Willy's Lady- Mrs. Anna Brown (Aber) 1783 Fraser-Tytler MS Child Aa
[From Fraser-Tytler Manuscript from English and Scottish Popular Ballads by F.J. Child, 1882, volume 1. Child's notes follow. This is the second of two MS's written down by Mrs. Brown about 1783. The second MS text was made to go with the music transcription by her nephew, Bob Scott. As pointed out by Sir Walter Scott in 1802, a measure is missing after 33, and "chess" (m. 15) should be "jess."
R. Matteson 2018]
a, 'Willie's Lady,' was No 1 in the manuscript of fifteen ballads furnished William Tytler by Mrs. Brown in 1783, and having been written down a little later than b may be regarded as a revised copy. This manuscript, as remarked under No 5, is not now in the possession of the Fraser-Tytler family, having often been most liberally lent, and, probably, at last not returned. But a transcript had been made by the grandfather of the present family of two of the pieces contained in it, and 'Willie's Lady' is one of these two.
'Willie's Lady'- Version Aa. from Mrs. Brown taken from a copy, by Miss Mary Fraser Tytler, of a transcript made by her grandfather from William Tytler's manuscript.
1 Willie has taen him oer the fame,
He's woo'd a wife and brought her hame.
2 He's woo'd her for her yellow hair,
But his mother wrought her mickle care.
3 And mickle dolour gard her dree,
For lighter she can never be.
4 But in her bower she sits wi pain,
And Willie mourns oer her in vain.
5 And to his mother he has gone,
That vile rank witch of vilest kind.
6 He says: 'My ladie has a cup,
Wi gowd and silver set about.
7 'This goodlie gift shall be your ain,
And let her be lighter o her young bairn.'
8 'Of her young bairn she'll neer be lighter,
Nor in her bower to shine the brighter.
9 'But she shall die and turn to clay,
And you shall wed another may.'
10 'Another may I'll never wed,
Another may I'll neer bring home.'
11 But sighing says that weary wight,
'I wish my life were at an end.'
12 'Ye doe [ye] unto your mother again,
That vile rank witch of vilest kind.
13 'And say your ladie has a steed,
The like o'm's no in the lands of Leed.
14 'For he [i]s golden shod before,
And he [i]s golden shod behind.
15 'And at ilka tet of that horse's main,
There's a golden chess and a bell ringing.
16 'This goodlie gift shall be your ain,
And let me be lighter of my young bairn.'
17 'O her young bairn she'll neer be lighter,
Nor in her bower to shine the brighter.
18 'But she shall die and turn to clay,
And ye shall wed another may.'
19 'Another may I['ll] never wed,
Another may I['ll] neer bring hame.'
20 But sighing said that weary wight,
'I wish my life were at an end.'
21 'Ye doe [ye] unto your mother again,
That vile rank witch of vilest kind.
22 'And say your ladie has a girdle,
It's red gowd unto the middle.
23 'And ay at every silver hem,
Hangs fifty silver bells and ten.
24 'That goodlie gift has be her ain,
And let me be lighter of my young bairn.'
25 'O her young bairn she's neer be lighter,
Nor in her bower to shine the brighter.
26 'But she shall die and turn to clay,
And you shall wed another may.'
27 'Another may I'll never wed,
Another may I'll neer bring hame.'
28 But sighing says that weary wight,
'I wish my life were at an end.'
29 Then out and spake the Belly Blind;
He spake aye in good time.
30 'Ye doe ye to the market place,
And there ye buy a loaf o wax.
31 'Ye shape it bairn and bairnly like,
And in twa glassen een ye pit;
32 'And bid her come to your boy's christening;
Then notice weel what she shall do.
33 'And do you stand a little fore bye,
And listen weel what she shall say.'
34 'Oh wha has loosed the nine witch knots
That was amo that ladie's locks?
35 'And wha has taen out the kaims of care
That hangs amo that ladie's hair?
36 'And wha's taen down the bush o woodbine
That hang atween her bower and mine?
37 'And wha has killd the master kid
That ran beneath that ladie's bed?
38 'And wha has loosed her left-foot shee,
And lotten that ladie lighter be?'
39 O Willie has loosed the nine witch knots
That was amo that ladie's locks.
40 And Willie's taen out the kaims o care
That hang amo that ladie's hair.
41 And Willie's taen down the bush o woodbine
That hang atween her bower and thine.
42 And Willie has killed the master kid
That ran beneath that ladie's bed.
43 And Willie has loosed her left-foot shee,
And letten his ladie lighter be.
44 And now he's gotten a bonny young son,
And mickle grace be him upon.