Child Ballads - Lyrics

The Laird o Drum

Appendix

Herd's Manuscripts1, 55, II, 187; Herd's Scottish Songs, 1776, II, 6.

1	'O my bonie, bonie may, Will ye not rue upon me? A sound, sound sleep I'll never get Untill I lie ayon thee.
2	'I'll gie ye four-and-twenty good milk-kye, Wer a' caft in ae year, may, And a bonie bull to gang them by, That blude red is his hair, may.'
3	'I hae nae houses, I hae nae land, I hae nae gowd or fee, sir; I am oer low to be your bryde, Your loon I'll never be, sir.'

Motherwell's Manuscript, p. 37; from the recitation of Thomas Risk, smith, learned by him in his youth at St. Ninian's, Stirlingshire.

1	Montrose he had a poor shepherd, And a poor shepherd was he; He had as fair a daughter As ever you could see, And an earl has fallen in love wi her, And his bride now she must be.
2	The earl he came to the shepherd's door, And he tirled at the pin; Slowly rose the fair maid For to let the earl in.
3	'Good day, good day, fair maid,' he says; 'Good day, good day,' said she; 'Good day unto thee, noble sir, What is thy will with me?'
4	'I 'm so possessed with love to thee, That I cannot gang nor stand Till you go unto yonder church, To give me thy right hand.'
5	'Oh, no, oh no,' the fair maid says, 'Oh that can never be; For thou art a lord of good estate, And I but of mean degree.
6	'Oh no, oh no,' the fair maid says, 'Thou'rt rich and I am poor; And I am owre mean to be thy wife, Too good to be thy whore.
7	'I can shape, and I can sew, And cows and yowes can milk, But I was neer brought up in a lady's room, To sew satin nor silk.
8	'And if you had your will of me Ye wud me soon forget; Ye wad gar turn me doun your stairs And bar on me your yett.'
9	'Oh no, oh no,' the earl says, 'For so shall never be; For this night or I eat or drink My honoured bride you shall be.'
10	'My father he's a poor shepherd, He's herding on yon hill; You may go to my old father, And ask at him his will.'
11	The earl he went to the poor shepherd, Who was herding on the lea; 'Good day, good day, shepherd,' he says; 'Good day, good day,' said he, Good day unto your honour, sir; What is your will with me?'
12	'Oh you have a fair daughter; Will ye give her to me, Silk and satin she shall wear, And, shepherd, so shall ye.'
13	'It's true I have a fair daughter, But I'll not give her to thee; For thou art a lord of good estate, And she but of mean degree.
14	'The reason is, thou art too rich, And my daughter is too poor; She is ower mean to be thy wife, Too good to be thy whoore.
15	'She can shape, etc. (as verse 7).
16	'And if you had your will of her, etc. (8).
17	Oh no, oh no,' the earl says, etc. (9).
18	The earl he to the fair maid again, Who was spinning at her wheel; She had but one petticoat on her, But oh she set it weel!
19	'Cast off, cast off that petticoat That you were wont to wear, And put on a gown of the satin silk, With a garland in your hair.'
20	She cast off the petticoat That she was wont to wear, And she put on a gown of the satin silk, With a garland in her hair.
21	Many, many was there that night To bear them company; And she is the earl's wife, She's thrice fairer than he.

Motherwell's Manuscript, p. 252; from the recitation of Mrs. Crura, Dumbarton, 7 April, 1825.

1	'O fair maid and true maid, Will ye not on me rue, maid? Here's my hand, my heart's command, I'll come and go by you, maid.
2	'I've four-and-twenty good milk-kye, A' calved in a[e] year, maid, And a bonnie bill to eisin them, Just as red as your hair, maid.'
3	'Your kye go as far in my heart As they go in my heel, sir; And, altho I be but a shepherd's dochter, I love my body weel, sir.
4	'I love my body weel, sir, And my maidenhead far better; And I'll keep it to marry me, Because I 'm scarse o tocher.'
5	This knicht he turned his bridle about, While the tear stood in his ee; And he's awa to her father gane, As fast as he could dree.
6	'Gude een, gude een, you gude auld man,' 'Gude een, you earl's knicht, sir;' 'But you have a fair dochter,' he says, 'Will you grant her to me, sir? O silks and satins she shall wear, Indeed and so shall ye, sir.'
7	'I have a fair dochter,' he says, 'She's fair of blood and bane, sir; But an ye had your will o her Ye wud leave her alane, sir.'
8	'Ye would steek her not your chamber-doors, And bar her at your yett, sir; And an ye had your will o her Ye wud her soon forget, sir.'
9	This knicht he turned his bridle about, While the tear stood in his ee, And he's awa to this fair maid gane, As fast as he could drie.
10	'O fair maid and true maid, Will ye not on me rue, maid? Here's my hand, my heart's command, I'll come and go by you, maid.
11	'Cast aff, cast aff your gay black gowns, Put on your gowns of silk, maid; Cast aff, cast aff your gay black snoods, Put the garlands on your hair, maid.'
12	'It's I can bake, and I can brew, And good kye can I milk, sir; But I was neer born in the time o the year To wear the gowns o silk, sir.
13	'Yestreen I was a shepherd's dochter, Whistling my hogs to the hill; But the nicht I am an earl's lady, I may wear what I will.'

Johnson's Museum, No 397, p. 410.

	As I went out ae May morning, A May morning it chanc'd to be, There I was aware of a weelfar'd maid, Cam linkin oer the lea to me.
	O but she was a weelfar'd maid, The bonniest lass that's under the sun; I spier'd gin she could fancy me, But her answer was, I am too young.
	'To be your bride I am too young, To be your loun wad shame my kin; So therefore, pray, young man, begone, For you never, never shall my favour win.'

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