1. |
Babe on the Shore
05:38
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A hundred years ago, so the old folk say
The body of a babe was found where it lay
Wrapped in shawl of seaweed, washed up on the shore
Robbed of mother's love..... for evermore
A meeting it was held, and the minister declared
We must find the mother, no effort shall be spared
The unmarried women, from the land and from the town
Must be brought unto the kirk, where the truth will be found
CHORUS
O mother mine, I am all forlorn
Cast into the sea when I was born
Forever winter, under the icy waves
till I will snuggle warm to your breast again
The women were lined up & the midwife watched them well
From their face & their demeanor she was sure she could tell
But no-one shed a tear, nor shame was there betrayed
So the minister he ordered that the body be displayed
CHORUS
The babe was passed along...now the tears did flow!
As the tiny fragile body reached the hindmost of the row
And this was Mary Taylor, where the wee thing came to rest
Then the ghost of it broke free and it suckled at her breast
O mother mine, I’m so warm
Held fast to your breast where I belong
Winter is over now that we are one
As I snuggle warm to your breast again
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2. |
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When father died late last year, well none of us mourned him
For he was so cruel with tongue and fists
To show that we had no fear we slid the rings from his fingers
Which we wore round our necks and round our wrists
And mother was first, she danced round the room
And did a wee bow at the door
The three of us waved, as she ran down the path
Her body was found on the moor
Then after the funeral fuss we stayed by the firelight
For fear that the ghosts would hang around
As the shadows danced over us, I thought I saw something
But I sat and I never made a sound
Well, Jane was the next, she bade us good night
Then cuddled her doll as she did pray
She took to her bed with the ring on her wrist
And she was found dead at break of day
I had my suspicions now, that father had risen
His ghost was so cruel, just like in life
I felt his breath on my brow, and his stench in my nostrils
I was ready again with my penknife
But Bill was the third, he was crossing the yard
On his way to get coal in the rain
I watched as a crow flew out of a tree
I never saw brother Bill again
So now I am all alone, while ghosts walk around me
They watch every single move I make
And I am just skin and bone, and I am resigned now
My fate it is sealed, so I just shake
And sometimes I hear a tap on the door
Or a familiar tread on the stair
And it's father, I know, I wait for his laugh
To signal it's time to join him there
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