The Laird o Drum
No: 236; variant: 236E
- THE Laird of Drum is a wooing gane,
All in a morning early,
And there he spied a weel-far'd may,
She was shearing at her barley.
- 'Will you fancy me, my bonny may,
And will you fancy me? O
And will you come and be Lady Drum,
And let your shearing a be?' O
- 'It's I winna fancy you, kind sir,
I winna fancy thee;
For I'm too low to be lady o Drum,
And your whore I would scorn to be.'
- Ye'll cast aff the robes of gray,
And put on the silk and the scarlet,
And here to you I'll make a vow
Ye'se neither be whore nor harlot.'
- 'I winna cast aff the robes o gray,
To put on the silk and the scarlet,
But I'll wear the colour of the ewe,
For they set me better that a' that.
- 'But ye'll do you doun to my father dear,
Keeping sheep on yonder hill,
And the first ae thing that he bids me I'll do,
For I wirk aye at his will.'
- He's done him doun to her father dear,
Keeping sheep on yonder hill:
'Ye hae a pretty creature for your daughter;
Dear me! but I like her well.'
- 'It's she can neither read nor write,
She was never brought up at the squeel;
She canna wash your china cups,
Nor yet mak a dish o tea.
- 'But well can she do a' ither thing,
For I learnt the girly mysell;
She'll fill in your barn, and winnow your corn,
She'll gang to your kill and your mill,
And, time o need, she'll saddle your steed,
And draw your boots hersell.'
- 'Wha will bake my bridal bread,
And wah will brew my ale?
Wha will welcome my lady in?
For it's more than I can tell.'
- There was four-and-twenty gentlemen
Stood a' in the yetts o Drum,
But there was nane o them lifted their hats
To welcome the young lady in.
- But up spake his ae brither,
Says, Brither, ye hae done wrang;
Ye have married a wife this day
A lauch to a' our kin.
- 'I've married ane to win my bread,
But ye married ane to spend;
But as lang's I'm able to walk to the yetts o Drum
On me she may depend.
- 'The last lady that I did wed
Was far above my command;
I durst not enter the bower where she was
But my hat low in my hand.'
- When bells were rung, and mass was sung,
And a' man bound for bed,
The Laird o Drum and the Shepherd's dother
In one bed they were laid.
- 'If ye were come o noble bleed
An were as high as me,
We could gang to the yetts o Drum
Amangst gueed companie.'
- 'I tald you ere we was wed
I was oer low for thee,
But now we are wedd and in ae bed laid,
And you must be content wi me.
- 'For an ye were dead, an I were dead,
And laid in the dust low down,
When we were baith turnd up again
Wha could ken your mould frae mine?'