Kates Song Book

'O haud awa frae me, kind sir, I pray ye give me owre,
For I'll na lie in your bed, till I get presents four;
Presents four ye maun gie me, and that is twa and twa,
Before I lie in your bed, at either stock or wa.
''T is I maun hae some winter fruit that in December grew;
And I maun hae a silk mantil that waft gaed never through;
A sparrow's horn, a priest unborn, this nicht to join us twa,
Before I lie in your bed, at either stock or wa'.
'My father has some winter fruit that in December grew;
My mither has a silk mantil the waft gaed never through;
A sparrow's horn ye soon may find, there's ane on evry claw.
And twa upon the gab o it, and e shall get them a'.
'The priest he stand without the yett, just ready to come in;
Nae man can say he eer was born, nae man without he sin;
He was haill cut frae his mither's side, and frae the same let fa;
Sae we'll baithe lie in ae bed, nad ye'se lie at the wa'.
'O haud awa frae me, kind sir, I pray don't me perplex,
For I'll na lie in your bed till ye answer me questions six;
Questions six ye maun answer me, and that is four and twa,
Before I lie in your bed, at either stock or wa.
"O what is greener than the gress, what's higher than the trees
O what is worse than a women's wish, what's deeper than the seas
What bird craws first, what tree buds first, what first does on them fa
Before I lie in your bed, at either stock or wa.'
'Death is greener than the gress, heaven higher than thae trees;
The devil's waur than women's wish, hell's deeper than the seas;
The cock craws first, the cedar buds first, dew first on them does fa;
Sae we'll baith lie in ae bed, and ye'se lie at the wa'.
Little did this lady think, that morning whan she raise,
That this was for to be the last o a' her maiden days.
But there's na into the king's realm to be found a blither twa,
And now she's Mrs. Wedderburn, and she lies at the wa.
This is Childe Ballad no. 46 "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship" B, from the
Kinloch MSS, Clydesdale.
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