The Laird o' Drum

The laird o Drum's a-huntin gane
All in a mornin early,
An' there he spied a weel-faur'd maid
A-shearin her father's barley.

"O will ye fancy me, fair maid,
Or will ye marry me, O,
An' gang an' be the leddy o Drum
An' lat your shearin be, O?"

"O I maunna fancy you, kind sir,
Nor lat my shearin be, O,
For I'm ower low to be leddy o' Drum,
An' your miss I would scorn to be, O.

"My father he's an auld shepherd man,
Keeps hoggs on yonder hill, O,
An' ilka thing he bids me do,
I'm always at his will, O."

"But ye'll pit aff the gowns o grey,
Pit on the silk an' scarlet,
An' come an' be the leddy o Drum,
An' ye'll neither be miss nor harlot."

"I canna wear your gowns o' silk,
They wid harrel at my heel, O,
But weel can I wear the colour o' the ewe,
It becomes my body weel O."

Now he has to her father gane
Keepin hoggs on yonder hill, O:
"I'm come to marry your ae dachter,
If ye'll gie your good will, O."

"My dachter can neither read nor write,
She was never taught at school, O,
But weel can she milk baith cows an' ewes,
For I learned the lassie mysel, O.

"She'll work in your barn, she'll winnie your corn
She'll gang to mill or kill, O;
In time o' need she'll saddle your steed,
An' draw your boots hersel, O."

"I'll learn the lassie to read an' write,
I'll pit her to the school, O,
An' she'll never need to saddle my steed,
Nor draw my boots hersel, O.

"But fa will bake my bridal breid,
Or fa will brew my ale, O,
An' fa will welcome the leddy o' Drum,
Is mair than I can tell, O."

There was four an' twenty gentlemen
Stood at the gates o' Drum, O,
But neer a een pit his han' till his hat
When the leddy o Drum cam in, O.

But he has taen her by the han',
An' led her but an' ben, O,
Says, "Ye're welcome hame, my Leddy Drum,
For this is a' your ain, O."

An' he has taen her by the han'
An' led her through the ha', O,
Says, "Ye're welcome hame, my Leddy Drum,
To your bowers een an' a', O."

Then up an' spak his ae brither,
"Ye've deen us muckle wrang, O;
Ye've marriet a wife neath your degree,
A disgrace to a' oor kin, O.

"It's Peggy Coutts is a bonnie bride,
An' Drum is big an' gaucey,
But he micht hae chosen a higher match
Than just a shepherd's lassie."

Out then spak the laird o' Drum,
Says, "I've done ye nae wrang, O,
For I've marriet a wife to work an' win,
An' ye've marriet een to spen', O.

"The firstan wife that I did wed,
She was far abune my degree, O,
I durstna gang in the room she was in
But my hat low by my knee, O.

"For the first wife that I did wed,
She lookit doon on me, O;
She widna walk to the gates o' Drum,
But the pearlins abune her bree O.

"An' she was adored but for her gold,
An' Peggy for her beauty, O,
An' she micht walk to the gates o' Drum
In as good company, O."

Yet four an' twenty gentle knights
Stood at the gates o' Drum, O,
An' there wasna een amang them a'
Wid welcome Peggy in, O.

But he has taen her by the han',
An' led her in himsel, O,
An' pit the keys into her lap,
An' styled her Leddy Drum, O.

An' twice he kissed her cherry cheek,
An' thrice her cherry chin, O,
An' twenty times her comely mou,
Said, "You're welcome, Leddy Drum, O .

When they they had eaten an' drunken weel,
An' a' were bound for bed, O
The Laird o' Drum an' the shepherd's dachter
In ae bed they were laid, O.

"Gin ye had been o' as high kin
As ye're o' low degree, O,
We might hae baith gane doon the street
Amang the best o' company, O.

"An' o' a' yon four an' twenty knights
That gaed in at the yett o' Drum, O,
There ne'er was een but wid lifted his hat
When the leddy o Drum cam in, O."

"I tell't ye weel ere we were wed,
Ye was far abune my degree, O,
But noo I'm wed an' in your bed laid,
I'd scorn to carry your keys, O.

I tell't ye weel ere we were wed,
Ye was far too high for me, O,
But noo I'm wed an' in your bed laid,
An' I'm just as good as ye, O.

When I am deid an you are deid,
An' baith in ae grave laid, O
They wid need to look wi' very clear een
To ken your mould by mine, O"

Child #236
From Singing Tradition of Child's Popular Ballads, Bronson
Note: One of the better examples of class consciouness (or maybe
unconsciousness?) among the ballads. RG
RG