University of Virginia Library

The Rantin Laddie

THE RANTIN LADDIE—B

[_]

Skene MS., p. 55; taken down in the North of Scotland, 1802-3.

1

Oft have I playd at the cards an the dyce,
The war so very enticin;
But this is a sad an a sorrowfu seat,
To see my apron risin.

2

‘Oft hae I playd at the cards an the dice
For love of my [rantin] laddie;
But now I man sit in my father's kitchie-nouk,
A rokkin o my baby.

3

‘But gin I had ane o my father's servans,
For he has so mony,
That wad gae to the wood o Glentanner,
Wi a letter to the rantin laddie!’

4

‘Here am I, ane o your father's servans,
For he has sae mony,
That will gae to the wood o Glentanner,
Wi a letter to the rantin laddie.’

5

‘Fan ye gae to Aboyne,
To the woods o Glentanner sae bonny,
Wi your hat in your hand gie a bow to the ground,
In the presence o the rantin laddie.’

6

Fan he gaed to Aboyne,
To the woods o Glentanner sae bonny,
Wi his hat in his hand he gied a bow to the ground,
In the presence of the rantin laddie.

7

Fan he looked the letter on
Sae loud as he was laughin!
But or he read it to an end
The tears they cam down rappin.

8

‘O fa is this or fa is that
Has been so ill to my Maggie?
[OMITTED]
[OMITTED]

9

‘But ye gett four-and-twenty milk white steeds,
Wi an car [OMITTED]
An as mony gay ladies to ride them on,
To gae an bring hame my Maggie.’

10

‘Ye get four-an-twenty bonny brown steeds,
Wi an car o an ome,
An as mony knights to ride them on,
To gae an bring hame my Maggie.’

11

Ye lasses a', far ever ye be,
An ye match wi ony o our Deeside laddies,
Ye'll happy be, ye'l happy be,
For they are frank an kind.