Babylon (ballad)

"Babylon" or "The Bonnie Banks o Fordie" is Child ballad 14. [Francis James Child, "English and Scottish Popular Ballads", [http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/child/ch014.htm "Babylon or The Bonnie Banks o Fordie"] ]

ynopsis

An outlaw comes upon three sisters in the woods. He threatens each one in turn to make her marry him. The first two refuse and are killed. The third threatens him with her brother or brothers. He asks after them and discovers that he is the brother. He commits suicide.

Parallels

Forms of this ballads are known throughout all of Scandinavia. [Francis James Child, "The English and Scottish Popular Ballads", v 1, p 171, Dover Publications, New York 1965]

Versions

Broadside Electric included it in the 1996 album "More Bad News ..."

Malinky played a version, called "The Bonnie Banks O Fordie", on their 2005 album "The Unseen Hours"

Nic Jones version of the song, "Banks of Fordie", is included on his 2006 compilation "Game Set Match"

ee also

*The King's Dochter Lady Jean
*The Bonny Hind

References

External links

* [http://www.contemplator.com/child/farday.html "Bonny Farday"] , an American variant
* [http://www.folkinfo.org/songs/displaysong.php?songid=201 "The Bonnie Banks o Fordie"] with music and commentary