Page:Bessy Bell and Mary Gray (1).pdf/3

 Dear Bessy Bell and Mary Gray,

Ye unco sair oppress us;

Our fancies jee between you twae,

Ye are sic bonnie lasses.

Waes me! for baith I canna get,

To ane by law we're stented;

Then I'll draw cuts, and tak my fate.

And be with ane contented.

 

How blythe was I ilk morn to see

My swain come o'er the hill!

He leap'd the burn, and flew to me,

I met him wi' good will.

O, the broom, the bonnie bonnie broom,

The broom of the Cowdenknowes.

I wish I were wi' my dear swain,

Wi' his pipe and my ewes.

I neither wanted ewe nor lamb,

While his flocks near me lay;

He gather'd in my sheep at night.

And cheer'd me a' the day.

O, the broom, &c.

He tun'd his pipe and reed so sweet,

The birds stood list'ning by;