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

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

1
    Ower and ower by Aberdour
      There's mony a cloudy stone,
    And there is mony a gude lord's son
      I fear will never come home.

    2
    Lang, lang will his lady look,
      Wi her baby in her arms,
    But she'll never see Earl Patrick Spens
      Com walkin up the stran.

    3
    'I have a table in my room,
      It cost me guineas nine;
    I wad sink it in the sea
      For ae sight o dry lan.

    4
    'There's a coat o green velvet on my back,
      I got it for my fee;
    But tho I wad gie ten thousan punds,
      Dry land I will never see.'


O

        Gibb MS., p. 63.

    1
    Bonny were the feather beds
      Cam sailin ower the faem,
    But bonnier was the sixteen lords
      Gaed out and neer cam hame.

    2
    Lang, lang may the nourice sit,
      Wi the bonny babe on her knee,
    Ere ever she see her good lord come,
      To pay to her her fee.

    3
    An lang, lang will the lady sit,
      Wi the gowd fan in her hand,
    Ere ever she see her ain gude lord
      Come skipping to dry land.


P

        Kinloch MSS, I, 281.

    1
    Fu laith, fu laith was our braw Scots lords
      To weet their coal black shoon;
    But ere the battle a' was foucht,
      Their hats war weet aboun.

    2
    Out and starts the mermaiden,
      Wi a fan into her hand:
    'Keep up your hearts, my merry men a',
      For ye're near the dry land.'

    3
    Out and spak Earl Patrick Graham,
      Wi the saut tear in his ee:
    'Now sin we've seen the mermaiden,
      Dry land we'll never see.'

    4
    Down below Dunbarton castle,
      Full fifty fathoms deep,
    There lies a' our braw Scots men,
      Earl Patrick at their feet.


Q

        Finlay's Scottish Ballads, I, xiv, from a recited copy.

    1
    Then up an cam a mermaid,
      Wi a siller cup in her han:
    'Sail on, sail on, my gude Scotch lords,
      For ye sune will see dry lan.'

    2
    'Awa, awa, ye wild woman,
      An let your fleechin be;
    For sen your face we've seen the day,
      Dry lan we'll never see.'


R

        Communicated by Mr Macmath, from Mr William Traquair, S.
        S. C., Edinburgh; obtained originally in Perthshire.

    'Twas late, late on a Saturday night,
      And early on a Sunday morn,
    That robes of silk and feather beds
      Came floating to Kean-Gorn.

       *       *       *       *       *

#A. a.#

        1^3. quhar.

        5^1. quha.

        5^3. zeir.

        11^1. have owre, have owr.

   #b.#

        _In this copy ~Sir Andrew Wood~ replaces ~Sir Patrick
        Spens~ throughout._

        8^4. They wat thair heads aboone.

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

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

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