can ye sing balulow until the bairn sleeps?
Balulow lammie, Balulow dear
Balulow lammie, thy mammie is here

Mairi Campbell sings O Can Ye Sew Cushions

O can ye sew cushions or can ye sew sheets,
Or can ye sing balalulow when the bairn greets?
O hee and haw, birdie, o hee and ho-ree,
O hee and haw, birdie, my bonnie wee doo.

Hee-o, wee-o, what would I do wi’ ye?
Black’s the life that I lead wi’ ye,
Mony o’ ye, nothing for to gi’ ye,
Hee-o, wee-o, what would I do wi’ ye?

I’ll place yon cradle on yon holly top,
And aye as the wind blew, the cradle will rock.
O hee and haw, birdie, o hee and ho-ree,
O hee and haw, birdie, my bonnie wee doo.