Weile, Weile, Waile - River Saile
(The Old Woman in the Woods)
This is called a murder ballad... it's not for the faint of heart!
"Weile, Weile, Waile" is also called "River Saile".
Weile, Weile, Waile - River Saile
(The Old Woman in the Woods)
Traditional Song
There was an old woman
And she lived in the woods,
Weile weile waile.
There was an old woman
And she lived in the woods,
Down by the river Saile.
She had a baby
Three months old,
Weile weile waile.
She had a baby
Three months old,
Down by the river Saile.
She had a penknife,
Long and sharp,
Weile weile waile.
She had a penknife,
Long and sharp,
Down by the river Saile.
She stuck the penknife
In the baby's heart,
Weile weile waile.
She stuck the penknife
In the baby's heart,
Down by the river Saile.
Three loud knocks came
Knocking on the door,
Weile weile waile.
Three loud knocks came
Knocking on the door,
Down by the river Saile.
There were two policemen
And a man,
Weile weile waile.
There were two policemen
And a man,
Down by the river Saile.
Are you the woman
Who killed this child?
Weile weile waile.
Are you the woman
Who killed this child?
Down by the river Saile.
They took her away
And they threw her in the jail,
Weile weile waile.
They took her away
And they threw her in the jail,
Down by the river Saile.
They put a rope
Around her neck,
Weile weile waile.
They put a rope
Around her neck,
Down by the river Saile.
They pulled the rope
And she got hung,
Weile weile waile.
They pulled the rope
And she got hung,
Down by the river Saile.
And that was the end of
The woman in the woods,
Weile weile waile.
And that was
The end of the baby too,
Down by the river Saile.
 - Irish Children's Songs - Ireland - Mama Lisa's World: Children's Songs and Rhymes from Around the World
"Pin It")
Notes
This song was cataloged by Francis James Child before his death in 1896.
Comments
There's an interesting article about this ballad on Wikipedia
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