'The Coble o Cargill,' Motherwell's Manuscript, p. 80; 'The
Weary Coble o Cargill,' Motherwell's Minstrelsy,
p. 230. Communicated to Motherwell by William
George, tenant in Cambus Michael, Perthshire, who
took it from the recitation of an old woman.
| 1 |
David Drummond's destinie,
Gude man o appearance o Cargill;
I wat his blude rins in the flude,
Sae sair against his parents' will. |
| 2 |
She was the lass o Balathy toun,
And he the butler o Stobhall,
And mony a time she wauked late
To bore the coble o Cargill. |
| 3 |
His bed was made in Kercock ha,
Of gude clean sheets and of [the] hay;
He wudna rest ae nicht therein,
But on the prude waters he wud gae. |
| 4 |
His bed was made in Balathy toun,
Of the clean sheets and of the strae;
But I wat it was far better made
Into the bottom o bonnie Tay. |
| 5 |
She bored the coble in seven pairts,
I wat her heart might hae been fu sair;
For there she got the bonnie lad lost
Wi the curly locks and the yellow hair. |
| 6 |
He put his foot into the boat,
He little thocht o ony ill;
But before that he was mid-waters,
The weary coble began to fill. |
| 7 |
'Woe be to the lass o Balathy toun,
I wat an ill death may she die!
For she bored the coble in seven pairts,
And let the waters perish me. |
| 8 |
'Oh, help, oh help, I can get nane,
Nae help o man can to me come!'
This was about his dying words,
When he was choaked up to the chin. |
| 9 |
'Gae tell my father and my mother
It was naebody did me this ill;
I was a-going my ain errands,
Lost at the coble o bonnie Cargill.' |
| 10 |
She bored the boat in seven pairts,
I wat she bored it wi gude will;
And there they got the bonnie lad's corpse,
In the kirk-shot o bonnie Cargill. |
| 11 |
Oh a' the keys o bonnie Stobha
I wat they at his belt did hing;
But a' the keys of bonnie Stobha
They now ly low into the stream. |
| 12 |
A braver page into his age
Neer set a foot upon the plain;
His father to his mother said,
'Oh, sae soon as we've wanted him! |
| 13 |
'I wat they had mair luve than this
When they were young and at the scule;
But for his sake she wauked late,
And bored the coble o bonnie Cargill.' |
| 14 |
'There's neer a clean sark gae on my back,
Nor yet a kame gae in my hair;
There's neither coal nor candle-licht
Shall shine in my bouir foe evir mair. |
| 15 |
'At kirk nor market I'se neer be at,
Nor yet a blythe blink in my ee;
There's neer a ane shall say to anither,
That's the lassie gard the young man die. |
| 16 |
'Between the yates o bonnie Stobha
And the kirk-style o bonnie Cargill,
There is mony a man and mother's son
That was at my love's burial.' |
