The English And Scottish Popular Ballads

by FRANCIS JAMES CHILD.

Home Main Menu Singing & Playing Order & Order Info Support Search Voucher Codes



Share page  Visit Us On FB

Index  Previous  Next 

16A: Sheath and Knife


16A.1	IT is talked the warld all over,
      Refrain:	The brume blooms bonnie and says it is fair
	That the king's dochter gaes wi child to her brither.
      Refrain:	And we'll never gang doun to the brume onie mair
16A.2	He's taen his sister doun to her father's deer park,
	Wi his yew-tree bow and arrows fast slung to his back.
16A.3	'Now when that ye hear me gie a loud cry,
	Shoot frae thy bow an arrow and there let me lye.
16A.4	'And when that ye see I am lying dead,
	Then ye'll put me in a grave, wi a turf at my head.'
16A.5	Now when he heard her gie a loud cry,
	His silver arrow frae his bow he suddenly let fly.
      Refrain:	Now they'll never, etc.
16A.6	He has made a grave that was lang and was deep,
	And he has buried his sister, wi her babe at her feet.
      Refrain:	And they'll never, etc.
16A.7	And when he came to his father's court hall,
	There was music and minstrels and dancing and all.
      Refrain:	But they'll never, etc.
16A.8	'O Willie, O Willie, what makes thee in pain?'
	'I have lost a sheath and knife that I'll never see again.'
      Refrain:	For we'll never, etc.
16A.9	'There is ships o your father's sailing on the sea
	That will bring as good a sheath and a knife unto thee.'
16A.10	'There is ships o my father's sailing on the sea,
	But sic a sheath and a knife they can never bring to me.'
16A.10r	Now we'll never, etc.

16B: Sheath and Knife


16B.1	AE lady has whispered the other,
      Refrain:	The broom grows bonnie, the broom grows fair
	Lady Margaret's wi bairn to Sir Richard, her brother.
      Refrain:	And we daur na gae doun to the broom nae mair
	* * * * *
16B.2	'And when ye hear me loud, loud cry,
	O bend your bow, let your arrow fly.
      Refrain:	And I daur na, etc.
16B.3	'But when ye see me lying still,
	O then you may come and greet your fill.'
	* * * * *
16B.4	'It's I hae broken my little pen-knife
	That I loed dearer than my life.'
      Refrain:	And I daur na, etc.
	* * * * *
16B.5	'It's no for the knife that my tears doun run,
	But it's a' for the case that my knife was kept in.'

16C: Sheath and Knife


16C.1	IT'S whispered in parlour, it's whispered in ha,
      Refrain:	The broom blooms bonie, the broom blooms fair
	Lady Marget's wi child amang our ladies a'.
      Refrain:	And she dare na gae down to the broom nae mair
16C.2	One day whisperd unto another
	Lady Marget's wi child to Sir Richard, her brother.
	* * * * *
16C.3	'O when that you hear my loud loud cry,
	Then bend your bow and let your arrows fly.
      Refrain:	For I dare na,' etc.

16D: Sheath and Knife


16D.1	AE king's dochter said to anither,
      Refrain:	Broom blooms bonnie an grows sae fair
	We'll gae ride like sister and brither.
      Refrain:	But we'll never gae down to the broom nae mair

16[E]: Sheath and Knife


16[E].1	One king's daughter said to anither,
      Refrain:	Brume blumes bonnie and grows sae fair
16[E.1]	'We'll gae ride like sister and brither.'
      Refrain:	And we'll neer gae down to the brume nae mair
16[E.2]	'We'll ride doun into yonder valley,
	Whare the greene green trees are budding sae gaily.
16[E.3]	'Wi hawke and hounde we will hunt sae rarely,
	And we'll come back in the morning early.'
16[E.4]	They rade on like sister and brither,
	And they hunted and hawket in the valley the-gether.
16[E.5]	'Now, lady, hauld my horse and my hawk,
	For I maun na ride, and I downa walk.
16[E.6]	'But set me doun be the rute o this tree,
	For there hae I dreamt that my bed sall be.'
16[E.7]	The ae king's dochter did lift doun the ither,
	And she was licht in her armis like ony fether.
16[E.8]	Bonnie Lady Ann sat doun be the tree,
	And a wide grave was houkit whare nane suld be.
16[E.9]	The hawk had nae lure, and the horse had nae master,
	And the faithless hounds thro the woods ran faster.
16[E.10]	The one king's dochter has ridden awa,
	But bonnie Lady Ann lay in the deed-thraw.

16[F]: Sheath and Knife


16[F].1	'There is a feast in your father's house,
      Refrain:	The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
16[F.1]	It becomes you and me to be very douce.'
      Refrain:	And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
16[F.2]	'Will you to to yon hill so hie,
	Take your bow and your arrow wi thee.'
16[F.3]	He's tane his lady on his back,
	And his auld son in his coat-lap.
16[F.4]	'When ye hear me give a cry,
	Ye'll shoot your bow and let me ly.
16[F.5]	'When ye see me lying still,
	Throw awa your bow and come running me till.'
16[F.6]	When he heard her gie a cry,
	He shot his bow and he let her lye.
16[F.7]	When he saw she was lying still,
	He threw awa his bow and came running her till.
16[F.8]	It was nae wonder his heart was sad,
	When he shot his auld son at her head.
16[F.9]	He howkit a grave lang, large and wide,
	He buried his auld son down by her side.
16[F.10]	It was nae wonder his heart was sair,
	When he shooled the mools on her yellow hair.
16[F.11]	'Oh,' said his father, 'Son, but thou'rt sad,
	At our braw meeting you micht be glad.'
16[F.12]	'Oh,' said he, 'Father, I've lost my knife,
	I loved as dear almost as my own life.
16[F.13]	'But I have lost a far better thing,
	I lost the sheathe that the knife was in.'
16[F.14]	'Hold thy tongue and mak nae din,
	I'll buy thee a sheath and a knife therein.'
16[F.15]	'A' the ships ere sailed the sea
	Neer'll bring such a sheathe and knife to me.
16[F.16]	'A' the smiths that lives on land
	Will neer bring such a sheath and knife to my hand.'

Next: 17. Hind Horn