The English and Scottish Popular Ballads Edited by Francis James Child. |
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 | The English and Scottish Popular Ballads |  |
355
241
THE BARON O LEYS
356
THE BARON O LEYS—A
1
The Laird of Leys is on to Edinbrugh,To shaw a fit o his follie;
He drest himsel in the crimson-brown,
An he provd a rantin laddie.
2
Ben came a weel-faird lass,Says, Laddie, how do they ca ye?
‘They ca me this, an they ca me that,
Ye wudna ken fat they ca me;
But whan I'm at home on bonnie Deeside
They ca me The Rantin Laddie.’
3
They sought her up, they sought her down,They sought her in the parlour;
She coudna be got but whar she was,
In the bed wi The Rantin Laddie.
4
‘Tell me, tell me, Baron of Leys,Ye tell me how they ca ye!
Your gentle blood moves in my side,
An I dinna ken how they ca ye.’
5
‘They ca me this, an they ca me that,Ye couldna ken how they ca me;
But whan I'm at home on bonnie Deeside
They ca me The Rantin Laddie.’
6
‘Tell me, tell me, Baron of Leys,Ye tell me how they ca ye!
Your gentle blood moves in my side,
An I dinna ken how to ca ye.’
7
‘Baron of Leys, it is my stile,Alexander Burnett they ca me;
Whan I'm at hame on bonnie Deeside
My name is The Rantin Laddie.’
8
‘Gin your name be Alexander Burnett,Alas that ever I saw ye!
For ye hae a wife and bairns at hame,
An alas for lyin sae near ye!
9
‘But I'se gar ye be headit or hangt,Or marry me the morn,
Or else pay down ten thousand crowns
For giein o me the scorn.’
10
‘For my head, I canna want;I love my lady dearly;
But some o my lands I maun lose in the case,
Alas for lyin sae near ye!’
11
Word has gane to the Lady of LeysThat the laird he had a bairn;
The warst word she said to that was,
‘I wish I had it in my arms.
12
‘For I will sell my jointure-lands—I am broken an I'm sorry—
An I'll sell a', to my silk gowns,
An get hame my rantin laddie.’
Laird o Leys
THE BARON O LEYS—B
1
The Laird o Leys is to London gane;He was baith full and gawdie;
For he shod his steed wi siller guid,
And he's playd the ranting laddie.
2
He hadna been in fair LondonA twalmonth and a quarter,
Till he met wi a weel-faurd may,
Wha wishd to know how they ca'd him.
3
‘They ca me this, and they ca me that,And they're easy how they've ca'd me;
357
They ca me The Ranting Laddie.’
4
‘Awa wi your jesting, sir,’ she said,‘I trow you're a ranting laddie;
But something swells atween my sides,
And I maun ken how they ca thee.’
5
‘They ca me this, and they ca me that,And they're easy how they ca me;
The Baron o Leys my title is,
And Sandy Burnet they ca me.’
6
‘Tell down, tell down ten thousand crowns,Or ye maun marry me the morn;
Or headit or hangit ye sall be,
For ye sanna gie me the scorn.’
7
‘My head's the thing I canna weel want;My lady she loves me dearlie;
Nor yet hae I means ye to maintain;
Alas for the lying sae near thee!’
8
But word's gane doun to the Lady o LeysThat the Baron had got a babie:
‘The waurst o news!’ my lady she said,
‘I wish I had hame my laddie.
9
‘But I'll sell aff my jointure-house,Tho na mair I sud be a ladie;
I'll sell a' to my silken goun,
And bring hame my rantin laddie.’
10
So she is on to London gane,And she paid the money on the morn;
She paid it doun and brought him hame,
And gien them a' the scorn.
The Baron o Leys
THE BARON O LEYS—C
1
The Baron o Leys to France is gane,The fashion and tongue to learn,
But hadna been there a month or twa
Till he gat a lady wi bairn.
2
But it fell ance upon a dayThe lady mournd fu sairlie;
Says, Who's the man has me betrayed?
It gars me wonder and fairlie.
3
Then to the fields to him she went,Saying, Tell me what they ca thee;
Or else I'll mourn and rue the day,
Crying, alas that ever I saw thee!
4
‘Some ca's me this, some ca's me that,I carena fat befa me;
For when I'm at the schools o France
An awkward fellow they ca me.’
5
‘Wae's me now, ye awkward fellow,And alas that ever I saw thee!
Wi you I'm in love, sick, sick in love,
And I kenna well fat they ca thee.’
6
‘Some ca's me this, some ca's me that,What name does best befa me;
For when I walk in Edinburgh streets
The Curling Buckle they ca me.’
7
‘O wae's me now, O Curling Buckle,And alas that ever I saw thee!
For I'm in love, sick, sick in love,
And I kenna well fat they ca thee.’
8
‘Some ca's me this, some ca's me that,Whatever name best befa's me;
But when I'm in Scotland's king's high court
Clatter the Speens they ca me.’
9
‘O wae's me now, O Clatter the Speens,And alas that ever I saw thee!
For I'm in love, sick, sick in love,
And I kenna well fat to ca thee.’
10
‘Some ca's me this, some ca's me that,I carena what they ca me;
But when wi the Earl o Murray I ride
It's Scour the Brass they ca me.’
11
‘O wae's me now, O Scour the Brass,And alas that ever I saw thee!
358
And I kenna well fat to ca thee.’
12
‘Some ca's me this, some ca's me that,Whatever name best befa's me;
But when I walk thro Saint Johnstone's town
George Burnett they ca me.’
13
‘O wae's me, O wae's me, George Burnett,And alas that ever I saw thee!
For I'm in love, sick, sick in love,
And I kenna well fat to ca thee.’
14
‘Some ca's me this, some ca's me that,Whatever name best befa's me;
But when I am on bonny Dee side
The Baron o Leys they ca me.’
15
‘O weal is me now, O Baron o Leys,This day that ever I saw thee!
There's gentle blood within my sides,
And now [I] ken fat they ca thee.
16
‘But ye'll pay down ten thousand crowns,Or marry me the morn;
Else I'll cause you be headed or hangd
For gieing me the scorn.’
17
‘My head is a thing I cannot well want;My lady loves me sae dearly;
But I'll deal the gold right liberally
For lying ae night sae near thee.’
18
When word had gane to the Lady o LeysThe baron had gotten a bairn,
She clapped her hands, and this did say,
‘I wish he were in my arms!
19
‘O weal is me now, O Baron o Leys,For ye hae pleased me sairly;
Frae our house is banishd the vile reproach
That disturbed us late and early.’
20
When she looked ower her castle-wa,To view the woods sae rarely,
There she spied the Baron o Leys
Ride on his steed sae rarely.
21
Then forth she went her baron to meet,Says, Ye're welcome to me, fairly!
Ye'se hae spice-cakes, and seed-cakes sweet,
And claret to drink sae rarely.
| The English and Scottish Popular Ballads | |