The song is about Tarma, Kethry and Warrl hunting bandits,[1] and is attributed to the Bard Leslac. As usual, Leslac got a few details wrong.[2] First, Kethry was disguised as the lady and Tarma as her maid. Leslac has them reversed here. Also, while they were oathsisters, they were not shieldmates, as the term is used for partners who are also lovers.
It is "a similar song from the same region as 'Kerowyn's Ride' that migrated northward."[3]
Note: the wording of the songs differ slightly from the wording as presented in the text of The Oathbound.
New single[]
A new musical setting of "Threes" has been made possible by the generous support of "Deluxe Grandmaster" backers. (Learn more on BackerKit.) We do not have details of the actual audio release yet.
Information for the 1987 album version[]
Audio[]
Also available on YouTube
Chords and tabs[]
Lyrics[]
Deep into the stony hills, miles from town or hold
A troop of guards comes riding with a lady and her gold
She rides bemused among them, shrouded in her cloak of fur
Companioned by a maiden and a toothless aged cur.
Three things see no end--
A flower blighted ere it bloomed,
A message that miscarries
And a journey that is doomed.
One among the guardsmen has a shifting restless eye
And as they ride he scans the hills that rise against the sky
He wears both sword and jewels worth more than he could afford
And hidden in his baggage is a heavy secret hoard.
Of three things be wary--
Of a feather on a cat,
The shepherd eating mutton
And the guardsman that is fat.
Little does the lady care what all the guardsmen know
That bandits ambush caravans that on these trade roads go
In spite of tricks and clever traps and all that men can do
The brigands seem to always sense which trains are false or true.
Three things are most perilous--
The shape that walks behind,
The ice that will not hold you
And the spy you cannot find.
From ambush bandits screaming, charge the pack train and its prize
And all but four within the train are taken by surprise
And all but four are cut down, as a woodsman fells a log
The guardsman and the lady and the maiden and the dog.
Three things hold a secret--
Lady riding in a dream,
The dog that sounds no warning
And the maid who does not scream.
Then off the lady pulls her cloak, in armor she is clad
Her sword is out and ready, and her eyes are fierce and glad
The maiden makes a gesture, and the dog's a cur no more
A wolf, sword-maid and sorceress now face the bandit corps.
Three things never anger, or you will not live for long--
A wolf with cubs,
A man with power
And a woman's sense of wrong.
The lady and her sister by a single trader lone
Were hired out to try to lay a trap all of their own
And no one knew their plan except the two who rode that day
For what you do not know, you cannot ever give away.
Three things it is better far that only two should know--
Where treasure hides,
Who shares your bed
And how to catch your foe.
The bandits growl a challenge, and the lady only grins
The sorceress bows mockingly, and then the fight begins
When it ends there's only four left standing from the horde
The witch, the wolf, the traitor, and the woman with the sword.
Three things never trust in...
The maiden sworn as pure,
The vows a king has given
And the ambush that is sure.
They strip the traitor naked, and then whip him on his way
Into the barren hill-sides like the folk he used to slay
And what of all the maidens that this bandit raped and slew
So as revenge the sorceress makes him a woman too.
Three things trust above all else--
The horse on which you ride,
The beast that guards your sleeping
And your shieldmate at your side
Awards[]
- Winner, Best Sword and Sorcery Song, Pegasus Awards, 2005
- Nominee, Best War/Vengeance Song, Pegasus Awards, 1991
- Nominee, Best Literature Song, Pegasus Awards, 1990
Addition: I'm adding the addition of the original lyrics here as written in Oathbound. I'm also going to link the original recording to Julia Ecklar's version on her album :"Horse Tamers Daughter" (Julia Ecklar - Threes [HQ]) I have heard Julia sing this in person.
Deep into the Stony Hills, Miles from Keep or Hold
A troup of guards goes riding with a lady and her gold
Riding in the center shrouded in her cloak of furs
Companioned by a maiden and a toothless aged cur.
Three things see no end, a flower blighter ere it blooms!
A message that was wasted and a journey that was doomed.
One among the guardsmen has a shifting restless eye,
And as they ride, he scans the hills that rise against the sky
He wears a sword and bracelet worth more than he can afford
And hidden in his baggage is a heavy secret hoard.
Three things be wary, of the hungry hunting cat, a shepherd eating mutton and a guardsman that is fat!
From ambush bandits screaming charge the pack train and it’s prize
And all but four within the train are taken by surprise,
And all but four are cut down as the woodsman fells a log,
The guardsman and the lady and the maiden and the dog.
Three things know a secret first the lady in a dream, the dog who barks
No warning and a maid who does not scream.
Then off the lady pulls her cloak and armor she is clad
Her sword is out and ready and her eyes are fierce and glad,
The maiden gestures briefly and the dogs a cur no more
The wolf, sword-maid and sorceress now face the bandit core
Three things never anger, or you will not live for long. A wolf with cubs, a man with power and a woman’s sense of wrong.
The bandits growl a challenge and the lady only grins,
The sorceress bows mockingly and then the fight begins,
And when it ends there are but four left standing from the horde,
The witch the wolf, the traitor and the woman with the sword.
Three things never trust in, the maiden sworn as pure
The vows a king has given and the ambush that is sure.
They strip the traitor naked, and they whipped him on his way
Into the barren hillsides like the folk he used to slay
They take a thorough vengeance for the women he’s cut down
And then they mount their horses and they journey back to town.
Three things trust and cherish well, the horse on which you ride,
the beast that guards and watches you and the sister at your side.
Notes[]
- ↑ The bandit-hunting story became the novelette "Turnabout", Lackey's first professionally published work, in 1985. It is included in chapter 8 of Oathbound, and it also appears in the Oathblood collection.
- ↑ Lackey created the Bard "who gets things wrong" as a comical way to address an error. "Threes" and the story "Turnabout" are the same fictional incident, when Tarma and Kethry catch a bandit raiding pack trains. However, Lackey says that one was at the publisher when she wrote the other, so she got a detail wrong: reversing the disguises worn by the swordswoman and sorceress. The name LesLac is a combination of the names of Lackey and Leslie Fish, who frequently wrote music for Lackey's lyrics, and sometimes sang as Tarma. Leslac got the blame for errors, and later appeared in the books to annoy Tarma and Kethry.
- ↑ The Complete Arrows Trilogy: Appendix