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Babylon or The Bonnie Banks o Fordie

No: 14; variant: 14E

  1. THE Duke o Perth had three daughters, Elizabeth, Margaret, and fair Marie; And Elizabeth's to the greenwud gane, To pu the rose and the fair lilie.
  2. But she hadna pu'd a rose, a rose, A double rose, but barely three, Whan up and started a Loudon lord, Wi Loudon hose, and Loudon sheen.
  3. 'Will ye be called a robber's wife? Or will ye be stickit wi my bloody knife? For pu'in the rose and the fair lilie,For pu'in them sae fair and free.'
  4. 'Before I'll be called a robber's wife, I'll rather be stickit wi your bloody knife, For pu'in,' etc.
  5. Then out he's tane his little pen-knife, And he's parted her and her sweet life, And thrown her oer a bank o brume, There never more for to be found.
  6. The Duke o Perth had three daughters, Elizabeth, Margaret, and fair Marie; And Margaret's to the greenwud gane, To pu the rose and the fair lilie.
  7. She hadna pu'd a rose, a rose, A double rose, but barely three, When up and started a Loudon lord, Wi Loudon hose, and Loudon sheen.
  8. 'Will ye be called a robber's wife? Or will ye be stickit wi my bloody knife? For pu'in,' etc.
  9. 'Before I'll be called a robber's wife, I'll rather be stickit wi your bloody knife, For pu'in,' etc.
  10. Then out he's tane his little pen-knife, And he's parted her and her sweet life, For pu'in, etc.
  11. The Duke o Perth had three daughters, Elizabeth, Margaret, and fair Marie; And Mary's to the greenwud gane, To pu the rose and the fair lilie.
  12. She hadna pu'd a rose, a rose, A double rose, but barely three, When up and started a Loudon lord, Wi Loudon hose, and Loudon sheen.
  13. 'O will ye be called a robber's wife? Or will ye be stickit wi my bloody knife? For pu'in,' etc.
  14. 'Before I'll be called a robber's wife, I'll rather be stickit wi your bloody knife, For pu'in,' etc.
  15. But just as he took out his knife, To tak frae her her ain sweet life, Her brother John cam ryding bye, And this bloody robber he did espy.
  16. But when he saw his sister fair, He kennd her by her yellow hair; He calld upon his pages three, To find this robber speedilie.
  17. 'My sisters twa that are dead and gane, For whom we made a heavy maene, It's you that's twinnd them o their life, And wi your cruel bloody knife.
  18. 'Then for their life ye sair shall dree; Ye sall be hangit on a tree, Or thrown into the poisond lake, To feed the toads and rattle-snake.'