| 1 |
There livd a lord in the West Country,
And he had daughters three;
The youngest o them's to the queen's court,
To learn some courtesy. |
| 2 |
She hadna been at the queen's court
A year but and a day
Till she has fa'n as big wi child,
As big as she coud gae. |
| 3 |
She's gane into the garden
To pu the sycamore tree,
And taen the bony bairn in her arms
And thrown it in the sea. |
| 4 |
She rowd it in her apron
And threw it in the sea:
'Gae sink or soom, my bony sweet babe,
Ye'll never get mair o me.' |
| 5 |
Then in an came Queen Mary,
Wi gowd rings on her hair:
'O Mary mild, where is the child
That I heard greet sae sair?' |
| 6 |
'It wasna a babe, my royal liege,
Last night that troubled me,
But it was a fit o sair sickness,
And I was lyken to dee.' |
| 7 |
'O hold yere tongue, Mary Hamilton,
Sae loud as I hear ye lee!
For I'll send you to Enbro town,
The verity to see.' |
| 8 |
She wadna put on the ribbons o black,
Nor yet wad she the brown,
But she wad put on the ribbons o gowd,
To gae glittring through Enbro town. |
| 9 |
As she rade up the Sands o Leith,
Riding on a white horse,
O little did she think that day
To die at Enbro Corss! |
| 10 |
As she rade up the Cannongate,
She leugh loud laughters three,
And mony a lord and lady said,
'Alas for that lady!' |
| 11 |
'Ye needna say Oh, ye needna cry Eh,
Alas for that lady!
Ye'll neer see grace in a graceless face,
As little ye'll see in me.' |
| 12 |
When she came to the Netherbow Port,
She leugh loud laughters three,
But ere she came to the gallows-foot
The tear blinded her eie;
Saying, Tye a white napkin owr my face,
For that gibbet I downa see. |
| 13 |
'O hold yere hand, Lord Justice!
O hold it a little while!
I think I see my ain true-love
Come wandring mony a mile. |
| 14 |
'O have ye brought me ony o my gowd?
Or ony o my weel-won fee?
Or are ye come to see me hangd,
Upon this gallows-tree?' |
| 15 |
'O I hae brought ye nane o yere gowd,
Nor nane o yere weel-won fee,
But I am come to see ye hangd,
And hangit ye shall be.' |
| 16 |
'O all ye men and mariners,
That sail for wealth or fame,
Let never my father or mother get wit
But what I'm coming hame. |
| 17 |
'O all ye men and mariners,
That sail upon the sea,
Let never my father or mother get wit
The death that I maun dee. |
| 18 |
'Yestreen the queen had four Maries,
The night she'll hae but three;
There was Mary Seaton, and Mary Beaton,
And Mary Carmichael, and me.' |
