Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
The Clattering of the Clyde Waters / The Clattering o' Clyde Waters / Clyde's Water / Clyde's Waters / Willie and May Margaret / The Drowned Lovers / The Mother's Malison (Child No. 216) - Sung by Ewan MacColl on "The English and Scottish Popular Ballads (The Child Ballads) Volume IV" (1956) Riverside RLP 12-627/628 (2 LP, USA, 1956).
Note by Kevin W.:
Prof. Child titled this ballad "The Mother's Malison" (Child 216). A malison is a curse. Child's three texts have the mother lay a curse on Willie for visiting his lover against her will. It is implied that the curse causes the tragedy. However the handful of texts from 20th century traditional singers lost the mention of the mother's curse. The bleeding at the nose in the opening verse of John Strachan's text is a bad omen, a sign of bad things about to happen.
Lines Notes by Prof. Kenneth S. Goldstein:
This ballad appears to be quite rare; Child knew it only in three versions, all from the first quarter of the 19th century.
In part of its plot, the ballad shows startling resemblance to The Lass of Roch Royal (Child 76). In Clyde’s Water, the mother, pretending to be her daughter, repels the lover, and the daughter, who has dreamed that her lover had come and had been refused admittance, is told by her mother that this had actually happened, and set off in pursuit of her lover. Parts have been exchanged by the sexes involved (as frequently happens in ballads),but substantially the same occurrences take place in The Lass of Roch Royal, in which the lass is turned away by Lord Gregory’s mother pretending to speak in his person.
Bleeding at the nose (stanza one of this version) as a bad omen, occurs in several ballads, including Lord Derwentwater (Child 208).
The ballad is little known in tradition outside of Scotland. Greig collected four versions in Aberdeenshire early in this century, and it appears to exist in tradition in Scotland. MacColl’s version was learned mostly from recitation by his mother. Stanzas 10, 11, and 13 were learned from Jeannie Robertson, housewife and former tinker of Aberdeen.
Song transcription:
O Willie stands at his ha' door,
And aye he straiked his milk-white steed;
And then oot over his white fingers,
His nose began to bleed.
O mither, gie my horse its corn,
Gie some meat to my servant man;
For I'm awe' to Maggie's bower,
I'll in ere she lies doon.
O, Willie, bide this nicht at hame,
Bide this nicht at hame wi' me;
And the bestan sheep in a' the fauld
For your supper ye shall hae.
Ye can keep your sheep and a' your flocks,
For them I wouldna gie a pan;
For I'm awa' to Maggie's bower,
And this nicht I'll win in.
Gin ye should gang to Maggie's bower
It will be sair against my will;
The deepest hole in Clyde's water
My malison ye'll fill.
Then he rode up yon high, high hill,
And he rode doon yon dowie glen;
The rush that was in Clyde's water
Was white before his e'en.
O Clyde, sae loud and wild ye roar,
Your waters they rin wide and deep;
Gin ye permit me to gang over,
A tryst wi' you I'll keep.
Then he rode on tae Maggie's bower,
And he has tirled low at the pin;
Sleep ye or wake ye, my dear Maggie,
O rise, and let me in.
O, wha's it stands at my ha' door,
And wha is it kens me by my name?
It is your ain true love, your Willie
That's newly tome frae hame.
Open the door, O Maggie, dear,
Open the door and let me in;
For my shoon are fu' o' Clyde's water
And I'm shivering to the chin.
My barns are fu' o' corn, Willie,
And a' my byres they are fu' o' hay;
My bower is fu' o' gentlemen,
And they'll bide here till day.
Then fare ye weel, my fause true love,
Fare ye weel and a Ling adieu;
I got my mither's malison
This nicht when I cam' to you.
Then he's gane up yon high, high hill,
And he rode doon yon dowie glen;
The rush that was in Clyde's water
Took the whip frae Willie's hand.
The rush that was in Clyde's water
Took his hat from him by force;
The rush that was in Clyde's water
Took Willie frae his horse.
Just at the hour young Willie fell
Into the hole sae wide and deep,
Then awoke his ain dear Maggie,
Oot o' her drowsy sleep.
Come here, come here, O mither dear,
Mither, come here and read my dream:
I dreamed my love stood at our ha' door,
And nane would let him in.
Lie doon, lie doon, my Maggie dear,
Maggie, lie doon and tak' your rest;
Your ain true love was at our ha' door,
No' twa quarters past.
Then nimbly, nimbly she rose up;
"Willie!" she cried, "O turn again!"
But the higher that the lady cried,
The louder blew the wind.
The firstan step the lady took
She steppit in untae the quoit;
The nextan step the lady cried,
"Your water's' wondrous deep!"
The nextan step the lady took
She steppit in unto the chin;
The deepest hole in Clyde's water
She found young Willie in.
Willie, ye'd a cruel mither,
And a cruel ane had I;
But we will cheat them baith, my Willie,
In Clyde's waters we will lie.
The Clattering of the Clyde Waters / The Clattering o' Clyde Waters / Clyde's Water / Clyde's Waters / Willie and May Margaret / The Drowned Lovers / The Mother's Malison (Child No. 216) - Sung by Ewan MacColl on "The English and Scottish Popular Ballads (The Child Ballads) Volume IV" (1956) Riverside RLP 12-627/628 (2 LP, USA, 1956).
Note by Kevin W.:
Prof. Child titled this ballad "The Mother's Malison" (Child 216). A malison is a curse. Child's three texts have the mother lay a curse on Willie for visiting his lover against her will. It is implied that the curse causes the tragedy. However the handful of texts from 20th century traditional singers lost the mention of the mother's curse. The bleeding at the nose in the opening verse of John Strachan's text is a bad omen, a sign of bad things about to happen.
Lines Notes by Prof. Kenneth S. Goldstein:
This ballad appears to be quite rare; Child knew it only in three versions, all from the first quarter of the 19th century.
In part of its plot, the ballad shows startling resemblance to The Lass of Roch Royal (Child 76). In Clyde’s Water, the mother, pretending to be her daughter, repels the lover, and the daughter, who has dreamed that her lover had come and had been refused admittance, is told by her mother that this had actually happened, and set off in pursuit of her lover. Parts have been exchanged by the sexes involved (as frequently happens in ballads),but substantially the same occurrences take place in The Lass of Roch Royal, in which the lass is turned away by Lord Gregory’s mother pretending to speak in his person.
Bleeding at the nose (stanza one of this version) as a bad omen, occurs in several ballads, including Lord Derwentwater (Child 208).
The ballad is little known in tradition outside of Scotland. Greig collected four versions in Aberdeenshire early in this century, and it appears to exist in tradition in Scotland. MacColl’s version was learned mostly from recitation by his mother. Stanzas 10, 11, and 13 were learned from Jeannie Robertson, housewife and former tinker of Aberdeen.
Song transcription:
O Willie stands at his ha' door,
And aye he straiked his milk-white steed;
And then oot over his white fingers,
His nose began to bleed.
O mither, gie my horse its corn,
Gie some meat to my servant man;
For I'm awe' to Maggie's bower,
I'll in ere she lies doon.
O, Willie, bide this nicht at hame,
Bide this nicht at hame wi' me;
And the bestan sheep in a' the fauld
For your supper ye shall hae.
Ye can keep your sheep and a' your flocks,
For them I wouldna gie a pan;
For I'm awa' to Maggie's bower,
And this nicht I'll win in.
Gin ye should gang to Maggie's bower
It will be sair against my will;
The deepest hole in Clyde's water
My malison ye'll fill.
Then he rode up yon high, high hill,
And he rode doon yon dowie glen;
The rush that was in Clyde's water
Was white before his e'en.
O Clyde, sae loud and wild ye roar,
Your waters they rin wide and deep;
Gin ye permit me to gang over,
A tryst wi' you I'll keep.
Then he rode on tae Maggie's bower,
And he has tirled low at the pin;
Sleep ye or wake ye, my dear Maggie,
O rise, and let me in.
O, wha's it stands at my ha' door,
And wha is it kens me by my name?
It is your ain true love, your Willie
That's newly tome frae hame.
Open the door, O Maggie, dear,
Open the door and let me in;
For my shoon are fu' o' Clyde's water
And I'm shivering to the chin.
My barns are fu' o' corn, Willie,
And a' my byres they are fu' o' hay;
My bower is fu' o' gentlemen,
And they'll bide here till day.
Then fare ye weel, my fause true love,
Fare ye weel and a Ling adieu;
I got my mither's malison
This nicht when I cam' to you.
Then he's gane up yon high, high hill,
And he rode doon yon dowie glen;
The rush that was in Clyde's water
Took the whip frae Willie's hand.
The rush that was in Clyde's water
Took his hat from him by force;
The rush that was in Clyde's water
Took Willie frae his horse.
Just at the hour young Willie fell
Into the hole sae wide and deep,
Then awoke his ain dear Maggie,
Oot o' her drowsy sleep.
Come here, come here, O mither dear,
Mither, come here and read my dream:
I dreamed my love stood at our ha' door,
And nane would let him in.
Lie doon, lie doon, my Maggie dear,
Maggie, lie doon and tak' your rest;
Your ain true love was at our ha' door,
No' twa quarters past.
Then nimbly, nimbly she rose up;
"Willie!" she cried, "O turn again!"
But the higher that the lady cried,
The louder blew the wind.
The firstan step the lady took
She steppit in untae the quoit;
The nextan step the lady cried,
"Your water's' wondrous deep!"
The nextan step the lady took
She steppit in unto the chin;
The deepest hole in Clyde's water
She found young Willie in.
Willie, ye'd a cruel mither,
And a cruel ane had I;
But we will cheat them baith, my Willie,
In Clyde's waters we will lie.
