The English and Scottish Popular Ballads :: :: University of Virginia Library

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 Leys
That 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

[_]

Kinloch's Ballad Book, p. 74, 1827.

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 London
A 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

But whan I'm at hame on bonnie Deeside
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 Leys
That 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

[_]

Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotland, II, 144.

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 day
The 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

For I'm in love, sick, sick in love,
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 Leys
The 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.