The three ravens (Volkslieder (Folksongs), set by P. Grainger, T. Ravenscroft, J. Ireland) (The Lied and Art Song Texts Page: Texts and Translations to Lieder, mélodies, canzoni, and other classical vocal music)


There were three ravens sat on a tree,
Down a down hey down hey down.
[And]¹ they were [as]² black as they might be,
With a down.
Then one of them said to his [mate]³:
"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]¹ 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]⁴ 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]⁵ 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]⁶ 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]⁷ God send every gentleman
Such [hounds, such hawks]⁸ and such a leman.
With a down derry derry derry down down.

View text without footnotes
¹ omitted by Ireland.
² omitted by Grainger.
³ Grainger: "make"
⁴ Ravenscroft, Ireland: "him come"
⁵ Ravenscroft, Ireland: "She lifted"
⁶ omitted by Grainger and Ireland.
⁷ omitted by Ravenscroft.
⁸ Ravenscroft: "hawks, such hounds"
Note: "leman" means 'sweetheart'

Authorship

Folk poetry or song tradition (Volkslieder)

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

Percy Aldridge Grainger (1882-1961)

John Ireland (1879-1962)

Thomas Ravenscroft (c1582-c1635)

Set in a modified version by

Frederic Ayres (1876-1926)

Percy Aldridge Grainger (1882-1961)

Ivor Gurney (1890-1937)

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

DUT

Dutch

Text added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

Notes about green, red, and white dots

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