2) US ; country singer
1) Singer, writer and concertina player based in the North East of England. With a BBC Folk Award nomination for her work with harmony trio The Devil’s Interval, Emily is already an established musician on the UK folk scene, commended by Shirley Collins and annually touring with Waterson:Carthy. Emily has recently appeared at The Southbank Centre as part of their ‘Folk Roots, New Routes’ series and debuted her new songs at The Sage Gateshead. She is also fast making waves beyond the folk scene, being featured as a soloist on the BBC's adaptation of 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' as well as appearing on alt-folk songwriter Alasdair Roberts’ forthcoming album.
Emily originally hails from Glastonbury, where, raised on a diet of fairytales and deep Somerset folklore she began songwriting at the age of six, starting out with a keyboard, a tape recorder and a thirst for blood-curdling stories. After years immersed in traditional songs, Emily's return to songwriting has already grabbed the attention of the BBC, with Radio 3’s 'Late Junction' recently previewing her new music and ‘Words and Music’ broadcasting live performances of songs from the album at their 'Free Thinking' Festival. Inspired by folktales and Ballads, Emily weaves harmony-rich narratives relaying female experience, accompanied by Viola player Lucy Farrell (fresh from touring with The Unthanks) and Harpist Rachel Newton of BBC folk Award Nominees The Shee. These visceral visions of a darker Albion conjure landscapes where mythical sirens collide in urban backstreets. Emily's debut solo album ‘The Glamoury’ was released in March 2010.
2) US ; country singer : http://www.last.fm/music/Emily+Portman/Country+Girl+Like+Me
Two Sisters
Emily Portman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oleander yolling
The youngest was the fairest flower
Down by the waters rolling
A noble knight came riding by
Oleander yolling
Two little sisters caught his eye
And he courted the eldest with diamonds and rings
Oleander yolling
The other he loved above all things
Down by the waters rolling
"Sister, sister, come down to the broom
Oleander yolling
We'll hear the black birds change their tune
Down by the waters rolling."
So she took her sister by the hand
Oleander yolling
And led her down to the river strand
Down by the waters rolling
And as they stood at the river's brim
Oleander yolling
The eldest pushed her sister in
"Sister, sister, reach me your hand
Oleander yolling
And you'll be the heir to my riches and land
Down by the waters rolling."
"Oh Sister, sister, that will never be
Oleander yolling
Till salt and oatmeal grow of a tree
Down by the waters rolling."
"Oh sister, sister, lend me but your glove
Oleander yolling
And you shall have my own true love
Down by the waters rolling."
"It's your own true love I'll have and more
Oleander yolling
But you shall never come to shore
For your cherry cheeks and your long yellow hair
Oleander yolling
Made me a maid for evermore."
Sometimes she sank, sometimes she swam
Oleander yolling
Till she came to a miller's dam
By the waters rolling
The miller and his daughter stood at the door
Oleander yolling
And watched her body floating to shore
Down in the waters rolling
"Oh father, father, draw your dam
Oleander yolling
For it's either a mermaid or a swan
Down in the waters rolling."
The miller he dragged her out on to the shore
Oleander yolling
And he stripped her of all that she wore
Down in the waters rolling
He laid her body on the bank to dry,
Oleander yolling
A minstrel he came riding by
Down by the waters rolling
And he made a harp of her breast-bone
Oleander yolling
Whose sound could melt a heart of stone
He took three locks from her long yellow hair
Oleander yolling
With them strung a harp so rare
Down by the waters rolling
And he took the harp to the king's high hall
Oleander yolling
There was the court assembled all
Down by the waters rolling
And he laid the harp there upon a stone,
Oleander yolling
The harp began to play alone.
But the only tune that the harp would play was
Oleander yolling
The only tune that the harp would play
Down by the waters rolling
It sang: "Yonder sits my love the king,
Oleander yolling
How he'll weep at my burying,
By the waters rolling
And yonder sits my sister the queen
Oleander yolling
She drownèd me in the cold, cold stream,
Down in the waters rolling"
The song "Two Sisters" by Emily Portman tells the tragic story of two sisters who compete for the affections of a noble knight. The verse talks about how the knight courts the eldest sister with material possessions such as diamonds and rings, which leads to the youngest sister being pushed into the river by her older sister. The younger sister deduces that she will never inherit her sister's riches until "salt and oatmeal grow of a tree." The song progresses, and we learn that the younger sister's ghost haunts the water, and a wandering minstrel makes a harp out of her breast-bone, and it begins to play on its own, revealing the secret of the knight's love for the eldest sister and of the younger sister's death. The singer ends the song with an ominous message to the king and queen that they will pay for the younger sister's murder.
The song has a deep meaning, essentially portraying the dark contents of sibling rivalry, greed, and the struggle for power. The elder sister is willing to barter her own sibling's life for material possessions and jewellery. One of the song's most striking aspects is how it uses the "water" as a central motif, with various descriptions of its depths and movement, which could represent different aspects of life or death.
Line by Line Meaning
Two little sisters living in a bower
Two sisters lived together in a small, decorative room.
The youngest was the fairest flower
The younger of the sisters was the prettiest.
A noble knight came riding by
A man of nobility on horseback passed by the sisters.
Two little sisters caught his eye
The sisters caught the attention of the knight.
And he courted the eldest with diamonds and rings
The knight wooed the older sister with lavish gifts.
The other he loved above all things
But he loved the younger sister more.
"Sister, sister, come down to the broom
The knight called out to the younger sister.
We'll hear the black birds change their tune
He invited her to listen to the birds sing.
So she took her sister by the hand
The younger sister took her older sister along.
And led her down to the river strand
They walked together to the riverbank.
And as they stood at the river's brim
They both stood at the edge of the river.
The eldest pushed her sister in
The older sister pushed the younger into the water.
"Sister, sister, reach me your hand
The younger sister begged for help from her sibling.
And you'll be the heir to my riches and land
The older sister offered her inheritance in exchange for her hand.
"Oh Sister, sister, that will never be
The younger sister rejected the offer.
Till salt and oatmeal grow of a tree
She made an impossible condition for accepting the offer.
"Oh sister, sister, lend me but your glove
The younger sister made another request to her sibling.
And you shall have my own true love
She promised to give away her true love.
"It's your own true love I'll have and more
The older sister accepted the offer.
But you shall never come to shore
But then she said the younger sister could never return to land.
For your cherry cheeks and your long yellow hair
The knight was enamoured with the young sister's looks.
Made me a maid for evermore.
She claimed that her love for the younger sister had made her a servant of her forever.
Sometimes she sank, sometimes she swam
The younger sister struggled to keep afloat.
Till she came to a miller's dam
She drifted to a nearby dam.
And watched her body floating to shore
The miller and his daughter saw her dead body wash up.
"Oh father, father, draw your dam
The miller's daughter urged his father to drain the water.
For it's either a mermaid or a swan
She was unsure if it was a creature of the water or a bird until they got a closer look.
The miller he dragged her out on to the shore
The miller pulled her body out of the water.
And he stripped her of all that she wore
They removed her clothes.
He laid her body on the bank to dry
They laid her out to dry in the sun.
A minstrel he came riding by
A musician on horseback rode by.
And he made a harp of her breast-bone
The musician made a harp out of the bones of the dead sister.
Whose sound could melt a heart of stone
The sound of the harp was particularly moving.
He took three locks from her long yellow hair
He took some of her hair to complete the harp.
With them strung a harp so rare
He included the hair while making the harp.
And he took the harp to the king's high hall
He brought the harp to the king's palace.
There was the court assembled all
The entire court was gathered.
And he laid the harp there upon a stone
He set the harp down on a rock.
The harp began to play alone.
The harp played without anybody touching it.
But the only tune that the harp would play was
The harp would only play one song.
The only tune that the harp would play
It repeatedly played the same tune.
It sang: "Yonder sits my love the king,
The song was about the king.
How he'll weep at my burying,
The song was about the sorrow of the king at the sister's death.
And yonder sits my sister the queen
The song then turned to the queen.
She drownèd me in the cold, cold stream,
Saying that the queen was responsible for her death.
Down in the waters rolling"
The song ended with a mention of the river again.
Contributed by Lila P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.