Jamie Douglas
No: 204; variant: 204F
- WALY, waly up yon bank!
And waly, waly up yon brae!
And waly, waly by yon river-side,
Where me and my love were wont to gae!
- My mither tauld me when I was young
That young men's love was ill to trow;
But to her I would give nae ear,
And alas! my ain wand dings me now.
- 'But gin I had wist or I had kisst
That young man's love was sae ill to win,
I would hae lockt my heart wi a key o gowd,
And pinnd it wi a sillar pin.
- When lairds and lords cam to this toun,
And gentlemen o a high degree,
I took my auld son in my arms,
And went to my chamber pleasantly.
- But when gentlemen come thro this toun,
And gentlemen o a high degree,
I must sit alane in the dark,
And the babie on the nurse's knee.
- I had a nurse, and she was fair,
She was a dearly nurse to me;
She took my gay lord frae my side,
And used him in her company.
- Awa! awa, thou false Blackwood!
Ay and an ill death may thou die!
Thou wast the first occasioner
Of parting my gay lord and me.
- When I was sick, and very sick,
Sick I was, and like to die,
I drew me near to my stair-head,
And I heard my own lord lichtly me.
- 'Come doun, come doun, thou Earl of March,
Come doun, come doun and dine with me;
I'll set thee on a chair of gowd,
And treat thee kindly on my knee!'
- 'When cockle-shells grow sillar bells,
And mussells grow on every tree,
When frost and snaw turns fiery ba's,
Then I'll come doun and dine with thee.'
- When my father and mother got word
That my gay lord had forsaken me,
They sent three score of soldiers bold
To bring me to my own countrie.
- When I in my coach was set,
My tenants all was with me tane;
They set them doun upon their knees,
And they begd me to come back again.
- Fare ye weel, Jamie Douglas!
And fare ye weel, my babies three!
I wish your father may be kind
To these three faces that I do see.
- When we cam in by Edinbro toun,
My father and mother they met me;
The cymbals sounded on every side,
But alace! the gave no comfort to me.
- 'Hold your tongue, my daughter dear,
And of your weeping let abee,
And I'll give him a bill of divorce,
And I'll get as good a lord to thee.'
- 'Hold your tongue, my father dear,
And of your scoffing let me bee;
I would rather hae a kiss of my own lord's mouth
As all the lords in the north countrie.'