Bonny Hind

Child 50; Roud 205. "Copied from the mouth of a milkmaid, by W.L., in 1771."

A tragic story of mistaken identity and unintended incest. A "hind" is a young female deer, and the son in the song uses the phrase "bonny hind" metaphorically, to refer to his sister. His father takes it literally: "Why worry about one hind? You can hunt plenty more in the woods right here..."

Shawn used to sing this in strong Scots dialect which was virtually impenetrable to English speakers. He eventually realized that the audience's comprehension of the story was fundamental to its presentation, and has altered prununciation and tweaked a rhyme or two to allow this.