Ed de Moel

Child Ballads - Lyrics

Child 39
Tam Lin
Version L

Narrative

1   I charge ye, a' ye ladies fair,
That wear goud in your hair,
To come an gang bye Carterhaugh,
For young Tam Lien is there.
* * * * *
2   Then Janet kiltit her green cleadin
A wee aboon her knee,
An she's gane away to Carterhaugh,
As fast as she can dree.
3   When Janet cam to Carterhaugh,
Tam Lien was at the wall,
An there he left his steed stannin,
But away he gaed his sell.
4   She had na pu'd a red, red rose,
A rose but only thre,
Till up then startit young Tam Lien,
Just at young Jenet's knee.
5   'What gars ye pu the rose, Janet,
Briek branches frae the tree,
An come an gang by Carterhaugh,
An speir nae leave of me?'
6   'What need I speir leave o thee, Tam?
What need I speir leave o thee,
When Carterhaugh is a' mine ain,
My father gae it me?'
* * * * *
7   She's kiltit up her green cleadin
A wee aboon her knee,
An she's away to her ain bower-door,
As fast as she can dree.
* * * * *
8   There war four-an-twentie fair ladies
A' dancin in a chess,
An some war blue an some war green,
But Janet was like the gress.
9   There war four-an-twentie fair ladies
A' playin at the ba,
An some war red an som wer white,
But Jennet was like the snaw.

This page most recently updated on 05-Mar-2011, 16:19:38.
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