Twa Corbies
Ray & Archie Fisher Lyrics
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I heard twa corbies makin' a mane.
The tane intae the tither did say, O,
""Whaur sall we gang and dine the day, O,
whaur sall we gang and dine the day?""
""It's in ahint you auld fail dyke,
I wot there lies a new slain knight,
but his hawk and his hound and his lady fair, O,
but his hawk and his hound and his lady fair"".
""His hound is to the haunting gane,
his hawk to fetch the wild-fowl hame,
his lady's ta'en anither mate, O,
so we may mak our dinner swate"".
""Ye'll sit on his white hause-bane,
and I'll pike oot his bonny blue e'en,
we'll theek oor nest when it grows bare, O,
we'll theek oor nest when it grows bare"".
There's mony a ane for him maks mane,
but nane sall ken whaur he is gane,
o'er his white banes when they are bare, O,
the wind sall blaw for evenmair, O,
the wind sall blaw for evenmair.
The lyrics of the song Twa Corbies, sung by Ray & Archie Fisher, describe two crows, called corbies in Scots, who are scavenging for food. As the first crow asks the second where they should go to dine, the second crow suggests an old wall nearby where a knight has recently been killed, and his body is still undiscovered. Only his loyal dog, hawk, and lady know of his whereabouts. The crow suggests picking the knight's eyes out and sitting on his bones, while they make a nest for themselves. The chorus mourns the fact that nobody will ever find the knight’s body, and the wind will blow over his remains forever.
The song Twa Corbies has a dark and melancholic tone that addresses the inevitability of death and the futility of life. The lyrics focus on the idea that death is an unavoidable and equalizer for all people, even the noble and wealthy. The crows become symbols of scavengers and death. Their callous and cruel behavior towards the dead knight shows how nature is indifferent to human values, and the knight's body will decompose just like any other animal's. The song's meaning may be interpreted as a reminder that death is a natural step in a cycle of life, and the inevitable end to all human ambitions.
Line by Line Meaning
As I was walking all alane,
I was walking alone when this happened.
I heard twa corbies makin' a mane.
I heard two ravens crying.
The tane intae the tither did say, O,
One raven said to the other,
"Whaur sall we gang and dine the day, O,
"Where shall we go to eat today,
whaur sall we gang and dine the day?"
where shall we go to dine today?"
"It's in ahint you auld fail dyke,
"Behind the old broken fence,
I wot there lies a new slain knight,
I know lies a newly killed knight,
an naebody kens that he lies there, O,
and nobody knows that he is there,
but his hawk and his hound and his lady fair, O,
except for his hawk, hound, and beautiful lady."
"His hound is to the haunting gane,
"His hound has gone hunting,
his hawk to fetch the wild-fowl hame,
his hawk has gone to bring home some wild birds,
his lady's ta'en anither mate, O,
his lady has taken a new lover,
so we may mak our dinner swate".
so we can eat our meal in peace."
"Ye'll sit on his white hause-bane,
"You can sit on his white neckbone,
and I'll pike oot his bonny blue e'en,
and I'll pluck out his lovely blue eyes,
we'll theek oor nest when it grows bare, O,
we'll use his hair to line our nest when it becomes empty,"
we'll theek oor nest when it grows bare".
we'll use his hair to line our nest when it becomes empty."
There's mony a ane for him maks mane,
Many people will be upset about his death,
but nane sall ken whaur he is gane,
but no one will know where he has gone,
o'er his white banes when they are bare, O,
over his white bones when they are exposed,"
the wind sall blaw for evenmair, O,
the wind will blow forever more."
the wind sall blaw for evenmair."
the wind will blow forever more."
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: GORDON MENZIES, COMPOSER & AUTHOR TRAD, ROBIN WATSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind