The Queen’s Four Marys has been added to 3 tunebooks.
Nice wee tune, hope you like it too.
Interesting words to this tune, “ There are four Mary’s, tonight there will be but three.”
Mary , Queen of Scots was the lose her head that night. 1587. Oh well, you can’t win them all.
Whoops, wrong century, Mary Hamliton, but then they were Scots and they only hung her. I am so embrassed. But then you get the idea, a sad song never the less.
I wouldn’t feel embarrassed Frank. Its been a common misunderstanding, largely caused by historical mismatching and inaccurate references within the song.
the Queen she has 4 Marys. Tonight they’ll be but 3. There was Mary Beaton, Mary Seaton, Mary Carmichael, and me
I always thought this song was about Mary Queen of Scots as well. Though I guess she wouldn’t be narrating it if she was about to be hung…
“The four Marys” were ladies-in-waiting to Mary Queen of Scots, but their surnames were Seton, Beaton, Fleming, and Livingston: no Mary Hamilton or Carmichael. As Gobby said, there has been a but of historical tweaking going on! Let’s not let facts get in the way of a good song.
I don’t think Mary QoS narrates during the song - viz the verse about “last night I washed the Queen’s feet and put the gowd in her hair” and the other references to “She..” And then it mentions “the gallows” whereas we know that MQoS was executed - heid chopped off.