Willie's Rare And Willie's Fair
Willy’s rare, and Willy’s fair,
And Willy’s wond’rous bonnie;
And Willy heght to marry me,
Gin e’er he marry’d ony.
Yestreen I made my bed fu’ brade,
The night I’ll make it narrow;
For a’ the live lang winter’s night,
I lie twin’d of my marrow.
O came you by yon water side,
Pu’d you the rose or lily;
Or came you by yon meadow green,
Or saw you my sweet Willy?
She sought him east, she sought him west,
She sought him brad and narrow;
Sine in the clifting of a craig,
She found him drown’d in Yarrow.
To this very old and anonymous song William Stenhouse supplied an additional stanza
that had been omitted from William Thomson’s
Orpheus Caledonius
, Volume 2, of 1733.
She’s taen three links o’ her gowden locks;
That hung down lang and yellow,
She’s tied them about sweet Willy’s waist,
And drawn him out of Yarrow.
From “Scotland Dances”, by Eugenia (Jeannie) Callander Sharp
(Used by permission.)