- The king he sits on Dunfermline hill, Drinking baith beer and wine; O Says, Whare shall I get a good skipper, That will sail the salt sea fine? O
- But out then speaks an Irish knight, That's tauld the king of me? For tho it had been the queen hersell, She might hae let it be.
- 'But busk you, O busk, my merry men all, Sae merrily busk and boune, For blaw the wind where eer it will, Our gude ship sails the morn.'
- 'O no, O no, our dear master, It will be a deidly storm; For yestreen I saw the new new mune, Wi the auld mune in her arm; It's a token, maister, or ye were born, It will be a deadly storm.'
- 'But busk, O busk, my merrie men all, Our gude ship sails the morn, For blow the wind whereer it will, Our gude ship sails the morn.'
- They had na sailed a day, a day, A day but scarsely five, Till Skipper Patrick's bonny ship Began to crack and rive.
- It's bonny was the feather beds That swimmed alang the main, But bonnier was our braw Scots lords, They neer returned again.
- Our Scots lords they are all laith To weet their coal black shoon; But I trow or a' the play was played, They wat their hair abune.
- Our ladies may stand upon the sand, Kembing down their yellow hair, But they will neer see Skipper Patrick's ship Come sailing in nae mair.
- Our ladies may stand upon the sand Wi gloves upon their hand, But they will never see Skipper Patrick's ship Come sailing into the land.
- O vour and o vour to bonnie Aberdour It's fifty fadoms deep; There you will find young Patrick lye, Wi his Scots lords at his head.
- Row owre, row owre to Aberdour, It's fifty fadom deep; And there lies Earl Patrick Spens, His men all at his feet.
No: 58; variant: 58F
Source: Motherwell's MS., p. 153, from the recitation of Mrs Thomson.