1) Emily Smith… Read Full Bio ↴There is more than one artist with this name, including:
1) Emily Smith (born 25 March 1981 in Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway) is a Scottish folk singer;
2) Emily Smith is an American R&B/soul singer from Paso Robles, CA.
1) Emily Smith (born 25 March 1981 in Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway) is a Scottish folk singer. She won the BBC Radio Scotland's Young Traditional Music of the Year Award in 2002. She is a member of Scotland’s ‘folk orchestra’, The Unusual Suspects, and was named ‘Citty Finlayson Scots Singer of the Year 2008'. She also records as Emily Smith & Jamie McClennan with New Zealand-born fiddle player and guitarist Jamie McClennan.
Smith has always held a passion for local history and a keen sense of belonging, which shines through in her music and the enthusiasm she displays when talking of her home region. “Dumfries and Galloway is often a forgotten part of Scotland and through my material, whether traditional or my own songs, I try to portray the beauty and diversity of where I come from. I love being able to sing a song and picture the exact setting of where the event took place, or to sing some of Robert Burns’ material and know that he travelled the same roads and admired the same landscapes as I do today.”
Since winning the 2002 ‘BBC Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year Award’ she has released several critically-acclaimed albums, toured extensively with her band on the international folk circuit and is recognised not only as one of Scotland’s finest interpreters of traditional song but also as a talented songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.
Smith spent six years living in Glasgow, during which time she gained an Honours degree in Scottish Music from The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, graduating in 2003. Now, living back in her home area of Dumfries & Galloway in South West Scotland, Smith has found her niche drawing on the rich local history and ever changing landscape as the source and inspiration for her music. She has an affection (and growing reputation!) for collecting dusty old poetry and song books in search of new material. The results are re-worked ballads which seamlessly interweave with Smith’s own descriptive songs, often confusing the listener as to which material is old and which is new.
She became the first ever winner from Scotland in the USA Song-writing Competition in 2005 after winning the folk section with her song ‘Edward of Morton’. Another of her songs, ‘Always a Smile’, about the life of her Polish grandmother, was short-listed in the final ten. Both songs are found on her second album, "A Different Life".
Alongside her solo career Smith has written, recorded and toured with artists from the folk scene and beyond including Eddi Reader, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Karine Polwart, John McCusker, David Scott and Phil Cunningham. She has also been included in the acclaimed ‘Scottish Women’ group, featuring Scotland’s top female vocalists, is a member of Scotland’s ‘folk orchestra’, The Unusual Suspects, and was named ‘Citty Finlayson Scots Singer of the Year 2008'.
She has recorded live sessions for BBC Radio 2’s Bob Harris, Aled Jones and Mike Harding alongside receiving regular play on BBC Radio Scotland. Recent television work includes performing on BBC 1 Scotland’s Hogmanay show and she will be featured in a series of Transatlantic Sessions.
Her official website can be found at www.emilysmith.org.
2) Emily Smith is an American R&B/soul singer from Paso Robles, CA. She released her eponymous album in 2018.
Twa Sisters
Emily Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do I dum, and do I dae
There were twa sisters, side by side
All the boys are bad for me
There were twa sisters, side by side
The eldest wore young Johnny's kite
Hope you do, undo, my love,
Old Johnny, bought a golden ring
Do I dum, and do I dae
Johnny bought the youngest a golden ring
All the boys have been for me(?)
Johnny bought the youngest a golden ring
Didn't get the sisters a dreaded thing
Hope you do, undo, my love,
Be true to me
As they went walking by the stony brim
Do I dum, and do I dae
As they went walking by the stony brim
All the boys are bad for me
As they went walking by the stony brim
The elders pushed their sister in
Hope you do, undo, my love,
Be true to me
Oh, sister, sister, gimme your hand
Do I dum, and do I dae
Sister, sister, gimme your hand
All the boys are bad for me
Sister, I know, gimme your hand
But I'll take Johnny and all his land
Hope you do, undo, my love,
Be true to me
Oh, the way she sunk and the way she swum
Do I dum, and do I dae
Oh, the way she sunk and the way she smile
All the boys are bad for me
The way she sunk and the way she smile
Till she come to the millers dump
Hope you do, undo, my love,
Be true to me
That miller, he took her golden ring
Do I dum, and do I dae
That miller, he took her golden ring
All the boys are bad for me
The melody took her golden ring
Then he pushed her in again
Hope you do, undo, my love,
Be true to me
Emily Smith's song "Twa Sisters" is based on a traditional folk song which dates back to the 17th century. The lyrics tell a story of two sisters who are both in love with the same man named Johnny. The elder of the two sisters gets jealous and pushes her younger sister into the river, where she drowns. The miller who is watching takes her golden ring and pushes her back into the water. The song focuses on themes such as jealousy, betrayal and loss.
The line "Do I dum, and do I dae" is a Scottish phrase which does not have a specific meaning but is used to keep rhythm within the song. The repetition of the phrase in the song creates a sense of urgency, and the somber melody adds to the tragic tone of the song. The line "All the boys are bad for me" could be interpreted as the elder sister's rationalization for her jealousy towards her younger sister.
The song has been covered by various artists and has different versions, including one where the miller was replaced by a fisherman. The song has been referenced in literature, including Thomas Hardy's novel "Tess of the d'Urbervilles." The origins of the song are still unclear, and some scholars suggest that it might have originated in Scotland or England.
Line by Line Meaning
There were twa sisters, side by side
The story begins with two sisters standing next to each other.
All the boys are bad for me
Both sisters had bad experiences with boys.
The eldest wore young Johnny's kite
The older sister had a relationship with a man named Johnny.
Johnny bought the youngest a golden ring
Johnny gave the younger sister a valuable gift as a token of his affection.
Didn't get the sisters a dreaded thing
However, he did not care about the older sister and did not give her anything.
As they went walking by the stony brim
While walking near a cliff, something terrible happened.
The elders pushed their sister in
The older sister pushed her sibling off the cliff and to her death.
Sister, I know, gimme your hand
The older sister calls to her sibling to give her a hand in getting up, but she has other intentions.
But I'll take Johnny and all his land
The older sister is angry about Johnny's treatment towards her and wants him all to herself, even if it means the younger sister had to die.
The way she sunk and the way she smile
The younger sister fell gracefully into the water, almost as if she was still smiling.
Till she come to the millers dump
The younger sister's body was caught in the miller's water wheel.
That miller, he took her golden ring
The miller claimed her valuable gift as his own.
Then he pushed her in again
The miller also pushed the younger sister back into the water.
Hope you do, undo, my love,
Be true to me
The story ends with the older sister regretting her actions and hoping for forgiveness from her lost sibling.
Contributed by Julia B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.