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The Braes o Yarrow

No: 214; variant: 214E

  1. LATE at een, drinkin the wine, Or early in a mornin, The set a combat them between, To fight it in the dawnin.
  2. 'O stay at hame, my noble lord! O stay at hame, my marrow! My cruel brother will you betray, On the dowy houms o Yarrow.'
  3. 'O fare ye weel, my lady gaye! O fare ye weel, my Sarah! For I maun gae, tho I neer return Frae the dowy banks o Yarrow.'
  4. She kissd his cheek, she kaimd his hair, As she had done before, O; She belted on his noble brand, An he's awa to Yarrow.
  5. O he's gane up yon high, high hill---- I wat he gaed wi sorrow---- An in a den spied nine armd men, I the dowy houms o Yarrow.
  6. 'O ir ye come to drink the wine, As ye hae doon before, O? Or ir ye come to wield the brand, On the bonny banks o Yarrow?'
  7. 'I im no come to drink the wine, As I hae don before, O, But I im come to wield the brand, On the dowy houms o Yarrow.'
  8. Four he hurt, an five he slew, On the dowy houms o Yarrow, Till that stubborn knight came him behind, An ran his body thorrow.
  9. 'Gae hame, gae hame, good-brother John, An tell your sister Sarah To come an lift her noble lord, Who's sleepin sound on Yarrow.'
  10. 'Yestreen I dreamd a dolefu dream; I kend there wad be sorrow; I dreamd I pu'd the heather green, On the dowy banks o Yarrow.'
  11. She gaed up yon high, high hill---- I wat she gaed wi sorrow---- An in a den spy'd nine dead men, On the dowy houms o Yarrow.
  12. She kissd his cheek, she kaimd his hair, As oft she did before, O; She drank the red blood frae him ran, On the dowy houms o Yarrow.
  13. 'O haud your tongue, my douchter dear, For what needs a' this sorrow? I'll wed you on a better lord Than him you lost on Yarrow.'
  14. 'O haud your tongue, my father dear, An dinna grieve your Sarah; A better lord was never born Than him I lost on Yarrow.
  15. 'Tak hame your ousen, tak hame your kye, For they hae bred our sorrow; I wiss that they had a' gane mad Whan they cam first to Yarrow.'