The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 2 (of 5)

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

5
    'Come riddle us, riddle us, father dear,
      Yea both of us into ane;
    Whether sall I marry Fair Annie,
      Or bring the brown bride hame?'

    6
    'The brown bride she has houses and land,
      And Annie she has nane;
    Sae on my blessing, my auld son,
      Bring ye Brown Bride hame.'

    7
    Then he is to his mither's bouer,
      And tirled at the pin;
    Then up and rose his mother dear
      To let Sweet Willie in.

    8
    'Come riddle us, riddle us, mother dear,
      Yea baith o us into ane;
    Whether sall I marry Fair Annie,
      Or bring the brown bride hame?'

    9
    'The brown bride she has gowd and gear,
      Fair Annie she has nane;
    And for my blessing, my auld son,
      Bring ye Brown Bride hame.'

    10
    Then he is to his sister's bouer,
      And tirled at the pin;
    And wha sae ready as his sister dear
      To let her brither in.

    11
    'Come riddle us, riddle us, sister fair,
      Us baith yea into ane;
    Whether sall I marry Fair Annie,
      Or bring the brown bride hame?'

    12
    'The brown bride she has horse and kye,
      And Annie she has nane;
    But for my love, my brither dear,
      Bring hame the fair woman.

    13
    'Your horse may dee into the staw,
      The kye into the byre,
    And ye'll hae nocht but a howther o dirt,
      To feed about your fire.'

    14
    Then he is to Fair Annie's bouer,
      And tirled at the pin;
    And wha sae ready as Fair Annie
      To let Sweet Willie in.

    15
    'You're welcome here to me, Willie,
      You're welcome here to me:'
    'I'm na welcome to thee, Annie,
      I'm na welcome to thee,
    For I'm come to bid ye to my wedding,
      It's gey sad news to thee.'

    16
    'It's gey sad news to me, Willie,
      The saddest ye could tell;
    It's gey sad news to me, Willie,
      That shoud been bride mysel.'

    17
    Then she is to her father gane,
      And bowed low on her knee:
      .    .    .    .    .    .    .
        .    .    .    .    .    .    .

    18
    'Come riddle us, riddle us, father dear,
      Us baith yea into ane;
    Whether sall I gang to Willie's wedding,
      Or sall I stay at hame?'

    19
    'Whare ane will be your frien, Annie,
      Twenty will be your fae;'
    'But prove it gude, or prove it bad,
      To Willie's wedding I'll gae.

    20
    'I'll na put on the grisly black,
      Nor yet the dowie green,
    But I'll put on a scarlet robe
      To sheen like onie queen.'

    21
    She's orderd the smiths to the smithy,
      To shoe her a riding steed;
    She has orderd tailors to her bouer,
      To dress her a riding weed.

    22
    She has calld her maries to her bour,
      To lay gowd on her hair:
    'Whare e'er ye put ae plait before,
      See ye lay ten times mair.'

    23
    The steed Fair Annie rade upon,
      He bounded like the wind;
    Wi silver he was shod before,
      Wi burning gowd behind.

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

Opening the text

General

The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 2 (of 5)

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

5
    'Come riddle us, riddle us, father dear,
      Yea both of us into ane;
    Whether sall I marry Fair Annie,
      Or bring the brown bride hame?'

    6
    'The brown bride she has houses and land,
      And Annie she has nane;
    Sae on my blessing, my auld son,
      Bring ye Brown Bride hame.'

    7
    Then he is to his mither's bouer,
      And tirled at the pin;
    Then up and rose his mother dear
      To let Sweet Willie in.

    8
    'Come riddle us, riddle us, mother dear,
      Yea baith o us into ane;
    Whether sall I marry Fair Annie,
      Or bring the brown bride hame?'

    9
    'The brown bride she has gowd and gear,
      Fair Annie she has nane;
    And for my blessing, my auld son,
      Bring ye Brown Bride hame.'

    10
    Then he is to his sister's bouer,
      And tirled at the pin;
    And wha sae ready as his sister dear
      To let her brither in.

    11
    'Come riddle us, riddle us, sister fair,
      Us baith yea into ane;
    Whether sall I marry Fair Annie,
      Or bring the brown bride hame?'

    12
    'The brown bride she has horse and kye,
      And Annie she has nane;
    But for my love, my brither dear,
      Bring hame the fair woman.

    13
    'Your horse may dee into the staw,
      The kye into the byre,
    And ye'll hae nocht but a howther o dirt,
      To feed about your fire.'

    14
    Then he is to Fair Annie's bouer,
      And tirled at the pin;
    And wha sae ready as Fair Annie
      To let Sweet Willie in.

    15
    'You're welcome here to me, Willie,
      You're welcome here to me:'
    'I'm na welcome to thee, Annie,
      I'm na welcome to thee,
    For I'm come to bid ye to my wedding,
      It's gey sad news to thee.'

    16
    'It's gey sad news to me, Willie,
      The saddest ye could tell;
    It's gey sad news to me, Willie,
      That shoud been bride mysel.'

    17
    Then she is to her father gane,
      And bowed low on her knee:
      .    .    .    .    .    .    .
        .    .    .    .    .    .    .

    18
    'Come riddle us, riddle us, father dear,
      Us baith yea into ane;
    Whether sall I gang to Willie's wedding,
      Or sall I stay at hame?'

    19
    'Whare ane will be your frien, Annie,
      Twenty will be your fae;'
    'But prove it gude, or prove it bad,
      To Willie's wedding I'll gae.

    20
    'I'll na put on the grisly black,
      Nor yet the dowie green,
    But I'll put on a scarlet robe
      To sheen like onie queen.'

    21
    She's orderd the smiths to the smithy,
      To shoe her a riding steed;
    She has orderd tailors to her bouer,
      To dress her a riding weed.

    22
    She has calld her maries to her bour,
      To lay gowd on her hair:
    'Whare e'er ye put ae plait before,
      See ye lay ten times mair.'

    23
    The steed Fair Annie rade upon,
      He bounded like the wind;
    Wi silver he was shod before,
      Wi burning gowd behind.

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

The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 2 (of 5)

The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 2 (of 5)

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