> Steeleye Span > Songs > Alison Gross

Alison Gross / Alison Cross

[ Roud 3212 / Song Subject MAS191 ; Child 35 ; Ballad Index C035 ; DT ALIGROSS ; Mudcat 25270 , 153463 ; trad.]

Sheila Douglas: Come Gie’s a Sang James Kinsley: The Oxford Book of Ballads Sigrid Rieuwerts: The Ballad Repertoire of Anna Gordon, Mrs Brown of Falkland

John Laurie recited the Child ballad Alison Gross in 1959 on the anthology The Jupiter Book of Ballads.

Ewan MacColl sang Allison Gross in 1967 on the Argo album Poetry and Song Vol. 5.

Dave and Toni Arthur sang Alison Gross in 1970 on their Trailer album Hearken to the Witches Rune, set to a melody that seems to be a modified (modal) form of the tune Cecil Sharp found in Somerset with The Knight and the Shepherd’s Daughter, including a form of the refrain: “Line, twine, the willow dee” [Mudcat Café note from Malcolm Taylor].

Steeleye Span recorded Alison Gross, translated from the original Scots, shortened, arranged and set to the tune Down in Yon Forest by Bob Johnson, for their 1973 album Parcel of Rogues. A live recording from the Royal Opera Theatre in Adelaide, Australia in 1982 was released on their rare Australia-only LP On Tour and in 2001 on their CD Gone to Australia.

Folque did a wonderful Norwegian version of Alison Gross in 1974 on their eponymous debut album, Folque.

Jon Rennard sang Alison Gross in 1975 on the Traditional Sound cassette Wayside Tradition. This track was included in 2015 as a bonus track of the digital release of his 1971 Traditional Sound album The Parting Glass.

Lizzie Higgins sang Alison Cross in 1985 on her Lismor album What a Voice. The liner notes commented:

A haunting, fanciful ballad of magic and transformation. Alison Cross came to Lizzie through her father, who learned it from his mother. The ballad has many Scandinavian analogues.

An earlier recording of Lizzie Higgins singing Alison Gross (note spelling!), made by Peter Hall at the Jeannie Robertson Memorial Concert in 1977, was released in 2006 on her Musical Traditions anthology In Memory of Lizzie Higgins. Rod Stradling noted in the accompanying booklet:

The text originally appeared in Jamieson, Popular Ballads and Songs 2 [1806], pp.187-190, said to have been collected from Mrs Anna Brown, of Falkland, Aberdeen, in 1792-1794; the only collection from the oral tradition.

Lizzie was deeply interested in the interfaces between the worlds of ordinary folk, of those who practised the Black Arts in league with the Devil, and—as in this ballad—of those of the Scottish fairies, an amoral, unpredictable tribe of whom Stanley Robertson says, “We call them the Guid Folk—because they can dee you an awful lot of damage” (Barrie’s dangerously vicious Tinker Bell being a prime depiction). The hero of the song can count himself lucky that the Queen of the Fairies took pity on him, even as a much-desired witch’s pet (although, as Child observed, the Scottish Queens are reputed to be more favourably inclined to help humans enchanted by their subjects). Stanley Robertson comments that Lizzie started singing this late in life and probably derived it from print.

Elspeth Cowie learned Alison Cross from Lizzie Higgins when she lived in Aberdeen. She sang it as member of the band Seannachie on the 1994 Greentrax anthology of songs from the Tron Tavern, Edinburgh, Ceilidh House Sessions, and on her 2000 CD Naked Voice. She also sang it at Celtic Connections at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall in January 2001. This concert was released a year later on the Greentrax CD Scots Women.

Judy Cook sang Alison Gross on her 1998 album If You Sing Songs…. She noted:

Learned from Steeleye Span. I leave out the heavy rock beat and electric guitars, and add back in a few verses from Child where it is ballad #35. I find the tune, when smoothed out, is remarkably similar to the traditional carol Down in Yon Forest from The Oxford Book of Carols.

Malinky sang Alison Cross in 2000 on their Greentrax album Last Leaves. This track was also included in 2007 on the WildGoose anthology Songs of Witchcraft and Magic. A live recording from Glasgow Royal Concert Hall at Celtic Connections 2000 was included in 2019 on the bonus CD of their 20^th anniversary album Handsel. They noted:

It’s generally a mistake to say no to witches, especially if they try to buy you off as their lover (leman). This guy was really lucky the good fairie queen helped him out. [Alexander Keith’s] Last Leaves refers to a version from [about] 1783 by a Mrs Brown and ours is a shortened version from the singing of the great Lizzie Higgins, which leaves you to wonder exactly what a thing-that-toddles-around-the-tree might be. Perish the thought.

Wendy Weatherby sang Alison Cross in 2010 on her Fellside CD A Shirt of Silk or Snow.

Rapunzel and Sedayne sang Alison Cross in 2011 on the Woodbine & Ivy Band’s CD The Woodbine & Ivy Band.

Judy Baker and Annie Grace sang and played Alison Gross in 2016 on the Greentrax anthology of pipe music and song from the Scottish Borders, Reclaimed.

Hannah Rarity sang Alison Cross, with lyrics very similar to Malinky’s, on her 2018 CD Neath the Gloaming Star.

Lyrics

Steeleye Span sing Alison Gross

Alison Gross that lives in yon tower,
The ugliest witch in the North Country,
Has trysted me one day up to her bower
And many a fair speech she made to me.

She stroked my head and she’s combed my hair,
She set me down softly on her knee,
Saying, “If you will be my lover so true
So many good things I would give to you.”

“Away, away, you ugly witch,
Go far away and let me be.
I never will be your lover so true
And wish I were out of your company.”

Chorus (after every other verse):
Alison Gross, she must be
The ugliest witch in the North Country.
Alison Gross, she must be
The ugliest witch in the North Country.

She showed me a mantle of red scarlet
With golden flowers and fringes fine,
Says, “If you will be my lover so true
This goodly gift it shall be thine.”

She showed me a shirt of the softest silk,
Well wrought with pearls about the band,
Saying, “If you will be my lover so true
This goodly gift you shall command.”

She showed me a cup of the good red gold
Well set with jewels so fair to see,
Says, “If you will be my lover so true
This goodly gift I would give to thee.”

“Away, away, you ugly witch,
Go far away and let me be.
I never would kiss your ugly mouth
For all of the gifts that you could give.”

She’s turned her right and round about
And thrice she blew on a grass-green horn,
She swore by the moon and the stars up above
That she’d make me rue the day I was born.

Then out she has taken a silver wand,
She’s turned her three times round and round.
She’s muttered such words till my strength it did fail
And she’s turned me into an ugly worm.

Lizzie Higgins sings Alison Cross

Aul’ Alison Cross she lives in yon tower,
The ugliest witch in the North Countrie,
Has trysted me day forbore
And mony a braw speech she’s made tae me.

Chorus (after each verse):
Awa, awa, ye ugly witch,
Haud far awa an’ lat me be.
Afore I’ll kiss your ugly mou
I’ll raither toddle aroond a tree.

She showed me a mantle o reid scarlet
Wrocht wi golden fringes fine.
“Gin ye’ll be my lemman saw true,
This guidly gift it sal be thine.”

She showed me a sark o the softest silk,
Weel wrocht wi pearls aboon the band.
“Gin ye’ll be my lemman sae true,
This guidly gift at your command.”

She showed me a cup of the guid red gowd
Weel wrocht wi jewels sae fair and fine.
“Gin ye’ll be my lemman sae true,
This guidly gift it sal be thine.”

She’s taen oot her grass green horn,
She’s blew it three times loud and shrill,
Swore by the moon and the stars aboon
She’d gar him rue the day that he was born.

She’s taen oot her silver wand,
She’s turned three times aroond the tree,
Muttered sic words that my senses failed
And I fell doon senseless tae the ground.

Wi silver basin an silver kaim
Tae kaim my heidie upon her knee,
High on ilkae Saturday nicht
Aul Alison Cross she comes tae me.

But it fell upon last Halloween
When the Seely Courts cam ridin by,
The Queen’s lichit on a gowan bank
Nae far frae the tree whaur I did lie.

She’s liftit me in her milk-white haun,
She’s strikt me three times on her knee,
She’s turned me back tae my proper shape:
Nae mair I’ll toddle aroond a tree.

Judy Cook sings Alison Gross

Alison Gross, that lives in yon tower
The ugliest witch in the North Country
Has trysted me one day up to her bower
And many fair speeches she made to me

She stroked my head and she combed my hair
She set me down softly upon her knee
Said: “If you will be my lover so true,
So many fine things I would give to thee.”

She showed me a mantle of red scarlet
With golden flowers and fringes fine
Said: “If you will be my lover so true,
This goodly gift it shall be thine.”

Away, away you ugly witch
Go far away and let me be
I never will be your lover so true
And I wish I were out of your company

She next brought a shirt of the softest silk
Well wrought with pearls all about the band.
Said: “If you will be my own true love,
This goodly gift you shall command.”

She showed me a cup of the good red gold
Well set with jewels so fair to see
Said: “If you will be my lover so true,
This goodly gift I will give to thee.”

Away, away you ugly witch
Go far away and let me be,
For I would not once kiss your ugly mouth
For all of the gifts you could give to me.

She’s turned her right and round about
Three times she blew on a grass green horn
She swore by the moon and the stars up above
That she would make me rue the day that I was born

Then out she has taken a silver wand
She’s turned her three times round and round
She muttered such words that my strength it did fail
And I fell down senseless upon the ground

She’s changed me into an ugly worm
And made me toddle about the tree
And ever since then, every Saturday night
My own sister Maisery, she comes to me

With a silver basin and silver comb
To comb my headey upon her knee
But sooner than kiss that ugly mouth
I’d much rather toddle about the tree

But then as it happened, last Halloween
The fairy court was riding by
The queen lighted down on the gowany bank
Not far from the tree where I did lie

She took me up in her milk white hand
She stroked me gently across her knee
She changed me back into my own proper shape
And no more need I toddle about the tree.

Malinky sing Alison Gross

Alison Gross lives in yon tower,
The ugliest witch in the North countrie.
She’s trysted me ae day til her bower
And mony’s the braw speech she made tae me.

She showed me a mantle o reid scarlet
Weel wrocht wi gowd and fringes fine,
Says, “Gin ye’ll be my leman sae true
This gudely gift it shall be thine.”

Chorus (after every other verse):
Awa, awa ye ugly witch,
Haud far awa and let me be.
Afore I’ll kiss yer ugly mou
I’d raither toddle aroond the tree.

She showed me a sark o the saftest silk
Weel wrocht wi pearls abune the band,
Says, “Gin ye’ll be my leman sae true
This gudely gift’s at your command.”

She showed me a cup o the gude reid gowd
Weel wrocht wi jewels sae fair and fine,
Says, “Gin ye’ll be my leman sae true
This gudely gift it shall be thine.”

And she’s ta’en oot her grass green horn,
She blew it three times loud and shrill.
She swore by the moon and the stars abune
She’d gar me rue the day I ever was born.

And she’s ta’en oot her silvery wand,
She straiked it three times o’er her knee,
She’s muttered sic words as my senses failed
I feel doon senseless tae the ground.

It fell upon last Halloween
When the seely coort came riding by,
The Queen’s lichit doon on a gowany bank
Nae far fae the tree whaur I did lie.

And she’s ta’en oot her silvery wand,
She straked it three times o’er her knee,
She’s turned me back tae ma proper shape
Nae mare tae toddle around the tree.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Patrick Montague for correcting the Steeleye Span lyrics.