My lady's white, my lady's red,
And kith and kin o' Cassillis' blude,
But her ten-pund lands o' tocher guid
Were a' the charms his lordship lo'ed.
My lady's gown, &c.

Out o'er yon muir, out o'er yon moss,
Whare gor-cocks thro' the heather pass,
There wons auld Colin's bonnie lass,
A lily in the wilderness.

My lady's gown, &c.

Sae sweetly move her genty limbs,
Like music notes o' lover's hymns:
The diamond dew in her een sae blue,
Where laughing love sae wanton swims.
My lady's gown, &c.

My lady's dink,1 my lady's drest,
The flower and fancy o' the west;
But the lassie that a man lo'es best,
O that's the lass to make him blest.
My lady's gown, &c.

O AYE MY WIFE SHE DANG ME.

CHORUS.

O aye my wife she dang me,

An' aft my wife she bang'd me;
If ye gie a woman a' her will,
Guid faith, she'll soon o'ergang ye.

ON peace and rest my mind was bent,
And fool I was I marry'd;

But never honest man's intent
As cursedly miscarry'd.

Some sairie comfort still at last,
When a' thir days are done, man,

My pains o' hell on earth is past,
I'm sure o' bliss aboon, man.
O aye my wife, &c.

THE BANKS OF NITH.

A BALLAD.

To thee, lov'd Nith, thy gladsome plains,
Where late wi' careless thought I rang'd,
Though prest wi' care and sunk in woe,
To thee I bring a heart unchang'd.

I love thee, Nith, thy banks and braes,
Tho' mem'ry there my bosom tear;
For there he rov'd that brake my heart,
Yet to that heart, ah, still how dear!

BONNIE PEG.

As I came in by our gate end,
As day was waxin' weary,

O wha came tripping down the street,
But bonnie Peg, my dearie!

Her air sae sweet, and shape complete,
Wi' nae proportion wanting,
The Queen of Love did never move
Wi' motion mair enchanting.

Wi' linked hands, we took the sands
A-down yon winding river;

And, oh! that hour and broomy bower,
Can I forget it ever?

O LAY THY LOOF IN MINE, LASS.

CHORUS.

O lay thy loof1 in mine, lass,
In mine, lass, in mine, lass;
And swear in thy white hand, lass,
That thou wilt be my ain.

A SLAVE to Love's unbounded sway,
He aft has wrought me meikle wae ;
But now he is my deadly fae,
Unless thou be my ain.

O lay thy loof, &c.

1 Palm of the hand.

There's monie a lass has broke my rest,
That for a blink I hae lo'ed best;

But thou art Queen within my breast,
For ever to remain.
O lay thy loof, &c.

O GUID ALE COMES.

CHORUS.

O guid ale comes, and guid ale goes,
Guid ale gars me sell my hose-
Sell my hose, and pawn my shoon,
Guid ale keeps my heart aboon

I HAD sax owsen in a pleugh,
They drew a' weel eneugh,
I sell❜d them a' just ane by ane;
Guid ale keeps my heart aboon.

Guid ale hauds me bare and busy,
Gars me moop wi' the servant hizzie,
Stand i' the stool when I hae done,
Guid ale keeps my heart aboon.
O guid ale comes, &c.

O WHY THE DEUCE.

EXTEMPORE. APRIL, 1782.

O WHY the deuce should I repine,
And be an ill foreboder?
I'm twenty-three, and five feet nine—
I'll go and be a sodger.

I gat some gear wi' meikle care,
I held it weel thegither;

But now it's gane and something mair,
I'll go and be a sodger.

POLLY STEWART.

TUNE-"YE'RE WELCOME, CHARLIE STEWART."

CHORUS.

O lovely Polly Stewart,

O charming Polly Stewart,

There's ne'er a flower that blooms in May, That's half so fair as thou art.

THE flower it blaws, it fades, it fa's,
And art can ne'er renew it;
But worth and truth eternal youth
Will gie to Polly Stewart.

May he, whase arms shall fauld thy charms,
Possess a leal and true heart;
To him be given to ken the heaven
He grasps in Polly Stewart!
O lovely, &c.

ROBIN SHURE IN HAIRST.

CHORUS.

Robin shure in hairst,

I shure wi' him,

Fient a heuk had I,

Yet I stack by him.

I GAED up to Dunse,

To warp a wab o' plaiden,

At his daddie's yett,

Wha met me but Robin.

Was na Robin bauld,

Tho' I was a cotter,

Play'd me sic a trick,

And me the eller's dochter ?

Robin shure, &c.

Robin promis'd me

A' my winter vittle;

Fient haet he had but three
Goose feathers and a whittle.
Robin shure, &c.

C C

THE FIVE CARLINS.-AN ELECTION BALLAD.

TUNE "CHEVY CHASE."

THERE were five Carlins in the south,

They fell upon a scheme,

To send a lad to Lun'on town

To bring us tidings hame.

Not only bring us tidings hame,
But do our errands there,

And aiblins gowd and honour baith
Might be that laddie's share.

There was Maggie' by the banks o' Nith,
A dame wi' pride enough;

And Marjorie o' the monie Lochs,
A Carlin auld an' teugh.

And blinkin Bess o' Annandale,

That dwells near Solway side,

And whisky Jeans that took her gill
In Galloway so wide.

And auld black Joan fra Creighton peel,
O' gipsy kith an' kin,

Five weightier Carlins were na found
The south countrie within.

To send a lad to Lon'on town?
They met upon a day,

And monie a Knight, and monie a Laird,
That errand fain would gae.

O! monie a Knight, and monie a Laird,
This errand fain would gae;

But nae ane could their fancy please,
O! ne'er a ane but twae.

The first ane was a belted Knight,8
Bred o' a border clan;

An' he wad gae to Lon'on town,
Might nae man him withstan';

1 The five boroughs of Dumfries-shire and Kirkcudbright.

Dumfries.

3 Lochmaben.

4 Annan.
5 Kirkcudbright.
6 Sanquhar.
7 The five boroughs returned one member.
8 Sir James Johnstone.