Richardsons' Borderers' Table Book, VII, 361, 1846;
"taken down by James Telfer, of Saughtree, Liddesdale,
from the chanting of an old woman named Kitty Hall, a native
of Northumberland."
| 1 |
God send the land deliverance
Frae every reaving, riding Scot;
We'll sune hae neither cow nor ewe,
We'll sune hae neither staig nor stot. |
| 2 |
The outlaws come fare Liddesdale,
They herry Redesdale far and near;
The rich man's gelding it maun gang,
They canna pass the puir man's mear. |
| 3 |
Sure it were weel, had ilka thief
Around his neck a halter strang;
And curses heavy may they light
On traitors vile oursels amang. |
| 4 |
Now Parcy Reed has Crosier taen,
He has delivered him to the law;
But Crosier says he'll do waur than that,
He'll make the tower o Troughend fa. |
| 5 |
And Crosier says he will do waur,
He will do waur if waur can be;
He'll make the bairns a' fatherless,
And then, the land it may lie lee. |
| 6 |
'To the hunting, ho!' cried Parcy Reed,
'The morning sun is on the dew;
The cauler breeze frae off the fells
Will lead the dogs to the quarry true. |
| 7 |
'To the hunting, ho!' cried Parcy Reed,
And to the hunting he has gane;
And the three fause Ha's o Girsonsfield
Alang wi him he has them taen. |
| 8 |
They hunted high, they hunted low,
By heathery hill and birken shaw;
They raised a buck on Rooken Edge,
And blew the mort at fair Ealylawe. |
| 9 |
They hunted high, they hunted low,
They made the echoes ring amain;
With music sweet o horn and hound,
They merry made fair Redesdale glen. |
| 10 |
They hunted high, they hunted low,
They hunted up, they hunted down,
Until the day was past the prime,
And it grew late in the afternoon. |
| 11 |
They hunted high in Batinghope,
When as the sun was sinking low;
Says Parcy then, Ca off the dogs,
We'll bait our steeds and homeward go. |
| 12 |
They lighted high in Batinghope,
Atween the brown and benty ground;
They had but rested a little while
Till Parcy Reed was sleeping sound. |
| 13 |
There's nane may lean on a rotten staff,
But him that risks to get a fa;
There's nane may in a traitor trust,
And traitors black were every Ha. |
| 14 |
They've stown the bridle off his steed,
And they've put water in his lang gun;
Theya've fixed his sword within the sheath
That out again it winna come. |
| 15 |
'Awaken ye, waken ye, Parcy Reed,
Or by your enemies be taen;
For yonder are the five Crosiers
A-coming owre the Hingin-stane.' |
| 16 |
'If they be five, and we be four,
Sae that ye stand alang wi me,
Then every man ye will take one,
And only leave but two to me:
We will them meet as brave men ought,
And make them either fight or flee.' |
| 17 |
'We mayna stand, we canna stand,
We daurna stand alang wi thee;
The Crosiers haud thee at a feud,
And they wad kill baith thee and we.' |
| 18 |
'O turn thee, turn thee, Johnie Ha,
O turn thee, man, and fight wi me;
When ye come to Troughend again,
My gude black naig I will gie thee;
He cost full twenty pound o gowd,
Atween my brother John and me.' |
| 19 |
'I mayna turn, I canna turn,
I daurna turn and fight wi thee;
The Crosiers haud thee at a feud,
And they wad kill baith thee and me.' |
| 20 |
'O turn thee, turn thee, Willie Ha,
O turn thee, man, and fight wi me;
When ye come to Troughend again,
A yoke o owsen I'll gie thee.' |
| 21 |
'I mayna turn, I canna turn,
I daurna turn and fight wi thee;
The Crosiers haud thee at a feud,
And they wad kill baith thee and me.' |
| 22 |
'O turn thee, turn thee, Tommy Ha,
O turn now, man, and fight wi me;
If ever we come to Troughend again,
My daughter Jean I'll gie to thee.' |
| 23 |
'I mayna turn, I canna turn,
I daurna turn and fight wi thee;
The Crosiers haud thee at a feud,
And they wad kill baith thee and me.' |
| 24 |
'O shame upon ye, traitors a'!
I wish your hames ye may never see;
Ye've stown the bridle off my naig,
And I can neither fight nor flee. |
| 25 |
'Ye've stown the bridle off my naig,
And ye've put water i my lnag gun;
Ye've fixed my sword within the sheath
That out again it winna come.' |
| 26 |
He had but time to cross himsel,
A prayer he hadna time to say,
Till round him came the Crosiers keen,
All riding graithed and in array. |
| 27 |
'Weel met, weel met, now, Parcy Reed,
Thou art the very man we sought;
Owre lang hae we been in your debt,
Now will we pay you as we ought. |
| 28 |
'We'll pay thee at the nearest tree,
Where we shall hang thee like a hound;'
Brave Parcy raisd his fankit sword,
And felld the foremost to the ground. |
| 29 |
Alake, and wae for Parcy Reed,
Alake, he was an unarmed man;
Four weapons pierced him all at once,
As they assailed him there and than. |
| 30 |
They fell upon him all at once,
They mangled him most cruellie;
The slightest wound might caused his deid,
And they hae gien him thirty-three;
They hacket off his hands and feet,
And left him lying on the lee. |
| 31 |
'Now, Parcy Reed, we've paid our debt,
Ye canna weel dispute the tale,'
The Crosiers said, and off they rade;
They rade the airt o Liddesdale. |
| 32 |
It was the hour o gloaming gray,
When herds come in frae fauld and pen;
A herd he saw a huntsman lie,
Says he, Can this be Laird Troughen? |
| 33 |
'There's some will ca me Parcy Reed,
And some will ca me Laird Troughen;
It's little matter what they ca me,
My faes hae made me ill to ken. |
| 34 |
'There's some will ca me Parcy Reed,
And speak my praise in tower and town;
It's little matter what they do now,
My life-blood rudds the heather brown. |
| 35 |
'There's some will ca me Parcy Reed,
And a' my virtues say and sing;
I would much rather have just now
A draught o water frae the spring.' |
| 36 |
The herd flung aff his clouted shoon
And to the nearest fountain ran;
He made his bonnet serve a cup,
And wan the blessing o the dying man. |
| 37 |
'Now, honest herd, ye maun do mair,
Ye maun do mair, as I you tell;
Ye maun bear tidings to Troughend,
And bear likewise my last farewell. |
| 38 |
'A farewell to my wedded wife,
A farewell to my brother John,
Wha sits into the Troughend tower
Wi heart as black as any stone. |
| 39 |
'A farewell to my daughter Jean,
A farewell to my young sons five;
Had they been at their father's hand,
I had this night been man alive. |
| 40 |
'A farewell to my followers a',
And a' my neighbours gude at need;
Bid them think how the treacherous Ha's
Betrayed the life o Parcy Reed. |
| 41 |
'The laird o Clennel bears my bow,
The laird o Brandon bears my brand;
Wheneer they ride i the Border-side,
They'll mind the fate o the laird Troughend.' |
