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Fair Annie

No: 62; variant: 62E

Source: Jamieson-Brown MS., fol. 20; Jamieson's Popular Ballads, II, 371.

  1. 'O Wha will bake my bridal bread, And brew my bridal ale? Wha will welcome my bright bride, That I bring oer the dale?'
  2. 'O I will bake your bridal bread, An brew your bridal ale; An I will welcome your bright bride, That you bring oer the dale.
  3. 'O she that welcomes my bright bride Maun gang like maiden fair; She maun lace her in her green cloathin, An braid her yallow hair.'
  4. 'O how can I gang maiden like, Whan maiden I am nane? Whan I ha born you seven sons, An am wi bairn again?'
  5. The lady stood in her bowr door An lookit oer the lan, An there she saw her ain good lord, Leadin his bride by the han.
  6. She's dressd her sons i the scarlet red, Hersel i the dainty green, An tho her cheek lookd pale and wan, She well might ha been a queen.
  7. She calld upon her eldest son: 'Look yonder what you see; For yonder comes your father dear, Your step-mother him wi.
  8. 'O you'r welcome hame, my ain good lord, To your ha's but an your bowrs; You'r welcome hame, my ain good lord, To your castles an your towrs: Sae is your bright bride you beside, She's fairer nor the flowers.'
  9. 'O whatn a lady's that?' she says, 'That welcoms you an me? If I'm lang lady about this place, Some good I will her dee. She looks sae like my sister Jane, Was stoln i the bowr frae me.'
  10. O she has servd the lang tables, Wi the white bread an the wine; But ay she drank the wan water, To keep her colour fine.
  11. 'An she gid by the first table, An leugh amo them a'; But ere she reachd the second table, She let the tears down fa.
  12. She's taen a napkin lang an white, An hung't upon a pin; It was to dry her watry eyes, As she went out and in.
  13. Whan bells were rung, an mass was sung, An a' man boun to bed, The bride but an the bonny bridegroom In ae chamber was laid.
  14. She's taen her harp intill her han, To harp this twa asleep; An ay as she harped an she sang, Full sorely did she weep.
  15. 'O seven fu fair sons I have born To the good lord o this place, An I wish that they were seven hares, To run the castle race, An I mysel a good gray houn, An I woud gi them chase.
  16. 'O seven fu fair sons I have born To the good lord o this ha; I wish that they were seven rottons, To rin the castle wa, An I mysell a good gray cat, I wot I woud worry them a'
  17. 'The earle o Richmond was my father, An the lady was my mother, An a' the bairns bisides mysel Was a sister an a brother.'
  18. 'Sing on, sing on, ye gay lady, I wot ye hae sung in time; Gin the earle o Richmond was your father, I wot sae was he mine.'
  19. 'Rise up, rise up, my bierly bride; I think my bed's but caul; I woudna hear my lady lament For your tocher ten times taul.
  20. 'O seven ships did bring you here, An an sal tak you hame; The leve I'll keep to your sister Jane, For tocher she gat nane.'