Ed de Moel

Child Ballads - Lyrics

Child 38
The Wee Wee Man
Version A

Herd's Manuscripts, I, 153, Herd's Ancient and Modern Scottish Songs, 1776, I, 95.

Narrative

1   As I was walking all alone,
Between a water and a wa,
And there I spy'd a wee wee man,
And he was the least that ere I saw.
2   His legs were scarce a shathmont's length,
And thick and thimber was his thigh;
Between his brows there was a span,
And between his shoulders there was three.
3   He took up a meikle stane,
And he flang't as far as I could see;
Though I had been a Wallace wight,
I couldna liften't to my knee.
4   'O wee wee man, but thou be strang!
O tell me where thy dwelling be?'
'My dwelling's down at yon bonny bower;
O will you go with me and see?'
5   On we lap, and awa we rade,
Till we came to yon bonny green;
We lighted down for to bait our horse,
And out there came a lady fine.
6   Four and twenty at her back,
And they were a' clad out in green;
Though the King of Scotland had been there,
The warst o them might hae been his queen.
7   On we lap, and awa we rade,
Till we came to yon bonny ha,
Whare the roof was o the beaten gould,
And the floor was o the cristal a'.
8   When we came to the stair-foot,
Ladies were dancing, jimp and sma,
But in the twinkling of an eye,
My wee wee man was clean awa.

This page most recently updated on 05-Mar-2011, 16:16:46.
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