"The Dreadful Wind and Rain"
Analysis of A 400-Year-Old Murder Ballad - Page One

"The Cruel Sister" by John Faed (1819 to 1902) Bury Art Museum

I have some music I found on a CD I bought at a garage sale. It was Jerry Garcia and David Grisman on an album called "Shady Grove", and one of the songs was an old folk song called "Dreadful Wind and Rain". I liked it, it's old-time country-folk music, however, I hadn't thought much about it until I listened to the lyrics. I found out later after doing some research that it's considered a medieval "murder ballad".

It's a tragic story about two sisters in a love triangle that has one sister murdering the other. It has a very long history going back to well before the mid-1600s and has numerous versions all over Europe. Jerry Garcia, Billy Strings, and many other bands have played versions of this song. Two other songs known as "Twa Sisters" ("Two Sisters") and "The Cruel Sister" are quite different but are definitely the same story. Below is a composite of lyrics from two slightly different versions of "Dreadful Wind and Rain" that offers a more complete telling of this barbaric medieval tragedy.

Click Here for a Youtube video of a Gracia and Grisman performance.
Click Here to hear a duet by Gillian Welch & David Rawlings.
Click Here to hear a more traditional version by Irish folk group Altan.

"Dreadful Wind and Rain"
Gillian Welch version with Garcia & Grisman lyrics in italics.

There were two sisters of County Clare.
Oh, the wind and rain.
One was dark and the other was fair.
Oh, the dreadful wind and rain.

     These two sisters came walkin' down the stream.
     Oh, the wind and rain.
     The one behind pushed the other one in.
     Cryin' oh the dreadful wind and rain.

And they both had a love of the miller's son.
Oh, the wind and rain.
But he was fond of the fairer one.
Oh, the dreadful wind and rain.

     Johnny gave the youngest one a gay gold ring.
     Oh, the wind and rain.
     Didn't give the oldest one anything.
     Cryin' oh, the dreadful wind and rain.

So she pushed her into the river to drown.
Oh, the wind and rain.
And watched her as she floated down.
Cried, Oh the dreadful wind and rain.

     She floated 'till she came to a miller's pond.
     Oh, the wind and rain.
     Mother, Oh Father, there swims a swan!
     Cryin' oh, the dreadful wind and rain.

     The miller pushed her out with a fishing hook.
     Oh, the wind and rain.
     Drew that fair maid from the brook.
     Cryin' oh the dreadful wind and rain.

     He left her on the banks to dry.
     Oh, the wind and rain.
     And a fiddlin' fool come passing by.
     Cryin' oh the dreadful wind and rain.

     Out of the woods came a fiddler fair.
     Oh, the wind and rain.
     Who took thirty strands of her long yellow hair.
     Cryin' oh the dreadful wind and rain.

     And he made a fiddle bow of her long yellow hair.
     Oh, the wind and rain.
     He made a fiddle bow of her long yellow hair.
     Cryin' oh the dreadful wind and rain.

So he made a fiddle peg of her long finger bone.
Oh, the wind and the rain.
He made a fiddle peg of her long finger bone.
Cried, Oh, the dreadful wind and rain.

And he made a little fiddle of her breastbone.
Oh, the wind and rain.
And the sound could melt a heart of stone.
Cried, Oh, the dreadful wind and rain.

And the only tune that the fiddle would play was,
"Oh, the wind and rain".
The only tune that the fiddle would play was,
"Oh, the dreadful wind and rain".

This version came out of the UK and has many others in the earliest documented collection gathered together in Child's list of 21 versions from 1656. With numerous versions from so many European countries, this song must be far older than 367 years (as of this writing). Although England, Ireland, and Scotland lay claim to this ballad, there is no verifiable original version or country of origin.

There is speculation that it is inspired by "The Singing Bone", a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. The magic harp in "Jack and the Beanstalk" that could play songs and sing by itself comes to mind, but I never found any researcher make that connection. The story of Jack and the Beanstalk was originally "The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean", published in 1734, seventy-eight years after Child's list, so it's possible the giant's harp may have been inspired by this song.

The story told by this ballad may be a soap opera-style fiction based on the elite class of the time, created to entertain the common public in pubs and at festivals. However, given the number of details that add nothing to the main plot of a love triangle and murder brought to justice by a haunted fiddle, I believe that the basic story is true.

Relying mostly on Child's versions, I am proposing that this ballad is based on a real incident that occurred between 900 and 1100 AD and was originally performed by traveling minstrels (notes: 1) to inform the public of news and events.

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