One of my favourite songs. It features Maddy Prior on lead vocals and Gay Woods on
backing vocals. It was first recorded by them in 1970 for Hark! The Village Wait and then
again in 1995 as "Corbies" for their album Time.
Intro: Em D Em
Em D Em
As I was walking all alane
Em D Em
I heard twa corbies makin' mane;
G D
And one ontae the other did say,
Em D Em
“Where shall we gang and dine the day
Em D Em
Where shall we gang and dine the day?”
Em D Em
“In behind yon oul fail dyke
Em D Em
I wot there lies a new slain knight;
G D
And naebody kens that he lies there
Em D Em
But his hawk and his hound and his lady fair,
Em D Em
His hawk and his hound and his lady fair.”
Em D Em
His hawk is tae the hunting gane,
Em D Em
His hound to fetch the wildfowl hane;
G D
His lady has taken another mate
Em D Em
So we can make our dinner sweet,
Em D Em
We can make our dinner sweet”
Em D Em
“You can sit on his white breast bone
Em D Em
And I'll pick out his bonny blue een;
G D
And with a lock of his yellow hair
Em G Em
We'll theek our nest when it grows bare,
Em G Em
We'll theek our nest when it grows bare.”
Em D Em
“And many's a one for him makes mane
Em D Em
Naebody kens where he has gane;
G D
Through his white bones when they grow bare
Em D Em
The wind shall blow for evermare,
Em D Em
The wind shall blow for evermare.”