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The Two Magicians

[ Roud 1350 / Song Subject MAS868 ; Child 44 ; G/D 2:334 ; Ballad Index C044 ; Folkinfo 87 ; DT MAGICN2 , 2MAGICN2 ; Mudcat 62408 , 40723 ; trad.]

Hannah Selby-Hughes: The Two Magicians – An Evolution in Gender Norms (2018)

Maud Karpeles: Cecil Sharp’s Collection of English Folk Songs The Crystal Spring Alexander Keith: Last Leaves of Traditional Ballads and Ballad Airs James Kinsley: The Oxford Book of Ballads Roy Palmer: Everyman’s Book of British Ballads Bob and Jacqueline Patten: A Somerset Scrapbook Cecil J. Sharp: One Hundred English Folksongs Cecil J. Sharp, Charles L. Marson: Folk Songs From Somerset

A.L. Lloyd accompanied by Dave Swarbrick sang his own re-writing of the Child Ballad 44, The Two Magicians, in 1966 on the theme album The Bird in the Bush: Traditional Songs of Love and Lust. This recording was also included in 1994 on this compilation CD Classic A.L. Lloyd, in 2002 on Topic’s 4 CD compilation The Acoustic Folk Box, and in 2009 on Topic’s 70^th anniversary anthology Three Score and Ten. A.L. Lloyd noted on the first album:

Not just for centuries, but for thousands of years the fantasy of this song has haunted the sex-dreams of men and, doubtless, women too. In Hindu scripture, when the first man pursued the first woman, she thought to hide by changing into a cow, but he became a bull and so cattle were born. She turned into a mare and he into a stallion, she a jenny and he a jackass, ewe and ram, on and on till all the world was created, down to the ants. Somewhat later, when Peleus set out to rape Thetis, she transformed herself into fire, water, lion, serpent and ink-squirting cuttlefish before yielding to his determined embrace. In Latin countries, the metamorphosis fantasy became a pretty, rather insipid ballad, but in Britain it long remained tough and witty. Eventually the ballad dwindled away, but it seemed too good a song to remain unused, so I brushed it up and fitted a tune, and now it appears to have started a new life. Dr Vaughan Williams once said: “The practice of re-writing a folk song is abominable, and I wouldn’t trust anyone to do it except myself.”

Martin Carthy sang The Two Magicians in 1965 on his first album Martin Carthy. A live recording with Dave Swarbrick at the Folkus Folk Club in 1966 was released in 2000 on their Atrax album Both Ears and the Tail. Martin Carthy noted on the first album:

In his notes to the ballad of The Two Magicians, Child describes it as a “base-born cousin of a pretty ballad known all over southern Europe, in especially graceful forms in France.” He goes on to say that there is little doubt that they were derived from stories either of a youth and a maid pursued by an ogre or sorcerer and eluding him by transforming themselves, or of a youth apprenticed to a sorcerer learning the black arts by surreptitious reading, being pursued, assuming various forms, and finally killing his master. There is a story in the Arabian Nights Entertainment of a battle of transformation and others from all over the world telling of supernatural battles of giants, so in fact this “base-born cousin” may be closer to the source. This tune was fitted to the (anglicised) words by A.L. Lloyd.

A Dave Swarbrick solo version from Jacksons Lane Community Centre, London on 16 December 1991 was released in 1998 on his Musikfolk CD Live at Jacksons Lane, and another one from The Assembly Hall, Melbourne in 1996 was included in 2003 on his Free Reed anthology Swarb!.

The Young Tradition sang The Two Magicians on 17 November 1968 at their concert at Oberlin College, Ohio, that was published in 2013 on their Fledg’ling CD Oberlin 1968. Heather Wood noted:

[…] from Bert Lloyd, probably via Martin Carthy. Royston was obviously having fun with the verbs preceding the line “Bide, Lady, bide”.

Horden Raikes sang The Twa Magicians in 1972 on their eponymous Folk-Heritage album, Horden Raikes. This track was also included in 2022 on the “story of folk-Herigate Records” anthology Before the Day Is Done.

Steeleye Span recorded The Two Magicians with fewer verses and a completely different chorus in 1974 for their sixth album, Now We Are Six (the first one with drummer Nigel Pegrum), and a second time in 2002 for the CD Present to accompany the December 2002 Steeleye Span reunion tour. A live recording from between 2002 and 2008 was released in 2009 on their album Live at a Distance. An earlier live recording from The Bottom Line, New York, on 4 July 1974 was released in 2024 on Live at the Bottom Line, 1974; I‘m note sure if this is an official or a bootleg album.

Spriguns of Tolguns sang The Twa Magicians on their 1975 album Jack With a Feather.

Vulcan’s Hammer sang The Two Magicians as the title track of their 1975 album The Two Magicians.

John Roberts & Tony Barrand recorded The Two Magicians too for their 1977 Folk-Legacy album of ballads of the supernatural, Dark Ships in the Forest.

The idea of changing shape to avoid capture and outwit or kill a pursuer is common in European folk tale. In Britain, the tales spawned this ballad. A.L. Lloyd writes (Sing Out! 18/1): “Eventually the ballad dwindled away, but it seemed too good a song to remain unused; so I brushed it up and fitted a tune, and now it appears to have started a new life.”

Crows sang Two Magicians in 1981 on their eponymous Dingle’s album Crows.

Bob Fox and Stu Luckley sang The Two Magicians on their 1982 LP Wish We Never Had Parted, and in a new recording on their 1997 Fellside CD Box of Gold, which was also included in 2007 on the Wild Goose anthology Songs of Witchcraft and Magic and in 2016 on Fellside’s 40^th anniversary compilation The Journey Continues. Bob Fox’s note on his CD insert acknowledges their debt to Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick; the title “Box of Gold” also is a phrase from Lloyd’s and from Carthy’s verses.

Bill Smith sang a fragment of The Twa Magicians at Easter 1883 that was included in 2011 on his Musical Traditions anthology A Country Life. Rod Stradling noted:

Another song Bill learned at school, probably from Baring-Gould/Sharp’s English Folk Songs for Schools. Although Roud has 27 instances of the ballad, only five singers are named amongst them—three from England and two from Scotland.

Scotch Measure sang The Twa Magicians in 1985 on their eponymous Topic album Scotch Measure. They noted:

We are indebted to Tony Cuffe for the tune to this traditional song of supernatural courtship.

Ewan MacColl sang The Twa Magicians in 1986 on his and Peggy Seeger‘s Blackthorne album Blood & Roses Volume 5. He noted:

Child‘s only version of this fine ballad, a Scots one from Aberdeenshire, was “Englished” by A.L. Lloyd in the 1960s and wedded to a Greig-Duncan tune of Katherine Jaffray (Child 221). It became, and deservedly so, a very popular item in the repertory of folk-revivalists. France, Poland, Italy, Catalan Spain, Greece, Roumania and Turkey have all yielded sets of the ballad.

Duncan Williamson sang The Lady and the Blacksmith to Mike Yates in Ladybank, Fife, on 13 August 2001. This recording was included in 2002 on Yates’ CD of songs, stories and ballads from Scottish Travellers, Travellers’ Tales Volume 1.

Bill Jones sang Bide on her 2003 album Two Year Winter.

Rosie Doonan and Ben Murray sang The Lusty Smith on their 2004 CD Mill Lane.

Craig Morgan Robson sang Twa Magicians on their 2006 CD Stranded. They noted:

This ballad of shape-changing wizardry was collected by Child in Aberdeenshire. [No—he printed a version collected in Aberdeenshire.] Apparently no other version has actually been sourced although there are variants of the theme found in folk traditions in France, Poland, Italy, Spain, Greece, Romania and Turkey.

Vicki Swan and Jonny Dyer sang The Two Magicians on their 2007 CD Sliptease. They noted:

The tale of a lady and a lusty blacksmith. There are a few simple ballads like this where a ‘blacksmith’ represents masculinity and a ‘lady”—the epitome of femininity. The shape changing in this song adds a dimension however where their equality in magic supercedes gender stereotypes. Words are our English adaptation of the Twa Magicians from Buchan’s Ballads of the North of Scotland.

The Maerlock sang Bide Lady Bide in 2008 on their Fellside CD The Sofa. This track was also included in the same year on the anthology Folk Rising 2.

Bellowhead recorded Two Magicians in 2010 at their Hedonism sessions but it was left out of the CD and was included only on the iTunes download of this album. Jon Boden sang it as the 24 January 2011 entry of his project A Folk Song a Day.

The Owl Service sang The Twa Magicians on rheir 2012 album of outtakes and re-recordings, Garland Sessions.

Greg Russell and Ciaran Algar sang The Two Magicians in 2012 on their first Fellside CD, The Queen’s Lover. A 2014 recording from The Theatre Royal, Workington, Cumbria, was released on their 2015 DVD In Concert. Russell noted:

A healthy dose of shape-shifting never goes amiss although it does seem a little extreme for the old boy meets girl routine. This version of one of the Child Ballads (Child 44/Roud 1350) although it was given a new lease of life in the 1960s by the great A.L. Lloyd. I learned it from the singing of Vicki Swan and Jonny Dyer.

Lady Maisery sang The Lady and the Blacksmith on their 2013 CD Mayday. Here, when the blacksmith turns into a speckled hen to peck at the Lady’s barleycorn, she transforms herself into a cunning fox and kills the blacksmith. They noted:

The Lady and the Blacksmith is a song that has roots in both gender and class inequalities. Stories of magical shape-shifting chases are very common across Europe broadly falling into two strands: master vs. apprentice tales and man vs. woman tales. We were all familiar but uncomfortable with the British version of the story, The Two Magicians, because of the predatory feel and connotations of sexual harassment. So we looked towards the European stories for our rewrite of the song and Hazel [Askew] wrote a new tune to set it to.

The Dovetail Trio recorded Two Magicians in 2014 for their eponymous EP, The Dovetail Trio, and in the following year for their CD Wing of Evening on which Rosie Hood noted:

In true [oral] tradition I heard this song from a friend at a singing session when I lived in Toronto, Canada; she had learnt it from her dad, who in turn had learnt it from the 1974 Steeleye Span record Now We Are Six. The tune is still pretty similar to Steeleye Span’s version and when teaching it to Matt [Quinn] and Jamie [Roberts] I found it in my (rather battered) copy of Cecil Sharp’s Folk Songs From Somerset, from where we took our extra verses.

This video shows The Dovetail Trio at Shepley Spring Festival 2015:

Kirsty Law sang The Twa Magicians “with a tune learned from the singing of A.L. Lloyd” on her 2014 album Shift.

Kim Edgar took verse 5 and chorus of her Twa Magicians from the fragment that was collected by Gavin Greig from Miss Bell Robertson and printed in Last Leaves of Traditional Ballads and Ballad Airs. She added some verses of her own—after the blacksmith turns himself into a mariner to control her ship, the Lady transforms herself into the air and shakes the sea, for them never to be seen again. She recorded the song in 2016 for her CD Stories Untold. She also sang it on Cara’s 2018 CD Live.

Joshua Burnell sang Twa Magicians on 31 October 2017 in his “a folk song a week” song cycle. He took four traditional verses and added a lot of new ones; this version was released in 2018 on his CD Songs From the Seasons. He noted:

Traditionally, this is a song about a blacksmith who fancies a young woman and won’t take no for an answer. The pair are shapeshifters, and every time she thinks of a cunning way to escape, he outsmarts her. The idea of shapeshifters duelling is ancient and cinematically brilliant. It crops up in folklore all the time and most notably in the The Sword and The Stone during the wizards’ duel between Merlin and Mad Madam Mim.

I loved the tune of this one and coming up with new verses is a great game, but I hated how the blacksmith gets his way at the end. So I wrote a version where she outsmarts him for a change because I’m fed up with the bad guy winning.

The Magpies sang Two Magicians on their 2020 album Tidings.

Cambridge and Walker sang Two Magicians on their 2021 CD Wheel and Dive. They noted:

Magic and shape shifting in the pursuit of love or sex is a common theme in folklore. Here the blacksmith is of bad intent so we rewrote the last verse in the lady’s favour.

You are Wolf sang Twa Magicians (The Lady and the Blacksmith Lass) on their 2023 CD Hare // Hunter // Moth // Ghost. Kerry Andrew noted:

Twa Magicians (Child 44) is a highly problematic song: a man relentlessly pursues a woman; she changes forms to try and escape him but he keeps changing too, and though equally powerful magicians, he catches her in the end. I’ve queered up and tweaked the lyrics to make it playful, consenting and even-handed.

Hannah Sanders and Ben Savage sang Hannah’s song Magicians on their 2025 album The Strangers’ Share. They noted:

Hannah heard the guitar motif in a dream and has had it rattling around for a few years. She wrote this shapeshifting song, riffing on the traditional The Two Magicians, as a tale of metempsychosis, where lovers turn into animals to be together as they move across the landscape.

Lyrics

A.L. Lloyd sings The Two Magicians

The lady stood at her own front door
As straight as a willow wand,
And along there come a husky smith
With a hammer in his hand.

And he said, “Bide lady, bide,
There’s nowhere you can hide.
The husky smith will be your love
And that’ll pull down your pride.

“Well may you dress, you lady fair,
All in your robes of red.
Before tomorrow at this same time
I’ll have your maidenhead.”

Saying, “Bide lady, bide, …”

“Away, away, you coalblack smith,
Would you do me this wrong?
To think to have my maidenhead
That I have kept so long.

“I’d rather I was dead and cold
And my body laid in the grave
Than a husky, dusky, coalblack smith
My maidenhead should have.”

Then the lady she held up her hand
And swore upon her soul,
She never would be the blacksmith’s love
For all of a box of gold.

And the blacksmith he held up his hand
And he swore upon the mass,
“I’ll have you for my love, my girl,
For the half of that or less.”

Saying, “Bide lady, bide, …”

Then she became a turtle dove
And flew up in the air,
And he became an old cock pigeon
And they flew pair and pair.

And he cooed, “Bide lady, bide, …”

And she became a little duck,
A-floating in the pond,
And he became a pink-necked drake
And chased her round and round.

Quacking, “Bide lady, bide, …”

She turned herself into a hare
And ran upon the plain,
And he became a greyhound dog
And fetched her back again.

Barking, “Bide lady, bide, …”

And she became a little ewe sheep
And lay all on the common,
And he became a shaggy old ram
And swiftly fell upon her.

Saying, “Bide lady, bide, …”

She changed herself to a swift young mare
As dark as the night was black,
And he became a golden saddle
And clung onto her back.

Saying, “Bide lady, bide, …”

And she became a little green fly,
A-flew up in the air,
And he became a hairy spider
And fetched her in his lair.

Saying, “Bide lady, bide, …”

Then she became a hot griddle
And he became a cake,
And every change that poor girl made
The blacksmith was her mate.

Saying, “Bide lady, bide, …”

She turned herself to a full-dressed ship
A-sailing on the sea,
And he became a captain bold
And aboard of her went he.

Saying, “Bide lady, bide, …”

So the lady ran in her own bedroom
And changed into a bed,
And he became a green coverlet
And gained her maidenhead.

And was she woe, he held her so,
And still he bad her bide,
And the husky smith became her love
And that pulled down her pride.

Martin Carthy sings The Two Magicians

The lady sits in her own front door
As straight as the willow wand,
And by there come a lusty smith
With a hammer in his hand.

And he said, “Bide lady, bide,
There’s nowhere you can hide.
For the lusty smith will be your love
And he will lay your pride.”

“Well may you stand, you lady fair,
All in your robes of red,
But come tomorrow at this same time
I’ll have you in me bed.”

And he said, “Bide lady, bide, …”

“Away, away, you coalblack smith,
Would you do me this wrong?
To think to have my maidenhead
That I have kept so long.

“I’d rather I was dead and cold
And my body laid in the grave
Than a lusty, dusty, coalblack smith
My maidenhead should have.”

So the lady she held up her hand,
She swore upon her soul
That she’d not need the blacksmith’s love
For all of a box of gold.

But the blacksmith he held up his hand
And he swore upon the mass,
Saying, “I’ll have you in me bed young girl
For the half of that or less.”

Bide lady bide …”

So the lady she turned into a dove
And she flew up in the air,
But he became an old cock pigeon
And they flew pair and pair.

Crying, “Bide lady, bide, …”

So the lady she turned into a hare
And she ran across the plain,
But he became a greyhound dog
And he ran her down again.

Crying, “Bide lady, bide, …”

So she became a little mare
As dark as the night was black,
But he became a golden saddle
And he clung onto her back.

Crying, “Bide lady, bide, …”

So she became a hot griddle
And he became a cake,
And every move that poor girl made
The blacksmith was her mate.

Crying, “Bide lady, bide, …”

So she became a full-dressed ship
And she sailed on the sea,
But he became a bold captain
And aboard of her went he.

Crying, “Bide lady, bide, …”

So the lady she ran into the bedroom
And she changed into a bed,
But he became a green coverlet
And he gained her maidenhead.

And was she woke, he held her so
And still he bade her bide,
And the lusty smith became her love
For all her mighty pride.

Steeleye Span sing The Two Magicians

She looked out of the window as white as any milk
And he looked in at the window as black as any silk

Chorus (after each verse):
Hello, hello, hello, hello you coalblack smith
You have done me no harm
You never shall have my maidenhead
That I have kept so long
I’d rather die a maid
Ah, but then she said and be buried all in my grave
Than to have such a nasty, husky, dusky, fusky, musky
Coal blacksmith
A maiden I will die

She became a duck, a duck all on the stream
And he became a water dog and fetched her back again

She became a star, a star all in the night
And he became a thundercloud and muffled her out of sight

She became a rose, a rose all in the wood
And he became a bumblebee and kissed her where she stood

She became a nun, a nun all dressed in white
And he became a canting priest and prayed for her by night

She became a trout, a trout all in the brook
And he became a feathered fly and catched her with his hook

She became a corpse, a corpse all in the ground
And he became the cold clay and smothered her all around

Bill Smith sings The Two Magicians

O she looked into the window as white as any milk
But he looked into the window as black as any silk.

Chorus (after each verse):
Hello, hello, hello, hello you coal black smith,
O what is your silly song?
You never shall change my maiden name
That I have kept so long,
I’d rather die a maid a yes but then she said
And be buried all in me grave
Than to have such a nasty, husky, dusky, fusky, musky coal black smith,
A maiden I will die.

Then she became a hare, a hare all on the plain
And he became a greyhound dog and fetched her back again.

Then she became a fly, a fly all in the air
And he became a spider then and fetched her to his lair.

Scotch Measure sing The Twa Magicians

The lady stood in her bower door,
As straight as willow wand,
The blacksmith stood a little forbye
Wi’ a hammer in his hand.
Weel may ye stand ye lady fair
Intae your robes o’ red.
Before the morn o’ this same time
I will gain your maidenhead.

Awa’ awa’ ye coal black smith,
Do ye think to do me wrang?
Tae think to gain my maidenhead
That I have kept sae lang.
And she has hauden up her hands,
And she’s sworn by the mould.
I wadna’ wed a coal black smith,
For a thousand pounds in gold.

Chorus:
Bide lady bide, and still he’s bade her bide,
I shall be your lover, for a’ your muckle pride.

And she’s becam’ a turtle dove
And she’s flown up in the air.
And he’s becam’ another dove
And they flew pair and pair.
She’s turned herself intae an eel
Tae swim in yonder burn.
And he’s becam’ a speckled trout
For tae gie the eel a turn.

She’s turned herself intae a hare
Tae rin on yonder hill.
And he’s becam’ a guid greyhound
And boldly did he fill.
And she’s becam’ a guid grey mare
And she’s stood in yonder slack.
And he’s becam’ a guid gold saddle
And he’s set upon her back.

She’s turned herself intae a ship
For tae sail oot ower the flood.
He’s ca’ed a nail intil her tail
And syne the ship she stood.
And she’s becam’ a silken plaid,
Stretched oot upon the bed,
And he’s becam’ a guid green covering
And he’s gained her maidenhead.

Ewan MacColl sings The Twa Magicians

The lady stands at her bower door
As straucht‘s a willow-wand
The blacksmith stood a little forbye
Wi‘ his hammer in his haund.

O, weel hae ye dressed, ye lady fair
In a‘ your robes o‘ reid.
Before the morn at this same time
I‘ll gain your maidenheid.

Awa‘, awa‘ ye coal-black smith
And wad ye dae me wrang?
To think to gain my maidenheid
That I hae kep‘ sae lang.

Then she has hauden up her haund
And swore by the Trinity,
Though ye gie me thoosand poonds,
Your leman I‘d never be.

And he has hauden up his haund rae
And he swore by the Mass,
I‘ll tak‘ ye tae my bed,
For the half o‘ that and less.

Chorus (after every verse):
Bide, lady, bide,
And aye he bade her bide,
The rusty smith your leman shall be
For all your muckle pride.

Then she became a turtle-dow
To fly up in the air,
And he became anither dow
And they fle w pair and pair.

She‘s turned hersel‘ intae an eel
Tae swim intae yon burn,
And he became a speckled trout
To gie the eel her turn.

Then she became a duck, a duck
To paddle in the burn,
And he became a rose-kaimed drake
To tread her at ilka turn.

She‘s turned hersel‘ intae a hare
Tae run upon yon hill,
And he became a guid greyhoond
And coursed her at his will.

Then she became a bonnie grey mare
And stood in yonder slack,
And he became the gilt saddle
That lay across her back.

Then she became a hot girdle
And he became a cake;
And a‘ the ways she turned hersel‘
The blacksmith was her make.

She‘s turned hersel‘ intae a ship
To sail out ower the flood,
But he‘s drove a nail intae her tail
And syne that ship she stood.

Then she became a silken plaid
And stretched oot on the bed,
And he became a green blanket
And gained her maidenheid.

Lady Maisery sings The Lady and the Blacksmith

The lady stands at her bower door as straight as a willow wand,
The blacksmith stands, close nearby, with a hammer in his hand.
“O well are you dressed you lady fair, all in your robes of red;
Before the morn’ at this same time I’ll gain your maiden head.”

Chorus (after each verse):
“Away, away you coalblack smith! O would you do me wrong
And think to gain my maiden head that I have kept so long.
I’d rather I were dead and gone and buried in my grave
Before a lusty coalblack smith my maidenhead should have.”

So then she turned into a hare, a hare upon the plain,
But he became a greyhound bold and he fetched her back again.
So then she turned into a rose, as fair as fair could be,
But he became a billy goat and he tore her from the tree.

So then she turned into a carp, a carp all in the brook,
But he became a fisherman to catch her with his hook.
So then she turned into a dove and she flew up so high,
But he became a huntsman’s hawk and he chased her through the sky.

So she became a barley corn that grew in yonder field
And he became a speckled hen and began to eat his fill.
But she became a cunning fox all in her coat of red
And before that hen could change again she took him by the neck and said:

Last chorus:
“Away, away you coalblack smith! O you’ll not do me wrong
You’ll never gain my maidenhead that I have kept so long
I’ll not hide away from you a-wishing for my grave
Because a lusty coalblack smith my maidenhead would have.”

The Dovetail Trio sings Two Magicians

She looked out the window as white as any milk
And he looked in the window as black as any silk

Chorus (after each verse):
Hello, hello, hello, hello you coalblack smith
You have done me no harm
But you never shall have my maidenhead
That I have kept so long
I’d rather die a maid
Ah, but then she said and be buried all in my grave
Than to have such a nasty, husky, fusky, musky, dusty
Coal blacksmith
A maiden I shall die

Then she became a duck, a duck all on the stream
And he became a water dog and fetched her back again

Then she became a hare, a hare all on the plain
And he became a greyhound and fetched her back again

Then she became a fly, a fly all in the air
And he became a spider and fetched her to his lair

Then she became a rose, a rose all in the wood
And he became a bumblebee and kissed her where she stood

Then she became a star, a star all in the night
And he became a thundercloud and muffled her out of sight

Then she became a nun, a nun all dressed in white
And he became a canting priest and prayed for her by night

Then she became a corpse, a corpse all in the ground
And he became the cold, cold clay and smothered her all around

Kim Edgar sings Twa Magicians

There lived a charmed enchanting girl,
A blacksmith did her woo,
To him escape she shifted shape
But he had magic, too.

She became a leaf, a leaf,
Well hidden in a tree;
And he became the tree branch,
Adjoined to her was he.

Chorus 1
Sayin, bide, lassie, bide—
And aye he bade her bide,
An’ be the brookie smith’s wife,
An’ that’ll lay your pride.

She became a tawny owl,
Her wary eyes shone bright;
And he became the gloaming mirk
Enfolding her each night.

Chorus 2
Sayin, bide, lassie, bide—
But never would she bide
An’ be the brookie smith’s wife;
She’d never lay her pride.

She became a headstone,
Sombre, straight and cold;
So he chose to engrave her,
He chiselled deep and bold.

Chorus 1 + Chorus 2

She became a ship, a ship,
And sailed upon the sea;
And he became a mariner,
Aboard o her gaed he.

So she became the salt sea air,
She shook the stormy sea;
An’ neither one was seen again
But I believe she’s free, she’s free.

Joshua Burnell sings Two Magicians

A lady stood at her front door,
As straight as the willow wand,
And by there come a lusty smith,
With a hammer in his hand.

He said, “Bide lady, bide,
There’s nowhere you can hide.
For the lusty smith will be your love
And he will lay your pride.”

She turned herself into a hare
And ran upon the plain,
And he became a greyhound dog
And fetched her back again.

And she became a little fly,
And flew up in the air,
And he became a spider-o,
And caught her in his lair.

He said, “Bide lady, bide,
There’s nowhere you can hide.
For the lusty smith will be your love
And he will lay your pride.”

The she became a bonnie rose,
A rose all in the wood,
And he became a bumblebee,
and kissed her where she stood.

Then she became a pretty pearl,
At the bottom of the sea,
And he became an oyster shell,
And trappèd then was she.

He said, “Bide lady, bide,
There’s nowhere you can hide.
For the lusty smith has got his love,
And now I’ll take your pride.”

Then the lady said unto the smith,
“If you don’t let me free,
“I’ll turn into a boulder wide,
and shattered you will be.”

Saying, “Bide Smithy, bide,
There’s nowhere you can hide.
For if you try to take my pride from me,
I’ll pay you back in kind.”

Then he became a mighty shark,
And swam he fast away,
And she became a tidal wave,
And beached him on the bay.

So he became a grain of sand,
And hid beneath the grass,
And she became a naked flame,
And turned him into glass.

Saying, “Bide Smithy, bide,
There’s nowhere you can hide.
For if you try to take my pride from me,
I’ll pay you back in kind.”

So he became a thunder cloud,
And hid all in the night,
And she became a mighty wind,
And blew him out of sight.

Then he became a shadow cold,
On the dark side of the moon,
And she became a shooting star,
And washed away the gloom.

Saying, “Bide Smithy, bide,
There’s nowhere you can hide.
For if you try to take my pride from me,
I’ll pay you back in kind.”

When there is no cloud upon the air,
Then gaze up to the night,
You’ll see a bonnie shooting star,
That sails the dusky skies.

And if you want to find that lusty smith,
Just listen to this song,
For he’s become a story now,
Where he can do no wrong.

Tell him, 𝄆 “Bide Smithy, bide,
There’s nowhere you can hide.
For if you try to take her pride from her,
She’ll pay you back in kind.” 𝄇

You are Wolf sings Twa Magicians (The Lady and the Blacksmith Lass)

The lady stood at her own front door
As straight as a willow wand,
And by there came a blacksmith lass
With a hammer in her hand.

Chorus (after each verse):
Saying, “Bide, lady, bide,
There’s nowhere you can hide
For I will win your love
And have you always by my side.”

Then the smith became a leaf,
A leaf all in the tree,
And the lady became a branch
And joined to her was she.

Then the lady became a griddle
And the smith became a cake,
And every change the lady made
The smith she was her mate.

Then the smith became the moorland
And stretched into the sky
And the lady became the heather
And had her blushing by and by.

Then she turned into a ship
A-sailing on the sea
And the smith became a captain bold
And aboard of her went she.

And the smith became a star
A star all in the night
And the lady became a thunder cloud
And softened all her light

Then the lady became a rose
A rose all in the wood
And the smith became a bumble bee
And kissed her where she stood.

Last chorus:
Saying, “Bide, lady/lassie, bide,
There’s nowhere you can hide
For I have won your lasting love
And we’ll stand side by side.”