Tam Lin
No: 39; variant: 39[J]
- 'The night, the night is Halloween,
Tommorow's Hallowday,
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
- 'The night, the night is Halloween,
Our seely court maun ride,
Thro England and thro Ireland both,
And a' the warld wide.
- 'The firsten court that comes ye bye,
You'll lout, and let them gae;
The seconden court that comes you bye,
You'll hail them reverently.
- 'The thirden court that comes you by,
Sae weel's ye will me ken,
For some will be on a black, a black,
And some will be on a brown,
But I will be on a bluid-red steed,
And will ride neist the queen.
- 'The thirden court that comes you bye,
Sae weel's ye will me ken,
For I'll be on a bluid-red steed,
Wi three stars on his crown.
- 'Ye'll tak the horse head in yer hand,
And grip the bridle fast;
The Queen o Elfin will gie a cry,
'True Tamas is stown awa!'
- 'And I will grow in your twa hands
And adder and an eel;
But the grip ye get ye'll hold it fast,
I'll be father to yer chiel.
- 'I will wax in your twa hans
As hot as any coal;
But if you love me as you say,
You'll think of me and thole.
- 'O I will grow in your twa hands
An adder and a snake;
The grip ye get now hold it fast,
And I'll be your world's mait.
- 'O I'll gae in at your gown sleeve,
And out at your gown hem,
And I'll stand up before thee then
A freely naked man.
- 'O I'll gae in at your gown sleeve,
And out at your gown hem,
And I'll stand before you then,
But claithing I'll hae nane.
- 'Ye'll do you down to Carden's Ha,
And down to Carden's stream,
And there you'll see our seely court,
As they come riding hame.'
- 'It's nae wonder, my daughter Janet,
Ture Tammas ye thought on;
An he were a woman as he's a man,
My bedfellow he should be.'