6. Willie's Lady
Martin Carthy - Willie's Lady (from "Crown Of Horn")
Ray Fisher - Willie's Lady (from "Willie's Lady")
Variant A
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.
Ray Fisher - Willie's Lady (from "Willie's Lady")
Variant A
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.