Loreena Mckennitt The Bonny Swans Lyrics

The Bonny Swans Lyrics

A farmer there lived in the north country,
a hey ho and me bonny o
And he
had daughters one, two, three,
The swans swim so bonny o
These daughters
they walked by the river's brim
a hey ho and me bonny o
The eldest pushed
the youngest in
The swans swim so bonny o.

Oh sister, oh sister, pray
lend me your hand
a hey ho and me bonny o
and I will give you house and
land
The swans swim so bonny o
I'll give you neither hand nor glove
a
hey ho and me bonny o
Unless you give me your own true love
The swans
swim so bonny o.

Sometimes she sank, sometimes she swam
a hey ho and
me bonny o
Until she came to a miller's dam
The swans swim so bonny
o
The miller's daughter, dressed in red
a hey ho and me bonny o
She
went for some water to make her bread
The swans swim so bonny o.

O
father, o daddy, here swims a swan
a hey ho and me bonny o
It's very like
a gentle woman
The swans swim so bonny o
They laid her on the bank to
dry
a hey ho and me bonny o
There came a harper passing by
The swans
swim so bonny o.

He made harp pins of her fingers fair
a hey ho and
me bonny o
He made harp strings of her golden hair
The swans swim so
bonny o
He made a harp of her breast bone
a hey ho and me bonny o
And
straight it began to play alone
The swans swim so bonny o.

He brought
it to her father's hall
a hey ho and me bonny o
And there was the court
assembled all
The swans swim so bonny o
He laid the harp upon the
stone
a hey ho and me bonny o
And straight it began to play alone
The
swans swim so bonny o.

There does sit my father, the King
a hey ho
and me bonny o
And yonder sits my mother the Queen
The swans swim so
bonny o
And there does sit my brother Hugh
a hey ho and me bonny o
And
by him William, sweet and true
The swans swim so bonny o.

And there
does sit my false sister Anne
a hey ho and me bonny o
Who drowned me for
the sake of a man
The swans swim so bonny o.