X:1
T:The Grey Selkie
B:Palmer, Roy, 1998, A Book of British Ballads, Llanerch
S:James Henderson
Z:Alan Bruford
F:http://www.folkinfo.org/songs
M:4/4     %Meter
L:1/8     %
K:D
A,2 |D2 F2 A2 E3/2D/ |C2  B,2 A,3
w:There lived a maid in the Nor-way lands:
 A, |D2 (FA) d2 (AF) | E2 F2 E2
w: "Hush ba loo_ lil-ly'_ she did sing:
 E2 |FF F2 E2 B,2 |E2 EE D2
w: 'I din-na ken where my babe's fath-er is
 ED |B,2 F2 (ED) B,2 | A,6  |]
w: Or what land he tra-*vels in
W:There lived a maid in the Norway lands;
W:"Hush ba loo lil-ly", she did sing:
W:I dinna ken where my babe's father is
W:Or what land he travels in.
W:
W:Now it happened one night
W:As this fair maid lay fast asleep
W:That in there came a grey selkie
W:And laid himself down at her bed feet,
W:
W:Crying "Awake, awake, my pretty maid
W:For thy babe's father's sitting at the bed feet.
W:
W:"For I'm a man upon the land
W:A selkie in the sea,
W:And I do come from the Wast'ard o' Hoy,
W:Which wise men do call Sule Skerrie.
W:
W:"My name it is good Hyne Malair;
W:I earn my livin' by the sea,
W:An' when I'm far from ev'ry shore
W:It's then I am in Sule Skerrie."
W:
W:"Oh, what a fate, what a weary fate
W:What a weary fate's been laid for me,
W:That a selkie should come from the Wast'ard o' Hoy
W:To the Norway lands to have a babe with me."
W:
W:"Oh, I will wed thee with a ring,
W:With a ring, my dear, I'll wed with thee."
W:"Thou may wed thu's weds with whom thou wilt,
W:But I'm sure thou'll ne'er wed none wi' me."
W:
W:"Then thou shalt nurse thy little wee son
W:For seven long years upon thy knee;
W:And at the end of seven years
W:I'll come an' pay thy nurse's fee."
W:
W:It's, oh, she's nursed her little wee son
W:For seven years upon her knee
W:And he's come back a gay gentleman
W:With a coffer of gold and white monie.
W:
W:She says, "I'll wed thee with a ring
W:With a ring, my dear, I'll wed wi' thee."
W:"Thou may wed thee's weds with whom thou wilt,
W:I'm sure thou'll ne'er wed none wi' me.
W:
W:"But you will get a gunner good,
W:And aye a good gunner he'll be,
W:And he'll gaeng out on a May morning
W:And he'll shoot the son and the grey selkie."
W:
W:(So he took the son away and ...)
W:
W:"I'll put a gold chain about his neck,
W:[An' a gey good gold chain it'll be]
W:That is ever he comes to the Norway lands,
W:it's, oh,  well know-ed he may be."
W:
W:And, oh, she got a gunner good,
W:And aye a good gunner was he
W:And he gaed out one May morning
W:An' he shot the son and the grey selkie.
W:
W:(Then he returned and showed her this wonderful thing that he'd found, the gold chain on the selkie's neck ...)
W:
W:"Oh you have shot good Hyne Malair,
W:And oh, he was right kind to me."
W:She gied a sigh, sobbed aince or twice,
W:And then her tender heart did brak in three.
W: