The Braes o Yarrow
No: 214; variant: 214N
- THE cock did craw, and the day did daw,
And the moon shone fair and clearly;
Sir James gade out o his castle-yett,
To meet fair Anne, his dearie.
- 'O come down, come down, my true-love Anne,
And speak but ae word to me!
But ae kiss o your bonny mouth
Wad yield much comfort to me.'
- 'O how can I come down?' she says,
'Or how can I win to thee?
When there is nane that I can trust
Wad safe convey me to thee.
- 'But gang doun, gang doun, to yon hostess' house,
And there take on yere lawing,
And, as I'm a woman kind and true,
I'll meet you at the dawing.'
- Then he gade thro the good green-wood,
And oer the moor sae eerie,
And lang he stayd, and sair he sighd,
But he never mair saw his dearie.
- And ay he sat, and lang he drank,
And ay he counted his lawing,
Till fifteen men did him surround,
To slay him or the dawing.
- 'O she promisd ance to meet me this night,
But I find she deceived me;
She promisd ance to meet me this night,
And she's sent fifteen to slay me!
- 'There are twa swords in my scabard,
They cost me gowd and money;
Take ye the best, and gie me the warst,
And man for man I'll try ye.'
- Then they fought on, and on they fought,
Till maist o them were fallen,
When her brother John cam him behind,
And slew him at the dawing.
- Then he's away to his sister Anne,
To the chamber where's she's lying:
'Come doun, come doun, my sister Anne,
And take up your true-love Jamie!
- 'Come doun, come doun now, sister Anne!
For he's sleeping in yon logie;
Sound, sound he sleeps, nae mair to wake,
And nae mair need ye be vogie.'
- 'I dreamd a drearie dream yestreen,
Gin it be true, it will prove my sorrow;
I dreamd my luive had lost his life,
Within the yetts o Gowrie.
- 'O wae betide ye, lassies o Gowrie
For ye hae sleepit soundly;
Gin ye had keepit your yetts shut,
Ye might hae sav'd the life o my Jamie.
- 'Yestreen my luive had a suit o claise
Were o the finest tartan;
But lang or ere the day did daw
They war a' red bluid to the garten.
- 'Yestreen my luive had a suit o claise
Were o the apple reamin;
But lang or ere the day did daw
The red bluid had them streamin.'
- In yon fair ha, where the winds did blaw,
When the moon shone fair and clearly,
She's thrawn her green skirt oer her head,
And ay she cried out mercy.