Anna talks about her nyckelharpa (Swedish keyed fiddle) before singing the folk ballad 'John Blunt' (Roud 115, Child 275) which tells the story of a couple who forget to bar their door one evening.

Please support my work here: www.patreon.com/AnnaTam
Connect: www.annatam.co.uk
www.facebook.com/annatammusic
www.twitter.com/annatammusic
www.instagram.com/tam.anna

There was an old couple lived under a hill,
And Blunt was their name o.
They had a good beer and ale for to sell
And it bore a wonderful name o.

John Blunt and his wife drank free of this ale
Till they could drink no more o;
Then it’s off to bed this old couple went
And forgot to bar the door o.

Then they a bargain, bargain made,
They made it strong and sure o:
That the which of them should speak the first word
Should go down and bar the door o.

Then there came travellers, travellers three,
Travelling through the night o.
No house, no home, no fire had they,
Nor yet no candlelight o.

Then straight to John Blunt's house they went
And gently ope'd the door o,
The devil a word the old couple spoke
For fear which should bar the door o.

They went to his cellar and drank up his drink
Till they could drink no more o;
They went to his cupboard and ate up his meat
Till they could eat no more o.

Then quickly they procured a light
And gently walked upstairs o,
They pulled the old woman out of her bed
And put her on the floor o.

Up speaks John Blunt, “You've ate up my meat,
And laid my wife on the floor o.”
“You've spoke the first word John Blunt, she says,
Go down and bar the door o.”

свернуть