William Stanley Braithwaite, ed. The Book of Restoration Verse. 1910.
Earl BrandAnonymous
O
Ay lally, o lilly lally!
He courted the king’s daughter of fair England,
All i’ the night sae early.
Till sae boldly she came to his bedside.
A pack of hounds let loose on the lea.’
And thou shalt ride, and I will run.’
And thou shall have the best o’ them a’.’
And they met neither rich nor poor.
He comes for ill, but never for good.
Seize this old carl, and gar him die.’
To slay an old man that has grey hair.
I’ll gie him a pound and let him gae.’
O where hae ye stolen this lady away?’
Nor yet have I stolen this lady away.
Whom I have brought from Winchester.’
Why wears she the ribbon sae red?
Then why wears she the gold on high?’
Sae rudely as he rapped at it.
‘She’s out with her maids to play at the ba’.’
Gae count your maidens o’er again.
To bring his daughter back again.
‘O Earl Bran’, we both are tane.’
Ye may stand by and see them slain.
Ye may stand by and see me fall.’
And he has killed them all but ane.
And he’s gi’en him a deadly whack.
He has set his lady on her horse.
And then he alighted to wash his wounds.
‘’Tis but the gleat o’ my scarlet hood.’
And sae rudely as he rapped at it.
And a’ for the sake of an English loun.’
But marry her to my youngest brother.
But it’s been that o’ fair seventeen.’