| 1 |
There was a duke, and he dwelt in York,
And he had daughters three;
One of them was an hostler-wife,
And two were gay ladies. |
| 2 |
O word's gane to Queen Mary's court,
As fast as it coud gee,
That Mary Hamilton's born a bairn,
And the baby they coud na see. |
| 3 |
Then came the queen and a' her maids,
Swift tripping down the stair:
'Where is the baby, Mary,
That we heard weep sae sair?' |
| 4 |
'O say not so, Queen Mary,
Nor bear ill tales o me,
For this is but a sore sickness
That oft times troubles me.' |
| 5 |
They sought it up, they sought it down,
They sought it below the bed,
And there the[y] saw the bonny wee babe,
Lying wallowing in its bluid. |
| 6 |
'Now busk ye, busk ye, Mary Hamilton,
Busk ye and gang wi me,
For I maun away to Edinbro town,
A rich wedding to see.' |
| 7 |
Mary wad na put on the black velvet,
Nor yet wad put on the brown,
But she's put on the red velvet,
To shine thro Edinbro town. |
| 8 |
When she came unto the town,
And near the Tolbooth stair,
There stood many a lady gay,
Weeping for Mary fair. |
| 9 |
'O haud yeer tongue[s], ye ladys a',
And weep na mair for me!
O haud yeer tongues, ye ladys a',
For it's for my fault I dee. |
| 10 |
'The king he took me on his knee
And he gae three drinks to me,
And a' to put the babie back,
But it wad na gang back for me. |
| 11 |
'O ye mariners, ye mariners a',
That sail out-owr the sea,
Let neither my father nor mother get wit
What has become o me! |
| 12 |
'Let neither my father nor mother ken,
Nor my bauld brethren three,
For muckle wad be the gude red bluid
That wad be shed for me. |
| 13 |
'Aft hae I laced Queen Mary's back,
Aft hae I kaimed her hair,
And a' the reward she's gein to me 's
The gallows to be my heir. |
| 14 |
'Yestreen the queen had four Marys,
The night she'l hae but three;
There was Mary Seatoun, and Mary Beatoun,
An Mary Carmichal, an me.' |
