The Gypsy Laddie
No: 200; variant: 200E
- THE gypsies they came to Lord Cassle's yet,
And O but they sang ready!
They sang sae sweet and sae complete
That down came the lord's fair lady.
- O she came tripping down the stair,
Wi a' her maids afore her,
And as soon as they saw her weelfared face
They cuist their glaumry owre her.
- She gaed to them the gude white bread,
And they gaed to her the ginger,
Then she gaed to them a far brawer thing,
The gowd rings af her finger.
- Quo she to her maids, There's my gay mantle,
And bring to me my plaidy,
And tell my lord whan he comes hame
I'm awa wi a gypsie laddie.
- For her lord he had to the hounting gane,
Awa in the wild green wuddie,
And Jockie Faw, the gypsie king,
Saw him there wi his cheeks sae ruddy.
- On they mounted, and af they rade,
Ilk gypsie had a cuddy,
And whan through the stincher they did prance
They made the water muddy.
- Quo she, Aft times this water I hae rade,
Wi many a laord and lady,
But never afore did I it wade
To folow a gypsie laddie.
- 'Aft hae I lain in a saft feather-bed,
Wi my gude lord aside me,
But now I maun sleep in an auld reeky kilt,
Alang wi a gypsie laddie.'
- Sae whan that the yirl he came hame,
His servants a' stood ready;
Some took his horse, and some drew his boots,
But gane was his fair lady.
- And whan he came ben to the parlour-door,
He asked for his fair lady,
But dome denied, and ithers some replied,
'She's awa wi a gypsie laddie.'
- 'Then saddle,' quoth he, 'My gude black naig,
For the brown is never sae speedy;
As I will neither eat nor drink
Till I see my fair lady.
- 'I met wi a cheel as I rade hame,
And thae queer stories said he;
Sir, I saw this day a fairy queen
Fu pack wi a gypsie laddie.
- 'I hae been east, and I hae been west,
And in the lang town o Kircadie,
But the bonniest lass that ever I saw
Was following a gypsie laddie.'
- Sae his lordship has rade owre hills and dales,
And owre mony a wild hie mountain,
Until that he heard his ain lady say,
'Now my lord will be hame frae the hounting.'
- 'Than will you come hame, my hinnie and my love?'
Quoth he to his charming dearie,
'And I'll keep ye aye in a braw close room,
Where the gypsies will never can steer ye.'
- Said she, 'I can swear by the sun and the stars,
And the moon whilk shines sae clearie,
That I am as chaste for the gypsie Jockie Faw
As the day my minnie did bear me.'
- 'Gif ye wad swear by the sun,' said he,
'And the moon, till ye wad deave me,
Ay and tho ye wad take a far bigger aith,
My dear, I wadna believe ye.
- 'I'll tak ye hame, and the gypsies I'll hang,
Ay, I'll make them girn in a wuddie,
And afterwards I'll burn Jockie Faw,
Wha fashed himself wi my fair lady.
- Quoth the gypsies, We're fifteen weel-made men,
Tho the maist o us be ill bred ay,
Yet it wad be a pity we should a' hang for ane,
Wha fashed himself wi your fair lady.
- Quoth the lady, My lord, forgive them a',
For they nae ill eer did ye,
And gie ten guineas to the chief, Jockie Faw,
For he is a worthy laddie.
- The lord he hearkened to his fair dame,
And O the gypsies war glad ay!
They danced round and round their merry Jockie Faw,
And roosed the gypsie laddie.
- Sae the lord rade hame wi his charming spouse,
Owre the hills and the haughs sae whunnie,
And the gypsies slade down by yon bonny burnside,
To beek themsells there sae sunnie.