| |
| WHEN the sheep are in the fauld, when the kye ’s come hame, | |
| And a’ the weary warld to rest are gane, | |
| The waes o’ my heart fa’ in showers frae my ee, | |
| Unkent by my gudeman, wha sleeps sound by me. | |
| |
| Young Jamie lo’ed me weel, and sought me for his bride, | 5 |
| But saving ae crown-piece he had naething beside; | |
| To make the crown a pound my Jamie gaed to sea, | |
| And the crown and the pound—they were baith for me. | |
| |
| He hadna been gane a twelvemonth and a day, | |
| When my father brake his arm and the cow was stown away; | 10 |
| My mither she fell sick—my Jamie was at sea, | |
| And auld Robin Gray came a-courting me. | |
| |
| My father couldna wark—my mither couldna spin— | |
| I toiled day and night, but their bread I couldna win; | |
| Auld Rob maintained them baith, and, wi’ tears in his ee, | 15 |
| Said: “Jeanie, O for their sakes, will ye no marry me?” | |
| |
| My heart it said na, and I looked for Jamie back, | |
| But hard blew the winds, and his ship was a wrack; | |
| His ship was a wrack—why didna Jamie dee? | |
| Or why am I spared to cry wae is me? | 20 |
| |
| My father urged me sair—my mither didna speak, | |
| But she looked in my face till my heart was like to break; | |
| They gied him my hand—my heart was in the sea— | |
| And so Robin Gray he was gudeman to me. | |
| |
| I hadna been his wife a week but only four, | 25 |
| When, mournfu’ as I sat on the stane at my door, | |
| I saw my Jamie’s ghaist, for I couldna think it he, | |
| Till he said: “I ’m come hame, love, to marry thee!” | |
| |
| Oh, sair, sair did we greet, and mickle say of a’, | |
| I gied him ae kiss, and bade him gang awa’— | 30 |
| I wish that I were dead, but I ’m na like to dee, | |
| For, though my heart is broken, I ’m but young, wae is me! | |
| |
| I gang like a ghaist, and I carena much to spin, | |
| I darena think o’ Jamie, for that wad be a sin, | |
| But I ’ll do my best a gude wife to be, | 35 |
| For, oh! Robin Gray, he is kind to me. | |
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