English and Scottish Ballads, Volume VII

Ballads, English -- England -- Texts; Ballads, Scots -- Scotland -- Texts

Lord Perth stood the storm, Seaforth but lukewarm,[L39]
      Kilsyth, and Strathallan not slaw, man;                           40
    And Hamilton pled the men were not bred,
      For he had no fancy to fa', man.
              _And we ran, &c._

    Brave gen'rous Southesk, Tullibardin was brisk,[L43]
      Whose father indeed would not draw, man,
    Into the same yoke, which serv'd for a cloak,                       45
      To keep the estate 'twixt them twa, man.
              _And we ran, &c._

    Lord Rollo not fear'd, Kintore and his beard,[L47]
      Pitsligo and Ogilvie, a', man,
    And brothers Balflours they stood the first show'rs,
      Clackmannan and Burleigh did claw, man.                           50
              _And we ran, &c._

    But Cleppan fought pretty, and Strowan the witty,[L51]
      A poet that pleases us a', man;
    For mine is but rhyme in respect of what's fine,
      Or what he is able to draw, man.
              _And we ran &c._

    For Huntly and Sinclair, they both play'd the tinkler,[L55]         55
      With consciences black as a craw, man;
    Some Angus and Fife men, they ran for their life, man,
      And ne'er a Lot's wife there at a', man.
              _And we ran, &c._

    Then Laurie the traitor, who betray'd his master,[L59]
      His king, and his country, an' a', man,                           60
    Pretending Mar might give orders to fight,
      To the right of the army awa, man.
              _And we ran, &c._

    Then Laurie, for fear of what he might hear,
      Took Drummond's best horse, and awa, man:
    'Stead of going to Perth, he crossed the Firth,                     65
      Alongst Stirling bridge, and awa, man.
              _And we ran, &c._

    To London he press'd, and there he profess'd
      That he behav'd best o' them a', man,
    And so, without strife, got settled for life,
      A hundred a-year to his fa', man.                                 70
              _And we ran, &c._

    In Borrowstounness he resides with disgrace,
      Till his neck stand in need of a thraw, man;
    And then in a tether he'll swing from a ladder,
      And go off the stage with a pa', man.
              _And we ran, &c._

    Rob Roy there stood watch on a hill, for to catch[L75]
      The booty, for ought that I saw, man;                             76
    For he ne'er advanc'd from the place he was stanc'd,
      Till no more was to do there at a', man.
              _And we ran, &c._

    So we all took the flight, and Moubray the wright,
      And Lethem the smith was a braw man,                              80
    For he took a fit of the gout, which was wit,
      By judging it time to withdraw, man.
              _And we ran, &c._

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

General

English and Scottish Ballads, Volume VII

Ballads, English -- England -- Texts; Ballads, Scots -- Scotland -- Texts

Lord Perth stood the storm, Seaforth but lukewarm,[L39]
      Kilsyth, and Strathallan not slaw, man;                           40
    And Hamilton pled the men were not bred,
      For he had no fancy to fa', man.
              _And we ran, &c._

    Brave gen'rous Southesk, Tullibardin was brisk,[L43]
      Whose father indeed would not draw, man,
    Into the same yoke, which serv'd for a cloak,                       45
      To keep the estate 'twixt them twa, man.
              _And we ran, &c._

    Lord Rollo not fear'd, Kintore and his beard,[L47]
      Pitsligo and Ogilvie, a', man,
    And brothers Balflours they stood the first show'rs,
      Clackmannan and Burleigh did claw, man.                           50
              _And we ran, &c._

    But Cleppan fought pretty, and Strowan the witty,[L51]
      A poet that pleases us a', man;
    For mine is but rhyme in respect of what's fine,
      Or what he is able to draw, man.
              _And we ran &c._

    For Huntly and Sinclair, they both play'd the tinkler,[L55]         55
      With consciences black as a craw, man;
    Some Angus and Fife men, they ran for their life, man,
      And ne'er a Lot's wife there at a', man.
              _And we ran, &c._

    Then Laurie the traitor, who betray'd his master,[L59]
      His king, and his country, an' a', man,                           60
    Pretending Mar might give orders to fight,
      To the right of the army awa, man.
              _And we ran, &c._

    Then Laurie, for fear of what he might hear,
      Took Drummond's best horse, and awa, man:
    'Stead of going to Perth, he crossed the Firth,                     65
      Alongst Stirling bridge, and awa, man.
              _And we ran, &c._

    To London he press'd, and there he profess'd
      That he behav'd best o' them a', man,
    And so, without strife, got settled for life,
      A hundred a-year to his fa', man.                                 70
              _And we ran, &c._

    In Borrowstounness he resides with disgrace,
      Till his neck stand in need of a thraw, man;
    And then in a tether he'll swing from a ladder,
      And go off the stage with a pa', man.
              _And we ran, &c._

    Rob Roy there stood watch on a hill, for to catch[L75]
      The booty, for ought that I saw, man;                             76
    For he ne'er advanc'd from the place he was stanc'd,
      Till no more was to do there at a', man.
              _And we ran, &c._

    So we all took the flight, and Moubray the wright,
      And Lethem the smith was a braw man,                              80
    For he took a fit of the gout, which was wit,
      By judging it time to withdraw, man.
              _And we ran, &c._

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

English and Scottish Ballads, Volume VII

English and Scottish Ballads, Volume VII

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