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The English and Scottish Popular Ballads

Edited by Francis James Child.

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Lizzie Lindsay
  
  
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Lizzie Lindsay

LIZIE LINDSAY—F

[_]

Whitelaw's Book of Scottish Ballads, p. 51, “from the recitation of a lady in Glasgow.”

1

There was a braw ball in Edinburgh,
And mony braw ladies were there,
But nae ane at a' the assembly
Could wi Lizzie Lindsay compare.

2

In cam the young laird o Kincassie,
An a bonnie young laddie was he:
‘Will ye lea yere ain kintra, Lizzie,
An gang to the Hielands wi me?’

3

She turned her roun on her heel,
An a very loud laughter gaed she:
‘I wad like to ken whar I was ganging,
And wha I was gaun to gang wi.’

4

‘My name is young Donald M'Donald,
My name I will never deny;
My father he is an auld shepherd,
Sae weel as he can herd the kye!

5

‘My father he is an auld shepherd,
My mother she is an auld dame;
If ye'll gang to the Hielands, bonnie Lizzie,
Ye's neither want curds nor cream.’

6

‘If ye'll call at the Canongate-Port,
At the Canongate-Port call on me,
I'll give you a bottle o sherry,
And bear you companie.’

7

He ca'd at the Canongate-Port,
At the Canongate-Port called he;
She drank wi him a bottle o sherry,
And bore him guid companie.

8

‘Will ye go to the Hielands, bonnie Lizzie?
Will ye go to the Hielands wi me?
If ye'll go to the Hielands, bonnie Lizzie,
Ye shall not want curds nor green whey.’

9

In there cam her auld mither,
A jolly auld lady was she:
‘I wad like to ken whar she was ganging,
And wha she was gaun to gang wi.’

10

‘My name is young Donald M'Donald,
My name I will never deny;
My father he is an auld shepherd,
Sae weel as he can herd the kye!

11

‘O but I would give you ten guineas
To have her one hour in a room,
To get her fair body a picture,
To keep me from thinking long.’

12

‘O I value not your ten guineas,
As little as you value mine;
But if that you covet my daughter,
Take her with you, if you do incline.’

13

‘Pack up my silks and my satins,
And pack up my hose and my shoon,
And likewise my clothes in small bundles,
And away wi young Donald I'll gang.’

14

They packd up her silks and her satins,
They packd up her hose and her shoon,

264

And likewise her clothes in small bundles,
And away with young Donald she's gane.

15

When that they cam to the Hielands,
The braes they were baith lang and stey;
Bonnie Lizzie was wearied wi ganging,
She had travelld a lang summer day.

16

‘O are we near hame, Sir Donald?
O are we near hame, I pray?’
‘We're no near hame, bonnie Lizzie,
Nor yet the half o the way.’

17

They cam to a homely poor cottage,
An auld man was standing by:
‘Ye're welcome hame, Sir Donald,
Ye've been sae lang away.’

18

‘O call me no more Sir Donald,
But call me young Donald your son,
For I have a bonnie young lady
Behind me for to come in.’

19

‘Come in, come in, bonnie Lizzie,
Come in, come in,’ said he;
‘Although that our cottage be little,
Perhaps the better we'll gree.

20

‘O make us a supper, dear mother,
And make it of curds an green whey;
And make us a bed o green rushes,
And cover it oer wi green hay.’
[OMITTED]

21

‘Rise up, rise up, bonnie Lizzie,
Why lie ye so long in the day?
Ye might hae been helping my mother
To make the curds and green whey.’

22

‘O haud your tongue, Sir Donald,
O haud your tongue, I pray;
I wish I had neer left my mother;
I can neither make curds nor whey.’

23

‘Rise up, rise up, bonnie Lizzie,
And put on your satins so fine,
For we maun to be at Kincassie
Before that the clock strikes nine.’

24

But when they came to Kincassie
The porter was standing by:
‘Ye're welcome home, Sir Donald,
Ye've been so long away.’

25

It's down then came his auld mither,
With all the keys in her hand,
Saying, Take you these, bonnie Lizzie,
All under them's at your command.