The Broom of Cowdenknows
No: 217; variant: 217D
- O BONNIE May is to the yowe-buchts gane,
For to milk her daddie's yowes,
And ay she sang, and her voice it rang
Out-ower the tap o the knows, knows, knowes,
Out-owr the tap o the knowes.
- Ther cam a troop gentilmen,
As they were rydand by,
And ane o them he lichtit doun,
For to see May milkand her kye.
- 'Milk on, milk on, my bonnie lass,
Milk on, milk on,' said he,
'For out o the buchts I winna gang
Till ye shaw me owr the lee.'
- 'Ryde on, ryde on, ye rank rydars,
Your steeds are stout and strang,
For out o the yowe-buchts I winna gae,
For fear that ye do me some wrang.'
- He took her by the milk-white hand,
And by the green gown-sleive,
And thare he took the will o her,
Bot o her he askit nae leive.
- But whan he gat his will o her
He loot her up again,
And a' this bonny maid said or did
Was, Kind sir, tell me your name.
- He pou't out a sillar kame,
Sayand, Kame your yellow hair;
And, gin I be na back in three quarters o a year,
It's o me ye'll see nae mair.
- He pu't out a silken purse
And he gied her guineas thrie,
Saying, Gin I may na be back in three quarters o a year,
It will pay the nourice fee.
- He put his fut into the stirrup
And rade after his men,
And a' that his men said or did
Was, Kind maister, ye've taiglit lang.
- 'I hae rade east, I hae rade wast,
And I hae rade owr the knowes,
But the bonniest lassie that I ever saw
Was in the yowe-buchts, milkand her yowes.'
- She put the pail upon her heid,
And she's gane merrilie hame,
And a' that her faither said or did
Was, Kind dochter, ye've taiglit lang.
- 'Oh, wae be to your men, faither,
And an ill deth may they die!
For they cawit a' the yowes out-owre the knowes,
And they left naebody wi me.
- 'There cam a tod unto the bucht,
The like I never saw,
And afore that he took the ane that he took,
I wad leifar he had tane ither twa.
- 'There cam a tod unto the bucht,
The like I never did see,
And, ay as he spak, he liftit his hat,
And he had a bonnie twinkland ee.'
- It was on a day, and it was a fine simmer day,
She was cawing out her faither's kye,
There cam a troup o gentilmen,
And they rade ways the lass near by.
- 'Wha has dune to you this ill, my dear?
Wha has dune to you this wrang?'
And she had na a word to say for hersell
But, 'Kind sir, I hae a man o my ain.'
- 'Ye lie, ye lie, bonnie May,' he says,
'Aloud I hear ye lie!
For dinna ye mind yon bonnie simmer nicht
Whan ye war in the yowe-buchts wi me?
- 'Licht doun, licht doun, my foremaist man,
Licht doun and let her on,
For monie a time she cawit her faither's kye,
But she'll neir caw them again.
- 'For I am the laird o Ochiltree Wawis,
I hae threttie pleuchs and thrie,
And I hae tane awa the bonniest lass
That is in a' the north countrie.'