The Braes o Yarrow
No: 214; variant: 214[Q]
- There lived a lady in the West,
I neer could find her marrow;
She was courted by nine gentlemen,
And a ploughboy-lad in Yarrow.
- These nine sat drinking at the wine,
Sat drinking wine in Yarrow;
They made a vow among themselves
To fight for her in Yarrow.
- She washed his face, she kaimed his hair,
As oft she'd done before, O,
She made him like a knight sae bright,
To fight for her in Yarrow.
- As he walked up yon high, high hill,
And down by the holmes of Yarrow,
There he saw nine arme:d men,
Come to fight with him in Yarrow.
- 'There's nine of you, there's one of me,
It's an unequal marrow;
But I'll fight you all one by one,
On the dowie dens of Yarrow.'
- Three he slew, and three they flew,
And three he wounded sorely,
Till her brother John he came in beyond,
And pierced his heart most foully.
- 'Go home, go home, thou false young man,
And tell thy sister Sarah
That her true-love John lies dead and gone
On the dowie dens of Yarrow.'
- 'O father dear, I dreamed a dream,
I'm afraid it will bring sorrow;
I dreamed I was pulling the heather-bell
In the dowie dens of Yarrow.'
- 'O daughter dear, I read your dream,
I doubt it will prove sorrow;
For your true-love John lies dead and gone
On the dowie dens of Yarrow.'
- As she walked up yon high, high hill,
And down by the holmes of Yarrow,
There she saw her true-love John,
Lying pale and dead on Yarrow.
- Her hair it being three quarters long--
The colour it was yellow--
She wrapped it round his middle sma,
And carried him hame to Yarrow.
- 'O father dear, you've seven sons,
You may wed them a' tomorrow,
But a fairer flower I never saw
Than the lad I loved in Yarrow.'
- The fair maid being great with child,
It filled her heart with sorrow;
She died within her lover's arms,
Between that day and morrow.