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from Volkslieder (Folksongs)

The three ravens
Language: English 
Our translations:  DUT
There were three ravens sat on a tree,
Down a down hey down hey down.
And they were as black as they might be,
With a down.
Then one of them said to his mate:
"Where shall we our breakfast take?"
With a down derry derry derry down down.

Down in yonder greenfield,
Down a down hey down hey down.
There lies a knight slain under his shield;
With a down.
His hounds they lie down at his feet,
So well they can their master keep.
With a down derry derry derry down down.

His hawks they fly so eagerly,
Down a down hey down hey down.
There is no fowl dare come him nigh
With a down.
But down there comes a fallow doe,
As great with young as she might go.
With a down derry derry derry down down.

O she lifts up his bloody head,
Down a down hey down hey down.
And kissed his wounds that were so red.
With a down.
She got him up upon her back
And carried him to an earthen lake.
With a down derry derry derry down down.

She buried him before the prime,
Down a down hey down hey down.
She was dead herself ere evensong time.
With a down.
Now God send every gentleman
Such hounds, such hawks and such a leman.
With a down derry derry derry down down.

Available sung texts:   ← What is this?

•   P. Grainger •   J. Ireland •   T. Ravenscroft 

View text with all available footnotes
Note: "leman" means 'sweetheart'

Text Authorship:

  • from Volkslieder (Folksongs)  [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875 - 1912), "The three ravens", published 1897 [ voice and piano ], arrangement [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Percy Aldridge Grainger (1882 - 1961), "The three ravens" [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by John (Nicholson) Ireland (1879 - 1962), "The three ravens", c1920, published 1920 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Thomas Ravenscroft (c1582 - c1635), "The three ravens", published 1611, from Melismata; Musical Fancies fitting the court, city, and country humoursMelismata; Musical Fancies fitting the court, city, and country humours [sung text checked 1 time]

Set in a modified version by Frederic Ayres, Arnold Edward Trevor Bax, Sir, Percy Aldridge Grainger, Ivor Gurney.

    • Go to the text. [ view differences ] GER FRE GER

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Tinelot Wittermans) , "Dutch Translation", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 35
Word count: 232

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