I’ve never heard Tom Waits. Or maybe i did heard one of his song as a back sound of an Allen Ginsberg poetry reading. But i found him again on Terry Gilliam’s Dr Parnassus and i had to check him out.
This rendering of a folk song by Waits really got in to me. I’ve always liked folk songs. I mean real folk songs too, not just anything acoustic like folk is referred to nowadays. To me, folk songs seems to have some ghostly quality, like an old photograph or an old portrait. It’s like we can hear all the people who’ve sung them from another time. A time when songs are not quite a commodity yet.
On top of that, i like whiskey n cigarette voice which apparently Waits is famous for. So, of course I’m currently downloading the Waits album where this song came from; Orphan Brawlers, Brawlers, Bastards.
Here are the lyrics of the song:
There was an old woman, lived by the seashore
Bow and balance me
There was an old woman, lived by the seashore
A number of daughters: one, two, three, four
And I’ll be true to my love
if my love will be true to me
There was a young man come there to see them
Bow and balance me
There was a young man come there to see them
and the oldest one got stuck on him
And I’ll be true to my love
if my love will be true to me
He bought the youngest a beaver hat
Bow and balance me
He bought the youngest a beaver hat
and the oldest one got mad at that
And I’ll be true to my love
if my love will be true to me
Oh, sister oh, sister let’s walk the seashore
Bow and balance me
Oh, sister oh, sister let’s walk the seashore
and see the ships as they’re sailing on
And I’ll be true to my love
if my love will be true to me
While these two sisters were walking the shore
Bow and balance me
While these two sisters were walking the shore
the oldest pushed the youngest o’er
And I’ll be true to my love
if my love will be true to me
Oh, sister oh, sister please lend me your hand
Bow and balance me
Oh, sister oh, sister please lend me your hand
and you will have Willy and all of his land
And then I’ll be true to my love
if my love will be true to me
I’ll never, I’ll never will lend you my hand
Bow and balance me
I’ll never, I’ll never will lend you my hand
but I’ll have Willy and all of his land
And I’ll be true to my love
if my love will be true to me
Some time she swam and some time she swam
Bow and balance me
Some time she sank and some time she swam
untill she came to the old mill dam
And I’ll be true to my love
if my love will be true to me
The miller, he got his fishinghook
Bow and balance me
The miller, he got his fishinghook
and fished that maiden out of the brook
And I’ll be true to my love
if my love will be true to me
Oh, miller oh, miller here’s five gold rings
Bow and balance me
Oh, miller oh, miller here’s five gold rings
to push the maiden in again
And I’ll be true to my love
if my love will be true to me
The miller received those five gold rings
Bow and balance me
The miller received those five gold rings
and pushed that maiden in again
And I’ll be true to my love
if my love will be true to me
The miller was hung in the old mill gate
Bow and balance me
The miller was hung in the old mill gate
for drowning little sister Kate
And I’ll be true to my love
if my love will be true to me
