The Three Ravens
Traditional · The English and Scottish Popular Ballads
Refrain: Downe a downe, hay down, hay downe
There were three ravens sat on a tree,
Refrain: With a downe
There were three ravens sat on a tree,
They were as black as they might be.
Refrain: With a downe derrie, derrie, derrie, downe, downe
The one of them said to his mate,
'Where shall we our breakfast take?'
'Downe in yonder green field,
There lies a knight slain under his shield.
'His hounds they lie downe at his feet,
So well they can their master keep.
'His hawks they fly so eagerly,
There's no fowle dare him come nie.'
Downe there comes a fallow doe,
As great with yong as she might goe.
She lift up his bloudy hed,
And kist his wounds that were so red.
She got him up upon her backe,
And carried him to earthen lake.
She buried him before the prime,
She was dead herself ere even-song time.
God send every gentleman,
Such hawks, such hounds, and such a leman.
About The Three Ravens
"The Three Ravens" finds Traditional in a pop-minded frame, where a clear central idea and emotional directness carry the song. Its appeal comes from commitment to a single emotional temperature rather than from trying to impress through sheer scale. There is a welcome sense of proportion in the way the music presents itself: the hook has room to land, while the surrounding moments support it instead of competing for attention. Small changes in intensity keep the song moving and stop its main idea from becoming static, giving the performance a natural sense of flow. For listeners returning to Traditional, the song offers a compact example of how mood, pacing, and a recognizable point of view can meet in one place. The result is a focused piece of music that works in the moment but still has enough character to invite a return visit. The clarity of that approach is its own strength, because it lets the feeling come through without turning every moment into a dramatic demand. Even when it aims for immediacy, the track avoids feeling disposable because its atmosphere remains distinct after the final note. Its emotional center stays firmly in view throughout.