---
id:
aliases: []
title: The Cruel Mother (Traditional)
tags:
  - authorship/other
  - destiny/permanent
  - exclude-from-word-count
  - status/incomplete
  - topic/banjo
  - type/media/music
---
# The Cruel Mother (Traditional)

[The cruel mother (greenwood sidey) - Scarlett Sladek](https://youtu.be/hR6njM2x140)

## Lyrics

```verse
There lived a lady, lived in york
All alone and a-lonely, oh!
She fell in love with her own father's clark
Down by the greenwood sidey, oh!
Down by the greenwood sidey

She's leaned her back against a tree
All alone and a-lonely, oh!
Said "Honorable Mary, pity me"
Down by the greenwood sidey, oh!
Down by the greenwood sidey

She's leaned herself against an oak
All alone and a-lonely, oh!
She thought three times that her back would be broke
Down by the greenwood sidey, oh!
Down by the greenwood sidey

She's leaned her back against a thorn
All alone and a-lonely, oh!
And there she's had two bonnie babes born
Down by the greenwood sidey, oh!
Down by the greenwood sidey

She's taken her ribbon, long and neat
All alone and a-lonely, oh!
And tied those babes their hands and feet
Down by the greenwood sidey, oh!
Down by the greenwood sidey

She's taken up her small pen knife
All alone and a-lonely, oh!
With which to take their two wee lives
Down by the greenwood sidey, oh!
Down by the greenwood sidey

She's taken the pen knife, long and sharp
All alone and a-lonely, oh!
And pressed it into their tender hearts
Down by the greenwood sidey, oh!
Down by the greenwood sidey

She's wiped her pen knife on the grass
All alone and a-lonely, oh!
(The more)? she wiped the blood ran fast
Down by the greenwood sidey, oh!
Down by the greenwood sidey

She's dug a grave both wide and deep
All alone and a-lonely, oh!
In which to put those babes to sleep
Down by the greenwood sidey, oh!
Down by the greenwood sidey

She went to walk in the woods one night
All alone and a-lonely, oh!
She saw two babes dressed all in white
Down by the greenwood sidey, oh!
Down by the greenwood sidey

Oh bonnie babes if you were mine
All alone and a-lonely, oh!
I'd dress you up in silk so fine
Down by the greenwood sidey, oh!
Down by the greenwood sidey

Oh mother mother we were thine
All alone and a-lonely, oh!
You did not dress us in silk so fine
Down by the greenwood sidey, oh!
Down by the greenwood sidey

Oh bonnie babes what will become of me
All alone and a-lonely, oh!
You'll be seven years a bird in a tree
Down by the greenwood sidey, oh!
Down by the greenwood sidey

Seven years a bird in a tree
All alone and a-lonely, oh!
Then seven years more a fish in the sea
Down by the greenwood sidey, oh!
Down by the greenwood sidey

Then seven years more a tongue in a bell
All alone and a-lonely, oh!
Then seven years more a-burning in hell
Down by the greenwood sidey, oh!
Down by the greenwood sidey
```

## Tablature

```lily
\version "2.25.22"
\paper { indent=0 }
\header {
  title="The Cruel Mother"
  instrument="5-String Banjo"
  composer="Scarlett Sladek" % probably. I haven't found a similar version.
  arranger="Publius"
}
tagline = ##f
mel = {
  \time 4/4
  \tempo 4 = 120

  \sectionLabel "Verse 1"
  fis4\4
  <gis\4 b\3>8
  b'8\5
  gis4\4
  gis8\4
  b'8\5
  fis4\4
  fis8\4
  b'8\5
  fis4\4
  gis8\4
  b'8\5
  | \break
  \section

  \sectionLabel "Refrain 1"
  fis4\4
  fis8\4
  b'8\5
  fis4\4
  gis8\4
  b'8\5
  cis'4\3
  cis'8\3
  b'8\5
  cis'4\3
  cis'8\3
  b'8\5
  | \break
  \section

  \sectionLabel "Verse 2"
  fis4\4
  gis8\4
  b'8\5
  gis4\4
  gis8\4
  b'8\5
  fis4\4
  fis8\4
  b'8\5
  fis8\4( gis8\4)
  fis8\4
  b'8\5
  | \break
  \section

  \sectionLabel "Refrain 2"
  fis4\4
  cis'8\3
  b'8\5
  b4\3
  cis'8\3
  b'8\5
  cis'4\3
  cis'8\3
  b'8\5
  cis'4\3
  cis'8\3
  b'8\5
  | \break

  fis4\4
  cis'8\3
  b'8\5
  b4\3
  cis'8\3
  b'8\5
  cis'4\3
  cis'8\3
  b'8\5
  cis'4\3
  cis'8\3
  b'8\5
  | \break

  dis'4\2
  fis'8\1
  b'8\5
  gis'8\1( fis'8\1)
  fis'8\1
  b'8\5
  dis'4\2
  cis'8\3
  \deadNote b'8\5
  b4\3
  b8\3
  b'8\5
  \section

}
lyr = \lyricmode {
  There4 lived ___ a8 la-8 dy lived4 in4 York4
  All4 8 a-8 lone4 and8 a-8 lone-4 8 ly oh!2
  She4 fell2 in8 love8 with8 her8 own4 father's4 clark4
  Down4 by8 the8 green-4 wood4 si-4 8 dey oh!2
  Down4 by8 the8 green-4 wood4 si-2 dey2
}

\score {
  <<
    \new TabStaff = "one"
    {
      \set TabStaff.tablatureFormat = #fret-number-tablature-format-banjo
      \set TabStaff.stringTunings = \stringTuning <g' d g b d'> % tuning unknown.
      % \set TabStaff.stringTunings = #banjo-open-g-tuning % equivalent to \stringTuning <g' d g b d'>
      % capo'd to fret 4, unsure how to represent this in lilypond
      % \set Score.stringOneTopmost = ##f
      \override Beam.concaveness = #10000
      \clef moderntab
      \numericTimeSignature
      \stemDown
      \tabFullNotation
      \mel
    }
    \new Lyrics \lyr
  >>
  \layout { }
  \midi { }
}


```