No. 93: Lamkin
[This ballad is about the brutal murder of a lord's wife and child by a mason, Lamkins, who seeks revenge for not receiving payment from this lord after the mason has built the lord's castle. Lamkins is aided by the nurse of the lord, who helps him gain entrance into the castle/house when the lord is away.
According to Gilchrist (1932), there are two types of the ballad the Scottish type, "Lambkin, the Wronged Mason, as exemplified by Child A (Mrs. Brown) and the Northumbrian/English type, "Longkin, the Border Ruffian," as collected by Karpeles in Newfoundland. She adds: "In the undoubtedly older and completer form, the villain of the piece is a skilled mason who built a "prime castle" and being defrauded of his pay gains access to the castle in the absence of its lord, and from motives of revenge, with the connivance of the false nurse, murders the owner's wife and infant heir. In the secondary form of the ballad the villain is either a lawless ruffian or perhaps another lord at feud with the castle's owner. Without reasonable or adequate explanation of his motive he plans and executes the same crime. He is no ordinary robber, for like the mason it is not booty but revenge which he seeks."
Gilchrist seems to think this ballad to be based on an actual murder or murders. In 1827 Motherwell suggested the murderous mason's name is Lambert Linkin in his Minstrelsy Ancient and Modern:
To some, the present set of the ballad may be valuable, as handing down both name and nickname of the revengeful builder of Prime Castle; for there can be little doubt that the epithet Linkin, Mr. Lambert acquired from the secrecy and address with which he insinuated himself into that notable strength. Indeed all the names of Lammerlinkin, Lnmmikin, Lamkin, Lankin, Linkin, Belinkin, can easily be traced out as abbreviations of Lambert Linkin. In the present set of the ballad, Lambert Linkin and Belinkin are used indifferently, as the measure of the verse may require; in the other recited copy, to which reference has been made, it is Lammerlinkin, and Lamkin; and the nobleman for whom he “ built a house," is stated to be “Lord Arum." No allusion, however, is made here to the name of the owner of Prime Castle. Antiquaries, peradventure, may find it as difficult to settle the precise locality of this fortalice, as they have found it to fix the topography of Troy.
As Motherwell in 1827 predicted the identity the "real people (Lamkin/ Lord Weary)" and location (Prime Castle) have yet to be confirmed. The Scottish type as identified by Gilchrist is best identified by Child A as sung by Anna Brown, who, probably by personal embellishment, has carefully established the motive for Lamkin's later actions. In Adam Ganz's article ‘Leaping broken narration’: Ballads, Oral Storytelling and the Cinema, he analyzes the ballad narrative of Child A in a section entitled, Storytelling techniques in ballads.
Certainly Lamkin is one of the most shocking and horrific Child ballads. The brutal murder of the baby to lure the Lord's lady downstairs is one of the most dramatic scenes in any ballad. We are powerless to stop his death. Lankin's motive for revenge no longer matters and it's only his hanging that provides some form of justice. The underlying psychological forces at play in this ballad are examined in the article, Lamkin, “The Terror of Countless Nurseries”, by Rika Ruebsaat and Jon Bartlett. They skillfully demonstrate that the powerful emotions of abandonment, guilt and fear are the guiding forces at play: 1) The lord's abandonment of his lady, her abandoning her baby 2) his guilt for not paying the mason, his guilt as leaving her unprotected; he guilt about leaving her baby unprotected and 3) his fear of retribution, her fear of death; the fear generated by Lamkin and the nurse.
The attributes given the principle characters help shape the ballad narrative. The Lord deserves to be punished. His lady begs for her life and in some versions offers her daughter in exchange. Lamkin's type of vengeance is not expected and will bring him a swift death and no money.
Our fascination with death and murder have fueled the popularity of this ballad. We are enamored with Charles Mason and the brutal Tate murders. We revel in the lives of serial killers and they reach celebrity status. In today's world, Lamkin is just another made for TV movie-- waiting to be made.
* * * *
The question of motive has been examined in a number of articles (besides Gilchrist's) which are found in my Recordings & Info section. Phillip Barry's theory is given by Eckstorm (1939, after Barry's death): "The Linfinn" was Irish for the "white man who lives by the linn" or stream. Why white? Because he was a leper, forced to live apart by himself. The cure for leprosy was blood, the blood of some innocent human being and the ceremonial of taking it required that it be collected in a silver basin.
John De Witt Niles (1977) gives MacEdward Leach's different approach: "He takes as his starting point the several Scottish versions (such as Child A) in which the lord of the castle is named "Lord Wearie." Now a place named "Wearie's Well" is known to us from certain versions of the ballad of Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight (Child 4). It is the place to which Lady Isabel is abducted by her false or otherworldly lover. Leach suggests that Lamkin too may be a ballad about abduction by the fairy folk or the devil, the abductor in question being none other than Lord Wearie himself. Presumably, Lamkin kills the lady-his former wife-for having run away with a demon lover."
John De Witt Niles proposes that the lord has made a pact with the devil (Lamkin) to build the castle. Lamkin claims the lives of the lord's wife and child as a payment.
Ninon Leader, proposes a different theory and writes:
It is not impossible, that there may be a deeper motivation for the murder story of Lamkin than is related in the present form of the ballad. Why should the "unpaid" mason exact such a fearful revenge? Is it because "he was wicked," or is it that there has been a bond ("my fee") that was not honoured? Hitherto "money" has been the interpretation of "my fee." But there could be a more terrible implication if we take into account that "the fee" might have some relation to the sacrifice which, according to superstitious belief, was exacted so that the building might stand firm (cf. Clement Mason). If this was so, then either the life devoted as sacrifice for the building was a life dear to the lord (his wife, his baby son) which he was not prepared to offer, and this is now exacted with justification by the mason, or the life devoted as sacrifice for the building was provided by the mason (his wife or child) and a terrible revenge-killing is now taking place. (Appendix to Classical Hungarian Ballads and Their Folklore (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1967).
The motive that an amorous relationship may have existed between Lamkin and the lord's lady is found in the notes to Davis B:
"Ward Lampkin had been in love with the Landlady, before her marriage to the Lord, and had always sworn to get his revenge."
Another, more likley possibility is that there was a relationship between Lamkin and the false nurse. This would be the reason for her complicit aide by letting Lamkin in the castle/house and then helping him slay the baby and lure the wife downstairs.
* * * *
Parson's MS of "Long Longkin" (Percy MS 129.E and Child 93K) is valuable because we can see the whole ballad. Two irregular stanzas, summarizing the plot, are completely left out. They were later added by Child in "Additions and Corrections." Here are the two omissions:
After stanza 4;
1) He was in league with the nurse
who let him in to one of the low rooms
After stanza 12;
2) Whilst he and the nurse are plundering the house
the Lord comes home & avenges himself upon those wicked villains
Steve Gardham commented and I agree that they could be spoken summaries-- where the singer has forgotten the sung lines. Parsons did not make this distinction in his MS. Both could be made into more verses by reordering the lines:
2) Whilst he and the nurse
are plundering the house
the Lord comes home
& avenges himself upon those wicked villains.
To view the original text from Parsons--See: Percy Papers- Parsons- Long Longkin.
* * * *
From the notes to the Penguin Book (1959):
"In Scots versions...the hero is a mason who builds a castle, is cheated of his payment, and makes a terrible retaliation. In the English versions this idea is lost, and Lambkin, Longkin or Lankin is merely a lawless ruffian. Yet he is no ordinary robber, for it is not booty that he is after, but revenge. Is he perhaps a runaway serf with a grudge against his master? Or is he, as has been suggested, a desperate leper seeking the old folk-cure of the blood of an innocent, caught in a silver bowl? It is hard to guess the age of this ballad. Bishop Percy printed a version from Kent in 1775, and in the following year Herd published a Scottish text. The two versions differ in several details, and it is likely that the ballad was already old then. The strongest Scots tradition names Balwearie Castle as the scene -and its building in 1464 as the occasion- of the crime. Tradition is not evidence, but the song is probably based on a real event...Further versions will be found in the Folk Song Journal from Surrey (I, pp 212-3), and Hampshire (II, pp 111-12). The ballad is studied in the Journal of the English Folk Dance and Song Society vol. I, pp 1-7." -R. V. Williams/A. L. Lloyd
* * * *
Why didn't Lamkin get paid? It may have been more than his name (see Child's comments) or the lord's paucity of funds. In Sharp E from Kentucky in 1917, the informant sings "paint" instead of "payment." He forgot to paint the castle!!!
1. There was a wealthy merchant,
In London he dwelled;
He built a fine castle,
And paint he had none.
R. Matteson 2013, 2015]
CONTENTS:
1. Child's Narrative
2. Footnotes (Found at the end of Child's Narrative)
3. Brief (Kittredge)
4. Child's Ballad Texts A-V (W, X and Y are given in "Additions and Corrections." Changes for F b, M b and U b found in End-Notes. I b was added in Additions and Corrections. Two additional versions are given from the US, the first is a frament from African-Americans in Virginia, the second, John Lankin, dates back to 1825.)
5. Endnotes
6. From "Additions and Corrections"
ATTACHED PAGES (see left hand column):
1. Recordings & Info: 93. Lamkin
A. Roud No. 6: Lamkin (204 Listings)
B. Lambkin: A Study in Evolution- Gilchrist 1932
C. Two Maine Texts of "Lamkin"- Eckstorm 1939
D. False Lambkin- Belfast Monthly Magazine 1812
E. Lamkin: The Motivation of Horror- Niles 1977
F. The Name "Lamkin"- Friedman 1977
G. Lamkin, “The Terror of Countless Nurseries”
H. The Lambkin- Steve Gardham
I. Brown Collection- Lamkin
2. Sheet Music: 93. Lamkin (Bronson's music examples and texts)
3. US & Canadian Versions
4. English and Other Versions (Including Child versions A-Y with additional notes)]
Child's Narrative: Lamkin
A. 'Lamkin,' Jamieson's Popular Ballads, I, 176.
B. 'Lambert Linkin,' Motherwell's Manuscript, p. 15; Motherwell's Minstrelsy, p. 290.
C. 'Lamerlinkin,' Motherwell's Manuscript, p. 9
D. 'Bold Rankin,' Maidment's New Book of Old Ballads, p. 73; Whitelaw's Book of Scottish Ballads, p. 246, V.
E. 'Lambkin,' Kinloch Manuscripts, V, 246; retouched by Kinloch, II, 27.
F. 'Long Lankyn.'
a. Notes and Queries, Second Series, II, 324.
b. Notes and Queries, Fourth Series, II, 281.
G. 'Long Lonkin,' Richardson's Borderer's Table Book, 1846, VIII, 410; Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1835, p. 11.
H. 'Bauld Rankin,' Kinloch Manuscripts, I, 306.
I. a. Skene Manuscripts, p. 76.
b. "The Old Lady's Collection," No 15
J. 'Lammikin,' Kinloch Manuscripts, V, 371.
K. 'Long Longkin,' Percy Papers, communicated by Rev. P. Parsons, 1775.
L. 'Lamkin,' Motherwell's Manuscript, p. 14.
M. 'Cruel Lammikin.'
a. Dr. Joseph Robertson's Note-Book, Adversaria, p. 60.
b. Kinloch Manuscripts, VI, 31.
N. 'Lamkin,' Dr. Joseph Robertson's Note-Book, Journal of Excursions, No 2.
O. 'Lammikin,' Kinloch Manuscripts, V, 375.
P. 'Lammikin,' Herd's Manuscripts, I, 25; Herd's Scottish Songs, 1776, I, 145.
Q. 'Lammikin,' Finlay's Scottish Ballads, II, 45.
R. 'Balcanqual,' Finlay's Scottish Ballads, II, 55.
S. 'Lambkin,' Motherwell's Note-Book, fol. 13.
T. Recited by Ellen Healy, as sung by a woman living near Killarney.
U. 'Lamkin.'
a. Allingham's Ballad Book, p. xxxiii.
b. The same, p. 297, No 56.
V. Harris Manuscript, No 28, fol. 27 b.
[W. 'Bloody Lambkin,' communicated by Mr Macmath as derived from his aunt, Miss Jane Webster, who learned it from her aunt, Minnie Spark, Kirkcudbrightshire.
X. 'Lamkin,' "Scotch Ballads, Materials for Border Minstrelsy," No 133, Abbotsford; in the handwriting of James Hogg.
Y. Findlay's Manuscripts, I, 173, "from J. Milne, who wrote it down from recitation by John Duncan."]
'Lammikin: an Old Scotch Ballad,' Aberdeen, Lewis and James Smith, 1862, said to be edited by the Rev. Dr. John Burnett Pratt, Episcopal minister at Cruden, Aberdeenshire, is made up of A, B, P, Q, R, with such alterations as seemed good to the editor, and a few interpolated stanzas.
'Long Lonkin,' edited by A. O. Bell, C. E., York, 1846 (Notes and Queries, Fourth Series, III, 93), I have not seen, but presume it to be a compounded copy.
The story is told without material variation in all the numerous versions. A mason has built a castle for a nobleman, cannot get his pay, and therefore seeks revenge. The name given the builder is Lamkin, A, C, E, L, M, N, S, U; Lammikin, J, O, P, Q; Lankin, Lonkin, F b, G, I; Lantin, T; Long Lankyn, or Long Longkin, P a, G, K; Rankin, D, H; Balankin, or Lambert Linkin, B; Balcanqual, R. That of the nobleman is Lord Wearie, Weire, A, M, P, Q, U b; Lord Earie, N; Erley, Earley, J; Murray, I; Arran, C; Montgomery, B; Cassilis, S; he is lord of Prime Castle, B. The lord, having occasion to leave his family, fears mischief from the man whom he has wronged, and enjoins his wife to keep the castle well fastened. Precautions are taken, but nevertheless his enemy effects an entrance through some aperture that has not been secured, B, C, F, G, H, P, R, U b, or by connivance with a nurse, A, D, B, I. Most of the servants are away. To get at the lady, Lamkin, as we may call him, by advice of the nurse inflicts some hurt on the babe in the cradle, stabbing it, or "nipping" it, and its cries bring the mother down. The lady proffers large sums of gold to save her life, but Lamkin does not care for gold now. He gloats over his opportunity, and bids the nurse, or a maid-servant, or even one of the daughters of the house, to scour a silver bason to hold the lady's noble blood. The lord has a presentiment of calamity at home, and, returning, finds his house red with the blood of his wife and child. Lamkin is hanged, B, F, I, or burned, C, H, or boiled in a pot full of lead, D. The nurse is burned, A, B, D, F, H, or hanged, C, Q, or boiled in a caldron, I.[1]
In K, the oldest version, except perhaps P, which is greatly inferior, Lady Betty is called down by Longkin to see her mother's blood running, then Lady Nelly to see her sister's blood running, Lady Jenny to see Lady Nelly's, etc. In F, T, the mother, very unnaturally, offers Lamkin her daughter as wife, in ransom of her own life. In C, D, a servant offers her life for her lady; in D, G, K, a daughter for her mother.
Motherwell remarks, p. lxx of his Minstrelsy, note 27: "There is a 'Lambirkyns wod' near Dupplin, in Perthshire. Can this have got its name from the cruel mason who the ballad assures us 'lived in the wode'? If so, it must be very ancient. It is localized, too, I believe, at Balwearie, in Fifeshire; but there are few places where the ballad is remembered but which have also some ancient edifice in the neighborhood reared by the hands of Lammikin.[2] Indeed, it seems questionable how some Scottish lairds could well afford to get them selves seated in the large castles they once occupied unless they occasionally treated the mason after the fashion adopted in this ballad." And again, at p. 291: "There can be little doubt that the epithet Linkin Mr. Lambert acquired from the secrecy and address with which he insinuated him into that notable strength [Prime Castle]. Indeed, all the names of Lammerlinkin, Lammikin, Lamkin, Lankin, Linkin, Belinkin, can easily be traced out as abbreviations of Lambert Linkin." It might be inferred, however, from the mason's seemingly resentful inquiry in A 8-11, J 3-6, Where 's the men, women, bairns, lady, that call me Lamkin? that the view in these particular versions was that Lamkin was a sobriquet applied in derision of the meekness with which the builder had submitted to his injury. Linkin, it will be observed, occurs only in B, and it is far more likely that Lamkin, or Lammikin, which is found in a full dozen copies, is a simply ironical designation for the bloody mason, the terror of countless nurseries.[3]
A is translated by Talvj, Versuch, etc., p. 571; Allingham's ballad by Knortz, Lieder und Romanzen Alt-Englands, p. 162.
Footnotes:
1. Of boiling to death see Ducange. Caldarlis decoquere, and other places cited by Robertson, Materials for the History of Thomas Becket, J, xxxii, note, and 128. This was especially a punishment for coiners, and was sanctioned as the penalty for poisoners by a statute of 22 Henry VIII, c 29, repealed 1 Edward VI.
2. More about the locality in Notes and Queries, First Series, II- 270.
3. "Balcanquel is an ancient Scottish surname, and is sometimes corrupted, for the more agreeable sound into Beluncan. All reciters agree that Lammikin, or Lambkin, is not the name of the hero, but merely an epithet." Finlay, Scottish Ballads, II. 56
Brief Description by George Lyman Kittredge
The versions are very numerous, — Professor Child prints twenty-six, including fragments, — but the story does not vary essentially. Only three are given here. One of these (K) is defective, but it is the oldest version, except perhaps P, which is greatly inferior. The tale has been localized in various places in Scotland. The name Lamkin is probably an ironical designation for the bloody mason, the terror of countless nurseries.
Child's Ballad Texts: Lamkin
'Lamkin'- Version A; Child 93- Lamkin
A. 'Lamkin,' Jamieson's Popular Ballads, I, 176.
1 IT’S Lamkin was a mason good
As ever built wi stane;
He built Lord Wearie’s castle,
But payment got he nane.
2 ‘O pay me, Lord Wearie,
come, pay me my fee:’
‘I canna pay you, Lamkin,
For I maun gang oer the sea.’
3 ‘O pay me now, Lord Wearie,
Come, pay me out o hand:’
‘I canna pay you, Lamkin,
Unless I sell my land.’
4 ‘O gin ye winna pay me,
I here sall mak a vow,
Before that ye come hame again,
ye sall hae cause to rue.’
5 Lord Wearie got a bonny ship,
to sail the saut sea faem;
Bade his lady weel the castle keep,
ay till he should come hame.
6 But the nourice was a fause limmer
as eer hung on a tree;
She laid a plot wi Lamkin,
whan her lord was oer the sea.
7 She laid a plot wi Lamkin,
when the servants were awa,
Loot him in at a little shot-window,
and brought him to the ha.
8 ‘O whare’s a’ the men o this house,
that ca me Lamkin?’
‘They’re at the barn-well thrashing;
’twill be lang ere they come in.’
9 ‘And whare’s the women o this house,
that ca me Lamkin?’
‘They’re at the far well washing;
’twill be lang ere they come in.’
10 ‘And whare’s the bairns o this house,
that ca me Lamkin?’
‘They’re at the school reading;
’twill be night or they come hame.’
11 ‘O whare’s the lady o this house,
that ca’s me Lamkin?’
‘She’s up in her bower sewing,
but we soon can bring her down.’
12 Then Lamkin’s tane a sharp knife,
that hang down by his gaire,
And he has gien the bonny babe
A deep wound and a sair.
13 Then Lamkin he rocked,
and the fause nourice sang,
Till frae ilkae bore o the cradle
the red blood out sprang.
14 Then out it spak the lady,
as she stood on the stair:
‘What ails my bairn, nourice,
that he’s greeting sae sair?
15 ‘O still my bairn, nourice,
O still him wi the pap!’
‘He winna still, lady,
for this nor for that.’
16 ‘O still my bairn, nourice,
O still him wi the wand!’
‘He winna still, lady,
for a’ his father’s land.’
17 ‘O still my bairn, nourice,
O still him wi the bell!’
‘He winna still, lady,
till ye come down yoursel.’
18 O the firsten step she steppit,
she steppit on a stane;
But the neisten step she steppit,
she met him Lamkin.
19 ‘O mercy, mercy, Lamkin,
hae mercy upon me!
Though you’ve taen my young son’s life,
Ye may let mysel be.’
20 ‘O sall I kill her, nourice,
or sall I lat her be?’
‘O kill her, kill her, Lamkin,
for she neer was good to me.’
21 ‘O scour the bason, nourice,
and mak it fair and clean,
For to keep this lady’s heart’s blood,
For she’s come o noble kin.’
22 ‘There need nae bason, Lamkin,
lat it run through the floor;
What better is the heart’s blood
o the rich than o the poor?’
23 But ere three months were at an end,
Lord Wearie came again;
But dowie, dowie was his heart
when first he came hame.
24 ‘O wha’s blood is this,’ he says,
’That lies in the chamer?’
‘It is your lady’s heart’s blood;
’tis as clear as the lamer.’
25 ‘And wha’s blood is this,’ he says,
’That lies in my ha?’
‘It is your young son’s heart’s blood;
’tis the clearest ava.’
26 O sweetly sang the black-bird
that sat upon the tree;
But sairer grat Lamkin,
when he was condemnd to die.
27 And bonny sang the mavis,
Out o the thorny brake;
But sairer grat the nourice,
when she was tied to the stake.
---------------------
'Lambert Linkin'- Version B; Child 93- Lamkin
Motherwell's Manuscript, p. 15; Motherwell's Minstrelsy, p. 290.
1. BALANKIN was as gude a mason
as eer picked a stane;
He built up Prime Castle,
but payment gat nane.
2 The lord said to his lady,
when he was going abroad,
O beware of Balankin,
for he lyes in the wood.
3 The gates they were bolted,
baith outside and in;
At the sma peep of a window
Blankin crap in.
4 ‘Good morrow, good morrow,’
said Lambert Linkin:
‘Good morrow to yoursell, sir,’
said the false nurse to him.
5 ‘O where is your good lord?’
said Lambert Linkin:
‘He’s awa to New England,
to meet with his king.’
6 ‘O where is his auld son?’
said Lambert Linkin:
‘He’s awa to buy pearlings,
Gin our lady lye in.’
7 ‘Then she’ll never wear them,’
said Lambert Linkin:
‘And that is nae pity,’
said the false nurse to him.
8 ‘O where is your lady?’
said Lambert Linkin:
‘She’s in her bower sleeping,’
said the false nurse to him.
9 ‘How can we get at her?’
said Lambert Linkin:
‘Stab the babe to the heart,
wi a silver bokin.’
10 ‘That would be a pity,’
said Lambert Linkin:
‘No pity, no pity,’
said the false nurse to him.
11 Balankin he rocked,
and the false nurse she sang,
Till all the tores of the cradle
wi the red blood down ran.
12 ‘O still my babe, nurice,
O still him wi the knife!’
‘He’ll no be still, lady,
tho I lay doun my life.’
13 ‘O still my babe, nurice,
O still him wi the kame!’
‘He’ll be no still, lady,
till his daddy come hame.’
14 ‘O still my babe, nurice,
O still him wi the bell!’
‘He’ll no be still, lady,
till ye come doun yoursell.’
15 ‘It’s how can I come down,
this cauld winter nicht,
Without eer a coal,
or a clear candle-licht?’
16 ‘There’s two smocks in your coffer,
as white as a swan;
Put one of them about you,
it will shew you licht down.’
17 She took ane o them about her,
and came tripping doun;
But as soon as she viewed,
Balankin was in.
18 ‘Good morrow, good morrow,’
said Lambert Linkin:
‘Good morrow to yoursell, sir,
said the lady to him.
19 ‘O save my life, Balankin,
till my husband come back,
And I’ll gie you as much red gold
as you’ll hold in your hat.’
20 ‘I’ll not save your life, lady,
till your husband come back,
Tho you would give me as much red gold
as I could hold in a sack.
21 ‘Will I kill her?’ quo Balankin,
’will I kill her, or let her be?’
‘You may kill her,’ said the false nurse,
’She was neer good to me;
And ye’ll be laird of the castle,
and I’ll be ladie.’
22 Then he cut aff her head
fram her lily breast-bane,
And he hung’t up in the kitchen,
it made a’ the ha shine.
23 The lord sat in England,
a drinking the wine:
‘I wish a’ may be weel
with my lady at hame;
For the rings of my fingers
the’re now burst in twain!’
24 He saddled his horse,
and he came riding doun,
But as soon as he viewed,
Balankin was in.
25 He had na weel stepped
twa steps up the stair,
Till he saw his pretty young son
lying dead on the floor.
26 He had not weel stepped
other twa up the stair,
Till he saw his pretty lady
lying dead in despair.
27 He hanged Balankin
out over the gate,
And he burnt the fause nurice,
being under the grate.
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'Lamerlinkin'- Version C; Child 93- Lamkin
Motherwell's Manuscript, p. 9
1 LAMERLINKIN, as gude a mason
as eer laid a stane,
Built a house to Lord Arran,
but entrance had nane.
2 Says the lord to his lady,
when going abroad,
Take care of Lamerlinkin,
wha bides in the wood.
3 ‘I care not for Lamkin,
nor none of his kin;
My house is plastered outside,
and bolted within.’
4 The gates they were locked,
baith outside and in,
But there was a wee hole
that let Lamkin creep in.
5 ‘Good woman, good woman,’
said Lamerlinkin:
‘Good woman, good woman,’
said the fause nurse to him.
6 ‘Where’s the lord o this house?
is he not within?’
‘He’s up in Old England,
he’s dining wi the king.’
7 ‘Where’s the lady of this house?
or is she not within?’
‘She’s up in her high room,
and cannot come down.’
8 ‘Where is the maids o this house?
or are they not within?’
‘They are at the well washing,
and cannot get in.’
9 ‘Where is the men o this house?
or are they not within?’
‘They are at the barn threshing,
and cannot win hame.’
10 ‘O what will I do,
to mak her come doun?’
‘We’ll kill her auld son,
to mak her come doun.’
11 He took out a pen-knife,
baith pointed and sharp,
And he stabbed the babie
three times in the heart.
12 Lamerlinkin did rock,
and the fause nurse did sing;
Ower the four-cornered cradle
the red blood did spring.
13 ‘O please my babie, nurse,
O please him wi wands!’
‘He’ll no be pleased, madam,
for a’ his father’s lands.’
14 ‘O please my babie, nurse,
O please him wi keys!’
‘He’ll no be pleased, madam,
let me do what I please.’
15 ‘O please my babie, nurse,
O please him with bells!’
‘He’ll no be pleased, madam,
till you come down yoursell.
16 ‘How can I come doun
this cold frosty night,
Without coal or candle
for to shew me light?’
17 ‘The gold rings on your finger
are bright as the sun;
You may see to cum doun the stair
with the light o them.’
18 O then she came doun the stair,
stepping step by step;
So ready was Lamkin
to grip her in his lap.
19 ‘Save my life, Lamkin,
till five minutes break,
And I’ll give thee gold,
the fu o a peck.’
20 ‘I’ll no save your life,
till five minutes break,
Tho thou should give me gold,
the fu of a sack.’
21 ‘O Jeany, O Jeany,
O scour the bason clean,
That your lady’s noble blood
may be kepped clean.’
22 ‘O no, no, no, Lambkin,
my heart will be sare;
O take my life, Lambkin,
let my lady go.’
* * * * *
23 He sent for the false nurse,
to give her her fee;
All the fee that he gave her
was to hang her on a tree.
24 sent for Lamerlinkin,
to give him his hire;
All the hire that he gave him
was to burn him in the fire.
------------------
'Bold Rankin'- Version D; Child 93: Lamkin
Maidment's New Book of Old Ballads, p. 73; Whitelaw's Book of Scottish Ballads, p. 246, V.
1 SAID the lord to his lady,
Beware of Rankin;
For I am going to England,
to wait on the king.
2 ‘No fears, no fears,’
said the lady, said she,
‘For the doors shall be bolted,
and the windows pindee.
3 ‘Go bar all the windows,
both outside and in;
Don’t leave a window open,
to let Bold Rankin in.’
4 She has barred all the windows,
both outside and in;
But she left one of them open,
to let Bold Rankin in.
5 ‘O where is the master of this house?’
said Bold Rankin;
‘He’s up in Old England.’
said the false nurse to him.
6 ‘O where is the mistress of this house?’
said Bold Rankin;
‘She’s up in the chamber sleeping,’
said the false nurse to him.
7 ‘O how shall we get her down?’
said Bold Rankin;
‘By piercing the baby,’
said the false nurse to him.
8 ‘Go please the baby, nursy,
go please it with a bell;’
‘It will not be pleased, madam,
till you come down yoursel.’
9 ‘How can I come down stairs,
so late into the night,
Without coal or candle,
to shew me the light?
10 ‘There is a silver bolt
lies on the chest-head;
Give it to the baby,
give it sweet milk and bread.’
11 She rammed the silver bolt
up the baby’s nose,
Till the blood it came trinkling
down the baby’s fine clothes.
12 ‘Go please the baby, nursie,
go please it with the bell:’
‘It will not please, madam,
till you come down yoursel.
13 ‘It will neither please with breast-milk,
nor yet with pap;
But I pray, loving lady,
Come and roll it in your lap.’
14 The first step she stepit,
she steppit on a stone;
And the next step she stepit,
she met Bold Rankin.
15 ‘O rankin, O Rankin,
spare me till twelve o’clock,
And I will give you as many guineas
as you can carry on your back.’
16 ‘What care I for as many guineas
as seeds into a sack,
When I cannot keep my hands off
your lily-white neck?’
17 ‘O will I kill her, nursie,
or let her abee?’
‘O kill her,’ said the false nurse,
’She was never good to me.’
18 ‘Go scour the bason, lady,
both outside and in,
To hold your mother’s heart’s blood,
sprung from a noble kin.’
19 ‘To hold my mother’s heart’s blood
would make my heart full woe;
O rather kill me, Rankin,
and let my mother go.’
20 ‘Go scour the bason, servants,
both outside and in,
To hold your lady’s heart’s blood,
sprung from a noble kin.’
21 ‘To hold my lady’s heart’s blood
would make my heart full woe;
O rather kill me, Rankin,
and let my lady go.’
22 ‘Go scour the bason, nursy,
both outside and in,
To hold your lady’s heart’s blood,
sprung from a noble kin.’
23 ‘To hold my lady’s heart’s blood
would make my heart full glad;
Ram in the knife, Bold Rankin,
and gar the blood to shed.
24 ‘She’s none of my comrades,
she’s none of my kin;
Ram in the knife, Bold Rankin,
and gar the blood rin.’
25 ‘O will I kill her, nursy,
or let her abee?’
‘O kill her,’ said the false nurse,
’She was never good to me.’
* * * * *
26 ‘I wish my wife and family
may be all well at home;
For the silver buttons of my coat
they will not stay on.’
27 As Betsy was looking
oer her window so high,
She saw her dear father
come riding by.
28 ‘O father, dear father,
don’t put the blame on me
It was false nurse and Rankin
that killed your lady.’
29 O wasn’t that an awful sight,
when he came to the stair,
To see his fairest lady
lie bleeding there!
30 The false nurse was burnt
on the mountain hill-head,
And Rankin was boiled
in a pot full of lead.
----------------------
'Lambkin'- Version E; Child 93: Lamkin
Kinloch Manuscripts, V, 246; retouched by Kinloch, II, 27.
1 LAMBKIN was as good a mason
as ever laid stone;
He builded Lord Montgomery’s castle,
but payment got none.
2 He builded the castle
without and within;
But he left an open wake
for himself to get in.
3 Lord Montgomery said to his lady,
when he went abroad,
Take care of Bold Lambkin,
for he is in the wood.
4 ‘Gar bolt the gate, nourice,
without and within,
Leave not the wake open,
to let Bold Lambkin in.’
5 She bolted the gates,
without and within,
But she left the wake open,
to let Bold Lambkin in.
6 ‘Gude morrow, gude morrow,’
says Bold Lambkin then;
‘Gude morrow, gude morrow,’
says the false nurse to him.
7 ‘Where is Lord Montgomery?
or where is he gone?’
‘He is gone up to England,
to wait on the king!
8 ‘Where are the servants?
and where are they gone?’
‘They are all up to England,
to wait upon him.’
9 ‘Where is your lady?
or where is she gone?’
‘She is in her bower sitting,
and sewing her seam.’
10 ‘O what shall we do
for to make her come down?’
‘We’ll kill the pretty baby,
that’s sleeping so sound.’
11 Lambkin he rocked,
and the false nurse she sung,
And she stabbed the babe to the heart
with a silver bodkin.
12 ‘O still my babe, nourice,
O still him with the pap:’
‘He’ll no be stilled, madam,
for this nor for that.’
13 ‘O still my babe, nourice,
go still him with the keys:’
‘He’ll no be stilled, madam,
let me do what I please.’
14 ‘O still my babe, nourice,
go still him with the bell:’
‘He’ll no be stilled, madam,
till you come down yoursel.’
15 ‘How can I come down,
this cold winter night,
When there’s neither coal burning,
nor yet candle-light?’
16 ‘The sark on your back
is whiter than the swan;
Come down the stair, lady,
by the light of your hand.’
17 The lady she cam down
the stair trip for trap;
Who so ready as Bold Lambkin
to meet her in the dark?
18 ‘Gude morrow, gude morrow,’
said Bold Lambkin then;
‘Gude morrow, gude morrow,’
said the lady to him.
19 ‘O where is Lord Montgomery?
or where is he gone?’
‘O he is up to England,
to wait on the king.’
20 ‘O where are your servants?
or where are they gone?’
‘They are all up to England,
to wait upon him.
21 ‘I’ll give you as much gold, Lambkin,
as you’ll put in a peck,
If you’ll spare my life
till my lord comes back.’
22 ‘Tho you would [give] me as much
as I could put in a sack,
I would not spare thy life
till thy lord comes back.’
23 Lord Montgomery sate in England,
drinking with the king;
The buttons flew off his coat,
all in a ring.
24 ‘God prosper, God prosper
my lady and son!
For before I get home
they will all be undone.’
-----------------
'Long Lankyn'- Version F; Child 93: Lamkin
a. Notes and Queries, Second Series, II, 324.
b. Notes and Queries, Fourth Series, II, 281.
1 SAID my lord to his ladye,
as he mounted his horse, (bis)
Take care of Long Lankyn,
who lies in the moss. (bis)
2 Said my lord to his ladye,
as he rode away,
Take care of Long Lankyn,
who lies in the clay.
3 Let the doors be all bolted,
and the windows all pinned,
And leave not a hole
for a mouse to creep in.
4 Then he kissed his fair ladye,
and he rode away;
He must be in London
before break of day.
5 The doors were all bolted,
and the windows were pinned,
All but one little window,
where Long Lankyn crept in.
6 ‘Where is the lord of this house?’
said Long Lankyn:
‘He is gone to fair London,’
said the false nurse to him.
7 ‘Where is the ladye of this house?’
said Long Lankyn:
‘She’s asleep in her chamber,’
said the false nurse to him.
8 ‘Where is the heir of this house?’
said Long Lankyn:
‘He’s asleep in his cradle,’
said the false nurse to him.
* * * * *
9 ‘We’ll prick him, and prick him,
all over with a pin,
And that will make your ladye
to come down to him.’
10 So she pricked him and pricked,
all over with a pin,
And the nurse held a basin
for the blood to run in.
11 ‘Oh nurse, how you sleep!
Oh nurse, how you snore!
And you leave my little son Johnstone
to cry and to roar.’
12 ‘I’ve tried him with suck,
and I’ve tried him with pap;
So come down, my fair ladye,
and nurse him in your lap.’
13 ‘Oh nurse, how you sleep!
Oh nurse, how you snore!
And you leave my little son Johnstone
to cry and to roar.’
14 ‘I’ve tried him with apples,
I’ve tried him with pears;
So come down, my fair ladye,
and rock him in your chair.’
15 ‘How can I come down,
’tis so late in the night,
When there’s no candle burning,
nor fire to give light?’
16 ‘You have three silver mantles
as bright as the sun;
So come down, my fair ladye,
by the light of one.’
* * * * *
17 ‘Oh spare me, Long Lankyn,
oh spare me till twelve o’clock,
You shall have as much gold
as you can carry on your back.’
18 ‘If I had as much gold
as would build me a tower,’
. . . . .
. . . . .
19 ‘Oh spare me, Long Lankyn,
oh spare me one hour,
You shall have my daughter Betsy,
she is a sweet flower.’
20 ‘Where is your daughter Betsy?
she may do some good;
She can hold the silver basin,
to catch your heart’s blood.’
* * * * *
21 Lady Betsy was sitting
in her window so high,
And she saw her father,
as he was riding by.
22 ‘Oh father, oh father,
don’t lay the blame on me;
’Twas the false nurse and Long Lankyn
that killed your ladye.’
* * * * *
23 Then Long Lankyn was hanged
on a gallows so high,
And the false nurse was burnt
in a fire just by.
----------------
'Long Lonkin'- Version G; Child 93: Lamkin
Richardson's Borderer's Table Book, 1846, VIII, 410; Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1835, p. 11.
1 THE lord said to his ladie,
as he mounted his horse,
Beware of Long Lonkin,
that lies in the moss.
2 The lord said to his ladie,
as he rode away,
Beware of Long Lonkin,
that lies in the clay.
3 ‘What care I for Lonkin,
or any of his gang?
My doors are all shut,
and my windows penned in.’
4 There were six little windows,
and they were all shut,
But one little window,
and that was forgot.
5 . . . . .
. . . . .
And at that little window
long Lonkin crept in.
6 ‘Where’s the lord of the hall?’
says the Lonkin:
‘He’s gone up to London,’
says Orange to him.
7 ‘Where’s the men of the hall?’
says the Lonkin:
‘They’re at the field ploughing,’
says Orange to him.
8 ‘Where’s the maids of the hall?’
says the Lonkin:
‘They’re at the well washing,’
says Orange to him.
9 ‘Where’s the ladies of the hall?’
says the Lonkin:
‘They’re up in their chambers,’
says Orange to him.
10 ‘How shall we get them down?’
says the Lonkin:
‘Prick the babe in the cradle,’
says Orange to him.
11 ‘Rock well my cradle,
and bee-ba my son;
You shall have a new gown
when the lord he comes home.’
12 Still she did prick it,
and bee-ba she cried:
‘Come down, dearest mistress,
and still your own child.’
13 ‘Oh still my child, Orange,
still him with a bell:’
‘I can’t still him, ladie,
till you come down yoursell.’
* * * * *
14 ‘Hold the gold basin,
for your heart’s blood to run in,’
. . . . .
. . . . .
15 ‘To hold the gold basin,
it grieves me full sore;
Oh kill me, dear Lonkin,
and let my mother go.’
----------------------
'Bauld Rankin'- Version H; Child 93- Lamkin
Kinloch Manuscripts, I, 306.
1 BAULD RANKIN was as gude a mason
as eer biggit wi stane;
He has biggit a bonny castle,
but siller he gat nane.
* * * * *
2 ‘Gae bar the gates,’ the lady said,
’gae bar them out and in;
Leave not a door open,
lest Rankin should come in.’
3 They’ve bard them on the outer side,
sae hae they on the in;
But left the cellar-door open,
and Bauld Rankin crap in.
4 ‘Where’s a’ the women o the house?’
says Bauld Rankin:
‘They’re at the well washing,’
says the fause nurse to him.
.5 ‘Where’s a’ the men of this house?’
says the Bauld Rankin:
‘They are at the barn thrashing,’
says the fause nurse to him.
6 ‘Where’s the lady of this house?’
says the Bauld Rankin:
‘She’s in the chamber, sleeping,’
says the fause nurse to him.
7 ‘How will we get her wakent?
how will we get her down?’
‘We’ll pierce the baby’s heart’s blood,’
says the fause nurse to him.
* * * * *
8 ‘Come, please the babe, nurse,
come please it wi the keys:’
‘It’ll no be pleased, madam,
tho I’ll down on my knees.’
9 ‘Come, please the babe, nurse,
come, please it wi the knife:’
‘It’ll no be pleased, madam,
should I lay down my life.’
10 ‘Come, please the babe, nurse,
come, please it wi the bell:’
‘It’ll no be pleased, madam,
till ye come down yoursel.’
11 ‘How can I come down, how can I come,
sae late in the night,
And neither coal nor candle,
for to shew me light?’
12 The first step she steppit,
she steppit on a stane;
The next step she steppit,
she met the Bauld Rankin.
13 ‘O spare my life, Rankin,
O spare it most dear!
I’ll gie you as monie guineas
as birds in the air.
14 ‘O spare my life, Rankin,
O save it most sweet!
I’ll gie you as monie guineas
as there’s stanes in the street.’
* * * * *
15 ‘I wish my wife and bairns
may be all well at hame;
For the buttons on my waistcoat
they winna bide on.
16 ‘I wish my wife and family
may be all well at home;
For the rings upon my fingers
they winna bide on.’
* * * * *
17 He has kindled a big bane-fire,
in the middle o the closs,
And he has burned Bauld Rankin,
likewise the fause nurse.
----------------------
'Lankin'- Version I; Child 93- Lamkin
Skene Manuscripts, p. 76.
1 LANCKIN was as guid a mason
as ever did use stane;
He biggit Lord Murray’s house,
an payment neer got nane.
2 It fell ance on a day
Lord Murray went frae hame,
An Lankin came to the fause nourice,
. . . . .
* * * * *
3 ‘O still my bairn, nourice,
still him wi the knife:’
‘He winna still, lady,
Tho I should lay down my life.’
4 ‘O still my bairn, nurice,
still him wi the bell:’
‘He winna still, lady,
till ye come down yersel.’
5 The first [step she steppit],
she came on the marble stane;
The next step [she steppit],
she met him Lankin.
6 ‘O spare my life, Lankin,
an I’ll gie ye a peck o goud;
An that dinna please ye,
I’ll heap it wi my hand.’
7 ‘O will I kill the lady, nurice,
or will I lat her be?’
‘O kill her, Lankin,
she was never guid to me.’
8 ‘O wanted ye yer meat, nurice?
or wanted ye yer fee?
Or wanted ye the othir bounties
ladys are wont to gie?’
9 . . . . .
. . . . .
‘O kill her, Lankin,
she was never guid to me.’
10 ‘Gae wash a bason, nurice,
an ye wash it clean,
To cape this ladie’s blood;
she is come o high kine.’
11 ‘I winna wash a bason,
nor will I wash it clean,
To cape this ladie’s blood,
tho she’s come o high kine.’
* * * * *
12 Bonny sang yon bird,
as he sat upon the tree,
But sare grat Lankin.
for he was hangit hie.
13 Bonny sang the bird,
that sat upon the hill,
But sare grat the nurice,
whan the caudron gan to boil.
14 . . . . .
Lankin was hangit hie,
And the fause nourice burnt
in the caudron was she.
--------------
'Lammikin'- Version J; Lamkin
1 O LAMMIKIN was as good a mason
as ever bigget stane;
He’s bigget Lord Erley’s castle,
but money he got nane.
2 It fell out upon a time
Lord Earley went from home;
He left his lady in his castle,
but and his young son.
* * * * *
3 ‘Where is the lord o this house,
that calls me Lammikin?’
‘He’s on the sea sailing,
he will not come home.’
4 ‘Where are the men o this house,
that call me Lammikin?’
‘They are at the barn threshing,
they will not come in.’
5 ‘Where are the maids of this house,
that call me Lammikin?’
‘They are at the well washing,
they will not come in.’
6 ‘Where is the lady o this house,
that calls me Lammikin?’
‘She’s in her room shewing,
she will not come down.’
7 ‘How shall we contrive
for to make her come down?’
‘We’ll stick her dear infant,
and make her come down.’
8 O Lammikin he rocket,
and the fause nurice sung,
While out o the cradle
the infant’s blude sprung.
9 ‘O still my bairn, nurice,’
the lady did cry:
‘He will not still, lady,
for you nor for I.’
10 ‘O still my bairn, nurice,
still him wi the wan:’
‘He will not still, lady,
for a’ his father’s lan.’
11 ‘Oh still my bairn, nurice,
still him wi the keys:’
‘Oh he winna still, lady,
for a’ his father’s leys.’
12 ‘Oh still my bairn, nurice,
still him wi the bell:’
‘Oh he winna still, lady,
till ye come down yersell.’
13 The firsten step that lady stepped,
it was upon a stone;
The nexten step that lady stepped,
she saw him Lammikin.
14 The nexten step that lady stepped
was in her own child’s blood,
. . . . .
. . . . .
* * * * *
15 ‘Oh will I kill her, nurice,
or will I let her be?’
‘Kill her, dear Lammikin,
she was never gude to me.’
16 ‘Oh wanted you meat, nurice?
or wanted you fee?
Or wanted you anything
that a lady can gie?’
17 ‘I wanted no meat, lady,
nor wanted I fee,
But I wanted mony a thing
that a lady could gie.’
* * * * *
-----------------
'Long Longkin'- Version K; Child 93-Lamkin
Percy Papers, communicated by Rev. P. Parsons, 1775.
1 MY lord said to my lady,
when he went from home,
Take care of Long Longkin,
he lies in the lone.
2 My lady said to my lord,
when he went abroad,
. . . . .
. . . . .
3 ‘I care not for Longkin,
nor none of his kin,
For my gate’s fast barrd,
and my windows shut in.’
4 My lord was not gone
many miles from the place,
Until the false Longkin
came straight to the place.
[He was in league with the nurse
who let him in to one of the low rooms]
* * * * *
5 ‘Pinch the bairn, nourry,
pinch it very sore,
Untill the mother
shall come down below.’
6 ‘Still the bairn, nury,
still it with the pap:’
‘It wont be stilld, madam,
with neither this nor that.’
7 ‘Still the bairn, nury,
still it with a bell:’
‘It wont be stilld, madam,
till you cum down yoursell.’
* * * * *
8 ‘Come down, Lady Betty,
the flower of all your kin,
And see your mother’s heart’s blood,
so freely running.
9 Down came Lady Betty,
her heart full of woe:
‘Oh take my life, Longkin,
and let my mother go.’
10 ‘Come down, Lady Nelly,
the flower of all your kin,
And see your sister’s heart’s blood,
so freely running.’
11 Down came Lady Nelly,
her heart full of woe:
‘Oh take my life, Longkin,
and let my sister go.’
12 ‘Come down, Lady Jenny, etc.
[Whilst he and the nurse
are plundering the house
the Lord comes home
& avenges himself upon those wicked villains.]
------------------
'Lamkin'- Version L; Child 93- Lamkin
Motherwell's Manuscript, p. 14.
1 * * * *
‘O WHERE’S the men of this house?’
quo the Lamkin:
‘They’re in the barn threshing,’
quo the false nurse within.
2 ‘O where’s the women of the house?’
quo the Lamkin:
‘They’re at the well washing,’
quo the false nurse within.
3 ‘O where’s the lord of this house?’
quo the Lamkin:
‘He’s in the wood hunting,’
quo the false nurse within.
4 ‘O where’s the lady of the house?’
quo the Lamkin:
‘She’s in her bower dressing,’
quo the false nurse within.
* * * * *
5 ‘O please my babie, nourrice,
O please him with the keys:’
‘He’ll no be pleased, madam,
let me do what I please.’
6 ‘O please my babie, nourrice,
O please him with the bell:’
‘He’ll no be pleased, madam,
till ye come down yoursell.’
* * * * *
7 There was blood in the chaumer,
and blood in the ha,
And blood in his ladie’s room,
which he liked warst of a’.
* * * * *
'Cruel Lammikin'- Version M a; Child 93 Lamkin
a. Dr. Joseph Robertson's Note-Book, Adversaria, p. 60.
b. Kinloch Manuscripts, VI, 31.
1 * * * *
BUT it fell out upon a day
Lord Wearie was to gae frae hame,
And he has left his lady gay
In his castell to stay her lane.
* * * * *
2 Lamkin rocked,
and fausse nourice sang,
And a’ the four tors o the cradle
red blood sprang.
3 ‘O still my bairn, nourice,
O still him wi the wan:
‘He winna still, lady,
for a’ his father’s lan.’
4 ‘O still my bairn, nourice,
O still him wi the keys:
‘He winna still, lady,
for a’ his father’s leys.’
5 ‘O still my bairn, nourice,
O still him wi the pap:’
‘He winna still, lady,
for this nor for that.’
6 ‘O still my bairn, nourice,
O still him wi the bell:
‘He winna still, lady,
untill ye cum down yersell.’
7 The firsten step she steppet,
she stepped on a stane,
And the nexten step she stepped,
she keppit him fause Lamkin.
8 The thirden step she steppit,
she saw her young son’s red blood run on,
. . . . .
. . . . .
9 ‘Ye’ve killed my bairn, Lamkin,
but lat mysell be;
Ye’se be as weel payit a mason
as was ever payd a fee.’
-----------------
'Lamkin'- Version N; Child 93- Lamkin
Dr. Joseph Robertson's Note-Book, Journal of Excursions, No 2.
1 LAMKIN was as gude a mason
as ever biggit stone;
He biggit Laird Earie’s house,
and payment he got none.
2 O it fell ance upon a day
Laird Earie went from home,
And Lamkin came cravin
his lady alone.
3 ‘O far’s the laird o this place?
O neerice, tell me:’
‘He’s on the sea sailin,
O Lamkin,’ said she.
4 ‘O far’s the lady o this place?
neerice, tell me:’
‘She’s up the stair dressin,
O Lamkin,’ said she.
5 ‘O far’s the bairns o this place?
neerice, tell me:’
‘The’re at the scheel . .
O Lamkin,’ said she.
‘O will I get a word o her, neerice?’ said he.
* * * * *
6 The first step that lady steppet
she steppd on a stone;
The next step that lady stept
she met wi Lamkin.
* * * * *
7 Ere the basin was washen,
or haf made clean,
The ladie’s heart-bleed
was rinnin in the reem.
--------------------
'Lammikin'- Version O; Child 93- Lamkin
Kinloch Manuscripts, V, 375.
1 * * * *
‘YOU have two bright diamonds,
as bright as the stars,
Put one on each finger,
they’ll show you doun stairs.’
2 The first step this lady took,
she dreaded no harm;
But the second step this lady took,
she was in Lammikin’s arms.
3 ‘Will I kill her, nursie,
or will I let her be?’
‘Oh yes, kill her, Lammikin,
she was never gude to me.’
4 ‘How can [ye] say so, nursie?
how can ye say so?
For your head neer did ache
but my heart it was sore.
5 ‘Oh spare my life, nursie,
oh spare my life, spare;
Ye’ll have as mony gowd guineas
as there’s birds in the air.
6 ‘O spare my life, nursie,
till my lord comes back;
Ye’ll have as mony gowd guineas
as the fou of a sack.’
7 ‘Oh yes kill her and . .
. . . . .
. . . . .
. . . . .
8 ‘Go scour the silver basin,
go scour it fine,
For our lady’s heart’s blude
is gentle to tine.
9 ‘Go scour the silver skewer,
oh scour it richt fine,
For our lady’s heart’s blude
is gentle to tine.’
--------------------
'Lammikin'- Version P; Child 93- Lamkin
Herd's Manuscripts, I, 25; Herd's Scottish Songs, 1776, I, 145.
1 A BETTER mason than Lammikin
nevir builded wi the stane,
Wha builded Lord Weire’s castill,
but wages nevir gat nane.
* * * * *
2 They stecked doors, they stecked yates,
close to the cheik and the chin;
They stecked them a’ but a little wickit,
and Lammikin crap in.
3 ‘Now where’s the lady of this castle?
nurse, tell to Lammikin:’
‘She’s sewing up intill her bowir,’
the fals nourrice she sung.
4 ‘What sall we do, what sall we say,
to gar her cum there down?’
‘We’ll nip the baby in the cradle,
the fals nourrice she sung.
5 Lammikin nipped the bonie babe,
while loud fals nourice sings;
Lammikin nipped the bony babe,
while hich the red blude springs.
6 ‘O gentil nourice, please my babe,
O please him wi the keys:’
‘He’ll no be pleased, gay lady,
gin I’d sit on my knees.’
7 ‘Gude gentil nourice, please my babe,
O please him wi a knife:’
‘He winna be pleased, mistress myne,
gin I wad lay down my lyfe.’
.8 ‘Sweet nourice, loud, loud cries my babe,
O please him wi the bell:’
‘He winna be pleased, gay lady,
till ye cum down yoursell.’
---------------
'Lammikin'- Version Q; Child 93 Lamkin
Finlay's Scottish Ballads, II, 45.
1 LAMMIKIN was as gude a mason
as ever hewed a stane;
He biggit Lord Weire’s castle,
but payment gat he nane.
* * * * *
2 ‘Where are the lads o this castle?’
says the Lammikin:
‘They are a’ wi Lord Weire, hunting,’
the false nourice did sing.
3 ‘Where are the lasses o this castle?’
says the Lammikin:
‘They are a’ out at the washing,’
the false nourice did sing.
4 ‘But where’s the lady o this house?’
says the Lammikin:
‘She is in her bower sewing,’
the false nourice did sing.
5 ‘Is this the bairn o this house?’
says the Lammikin:
‘The only bairn Lord Weire aughts,’
the false nourice did sing.
* * * * *
6 ‘Still my bairn, nourice,
O still him if ye can:’
‘He will not still, madam,
for a’ his father’s lan.’
7 ‘O gentle nourice, still my bairn,
O still him wi the keys:’
‘He will not still, fair lady,
let me do what I please.’
8 ‘O still my bairn, kind nourice,
O still him wi the ring:’
‘He will not still, my lady,
let me do any thing.’
* * * * *
9 The first step she stepped,
she stepped on a stane;
The next step she stepped,
she met the Lammikin.
* * * * *
10 ‘O nourice, wanted ye your meat?
or wanted ye your fee?
Or wanted ye for any thing
a fair lady could gie?’
11 ‘I wanted for nae meat, ladie,
I wanted for nae fee;
But I wanted for a hantle
a fair lady could gie.’
* * * * *
12 ‘I wish a’ may be weel,’ he says,
’wi my ladie at hame;
For the rings upon my fingers
are bursting in twain.’
* * * * *
13 ‘There’s bluid in my nursery,
there’s bluid in my ha,
There’s bluid in my fair lady’s bower,
an that’s warst of a’.’
14 O sweet, sweet sang the birdie,
upon the bough sae hie,
But little cared false nourice for that,
for it was her gallows-tree.
* * * * *
-----------------------
'Balcanqual'- Version R; Child 93 Lamkin
Finlay's Scottish Ballads, II, 55, "from a manuscript formerly written by an old lady."
1 WHEN Sir Guy and his train
gaed to hunt the wild boar,
He gard bar up his castle,
behind and before.
2 And he bade his fair lady
guard weel her young son,
For wicked Balcanqual
great mischief had done.
3 So she closed a’ the windows,
without and within,
But forgot the wee wicket,
and Balcanqual crap in.
* * * * *
4 Syne Balcanqual he rocked,
and fause nourice sang,
Till through a’ the cradle
the baby’s blood sprang.
5 ‘O please the bairn, nourice,
and please him wi the keys:’
‘He’ll no be pleased, madam,
for a’ thet he sees.’
6 And Balcanqual ay rocked,
while fause nourice sang,
And through a’ the cradle
the baby’s blood ran.
7 ‘Please the bairn, nourice,
and please him wi the knife:’
‘He’ll no be pleased, madam,
tho I’d gie my life.’
8 And Balcanqual still rocked,
and fause nourice sang,
While through a’ the cradle
the baby’s blood ran.
9 ‘Now please the bairn, nourice,
and please him wi the bell:’
‘He’ll no be pleased, madam,
till ye come yoursell.’
10 Down came this fair lady,
tripping down the stair,
To see her sick bairn,
but returned never mair.
11 ‘Now scour the bason, Jenny,
and scour’t very clean,
To haad this lady’s blood,
for she’s of noble kin.’
* * * * *
------------------
'Lambkin'- Version S; Child 93- Lamkin
Motherwell's Note-Book, fol. 13.
1 LAMBKIN was as brave a builder
as eer built a stane,
And he built Lord Cassillis house,
an for payment he gat nane.
2 My lord said to my lady,
when he went abroad,
Tak care o fause Lamkin,
for he sleeps in the wood.
-----------------
'False Lantin'- Version T; Child 93 -Lamkin
Recited by Ellen Healy, as sung by a woman living near Killarney
1 ‘WHERE is the lord?
or is he within?’
‘He’s gone to New England,
to dine with the king.’
2 ‘Where is his horses?
or where is his men?’
‘They’re gone to New England,
to wait upon him.’
3 ‘Where is his lady?
or is she within?’
‘She’s in her bedchamber,
all in her lying in.’
4 ‘Can I get at her,
with thousands of lands?
Can I get at her,
to make her understand?’
5 ‘You cannot get at her,
with thousands of lands;
You cannot get at her,
to make her understand.’
6 ‘Lady, come down,
and please your child,’
. . . . .
. . . . .
7 ‘Can’t you please my child
with white bread and breast-wine?’
‘O lady, come down,
and please him awhile.’
8 ‘How can I go down,
this cold winter’s night,
Without a fire in the kitchen,
or candle to light?’
9 ‘You’ve got nine bright lamps,
just as bright as the king;
Lady, come down,
and light one of them.’
10 . . . . .
. . . . .
False Lantin he took her
so brave in his arms.
11 Saying, Where is your friend,
or where is your foe,
That will hold the gold basin,
your heart’s blood to flow?
12 ‘My nurse is not my friend,
my nurse is my foe;
She’ll hold the gold basin,
my heart’s blood to flow.
13 ‘O spare my life
for one summer’s day,
And I’ll give you as much money
as there’s sand in the sea.’
14 ‘I’ll not spare your life
for one summer’s day,
And I wont have as much money
as there’s sand in the sea.’
15 ‘O spare me my life
until one o’clock,
And I’ll give you Queen Betsie,
the flower of the flock.’
16 ‘O mama, dear mama,
then please him awhile;
My dada is coming,
he’s dressed in great style.’
17 False Lantin he heard
the words from the high,
Saying, Your mama is dead,
and away I will fly.
18 ‘O dada, dear dada,
do not blame me,
’Tis nurse and false Lantin
betrayed your ladie.’
19 ‘I’ll bury my mama
against the wall,
And I’ll bury my baba,
white all, white all.’
---------------------
'Lamkin'- Version U a; Child 93- Lamkin
a. Allingham's Ballad Book, p. xxxiii.
b. The same, p. 297, No 56.
1 AS my lord and my lady
were out walking one day,
Says my lord to my lady,
Beware of Lamkin.
2 ‘O why should I fear him,
or any such man,
When my doors are well barrd,
and my windows well pinnd?’
* * * * *
3 ‘O keep your gold and silver,
it will do you some good;
It will buy you a coffin,
when you are dead.’
4 There’s blood in the kitchen,
and blood in the hall,
And the young Mayor of England
lies dead by the wall.
----------------
'I wauld be very sorry'- Version V; Child 93- Lamkin
Harris Manuscript, No 28, fol. 27 b.
1 I WALD be very sorry
to wash a basin clean,
To haud my mither’s heart’s blude,
that’s comin, an I ken.
---------------------
'Bloody Lambkin'- Version W; Child 93 Lamkin
'Bloody Lambkin,' communicated by Mr Macmath as derived from his aunt, Miss Jane Webster, who learned it from her aunt, Minnie Spark, Kirkcudbrightshire.
1 * * * *
And it was weel built,
without and within,
Except a little hole,
to let Bloody Lambkin come in.
* * * *
2 He stabbed her young son,
with the silver bodkin,
Till oot o the cradle
the reed blude did rin.
3 ‘Oh still my babe, nourrice,
still him wi the keys:’
‘He’ll no be still, madam,
let me do what I please.’
4 ‘Oh still my babe, nourrice,
still him wi the knife:’
‘He’ll no be still, madam,
na, no for my life.’
5 ‘Oh still my babe, still my babe,
still him wi the bell:’
‘He’ll no be still, madam,
till ye come down yoursel.’
6 ‘How can I come down,
his cold frosty night?
I have neither coal nor candle,
for to show me light!’
* * * *
7 ‘O haud your tongue, nourrice,
sae loud as ye lee;
Ye’d neer a cut finger
but I pitied thee.’
-----------------
'Lamkin'- Version X; Child 93 Lamkin
1 Lamkin was as good a mason
As ever liftit stane;
He built to the laird o Lariston,
But payment gat he nane.
2 Oft he came, an ay he came,
To that good lord’s yett,
But neither at dor nor window
Ony entrance could get.
3 Till ae wae an weary day
Early he came,
An it fell out on that day
That good lord was frae hame.
4 He bade steek dor an window,
An prick them to the gin,
Nor leave a little wee hole,
Else Lamkin wad be in.
5 Noorice steekit dor an window,
She steekit them to the gin;
But she left a little wee hole
That Lamkin might win in.
6 ‘O where’s the lady o this house?’
Said cruel Lamkin;
‘She’s up the stair sleepin,’
Said fause noorice then.
7 ‘How will we get her down the stair?’
Said cruel Lamkin;
‘We’l stogg the baby i the cradle,’
Said fause noorice then.
8 He stoggit, and she rockit,
Till a’ the floor swam,
An a’ the tors o the cradle
Red wi blude ran.
9 ‘O still my son, noorise,
O still him wi the kane;’
‘He winna still, madam,
Till Lariston come hame.’
10 ‘O still my son, noorice,
O still him wi the knife;’
‘I canna still him, madam,
If ye sude tak my life.’
11 ‘O still my soon, noorice,
O still him wi the bell;’
‘He winna still, madam,
Come see him yoursel.’
12 Wae an weary rase she up,
Slowly pat her on
Her green claethin o the silk,
An slowly came she down.
13 The first step she steppit,
It was on a stone;
The first body she saw
Was cruel Lamkin.
14 ‘O pity, pity, Lamkin,
Hae pity on me!’
‘Just as meikle pity, madam,
As ye paid me o my fee.’
15 ‘I’ll g’ ye a peck o good red goud,
Streekit wi the wand;
An if that winna please ye,
I’ll heap it wi my hand.
16 ‘An if that winna please ye,
O goud an o fee,
I’ll g’ ye my eldest daughter,
Your wedded wife to be.’
17 ‘Gae wash the bason, lady,
Gae wash’t an mak it clean,
To kep your mother’s heart’s-blude,
For she’s of noble kin.’
18 ‘To kep my mother’s heart’s-blude
I wad be right wae;
O tak mysle, Lamkin,
An let my mother gae.’
19 ‘Gae wash the bason, noorice,
Gae wash’t an mak it clean,
To kep your lady’s heart’s-blude,
For she’s o noble kin.’
20 ‘To wash the bason, Lamkin,
I will be right glad,
For mony, mony bursen day
About her house I’ve had.’
21 But oh, what dule an sorrow
Was about that lord’s ha,
When he fand his lady lyin
As white as driven snaw!
22 O what dule an sorrow
Whan that good lord cam in,
An fand his young son murderd,
I the chimley lyin!
----------------
'Lammikin'- Version Y; Child 93. Lamkin
Findlay's Manuscripts, I, 173, "from J. Milne, who wrote it down from recitation by John Duncan."
1. Lie in your room, my wife,
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
2. ‘You’ll fasten doors and windows,
you’ll fasten them out an in,
For if you leave ae window open
Lammikin will come in.’
3. They’ve fastened doors an windows,
they’ve fastened them out an in,
But they have left ae window open,
and Lammikin cam in.
4. ‘O where are a’ the women
that dwell here within?’
‘They’re at the well washin,
and they will not come in.’
5 ‘O where are a’ the men
that dwell here within?’
‘They’re at the . . . . ,
and they will not come in.’
6 ‘O where is the lady
that dwells here within?’
‘She’s up the stair dressin,
and she will not come doun.’
7 ‘It’s what will we do
to mak her come doun?
We’ll rock the cradle, nourrice,
an mak her come doun.’
8 They [hae] rocked the cradle
to mak her come doun,
. . . . . .
the red bluid out sprung.
9 ‘O still the bairn, nourrice,
O still him wi the bell:;
‘He winna still, my lady,
till ye come doun yersel.’
10 The first step she steppit,
it was upon a stane;
The next step she steppit,
she keppit Lammikin.
11 ‘O mercy, mercy, Lammikin,
hae mercy upo me!
Tho ye hae killed my young son,
ye may lat mysel abee.’
12 ‘O it’s will I kill her, nourrice,
or will I lat her be?’
‘O kill her, kill her, Lammikin,
she neer was gude to me.’
13 ‘O it’s wanted ye your meat?
or wanted ye your fee?’
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
14 ‘I wanted not my meat,
I wanted not my fee,
But I wanted some bounties
That ladies can gie.’
----------
End-Notes
C. 212, 222. Motherwell suggests mother for lady.
After 22, "a stanza, forgotten by the reciter, which purported that on the night his lady was murdered, the ring on Lord Arran's finger broke."
F. b. 11, he got on.
12, 22. who lives.
31. The doors are ... windows are.
32. There is not ... where a mouse can.
42. For he.
51. the windows all pinned.
52. But one: Lankin.
72. she 's in her high chamber.
81. young heir.
91. we'll prick him, we'll.
101. They pricked him, they.
102. false nurse ... drop in.
113. my son Johnson.
122, 142, 162. Come down.
13. wanting.
142. and nurse.
152. And there's no fire burning, nor lamp.
162. all by.
172. much money.
18. wanting.
19, 20, 21. Nancy.
202. golden basin.
222, 231. Long wanting.
232. close by.
G. "A friend of the lady who contributed our copy of this ballad gave a transcript to Miss Landon, who published it in the Drawing Room Scrap Book for 1835, in which, with out any authority, she lays the scene of the murder in Cumberland."
Variations in the Drawing Boom Scrap Book:
71, 81, 91. Where are.
11, 13 are given in Halliwell's Nursery Rhymes of England, ed. 1874, p. 212, No 403, with only this variation: 112, when ye lord.
I. 51. marble stane, indistinct in the Manuscript
71. O.... her gang.
K. After 4. He was in league with the nurse, who let him in to one of the low rooms.
After 12. Whilst he and the nurse are plundering the house, the lord comes home, and avenges himself upon these wicked villains.
L. 21. woman.
M. a. After 1. And a' the servants were frae hame;
Lamkin made up wi the fauss norice.
2 follows 8.
b. Begins with a stanza, very near to N 1:
Lamkin was as gude a mason
As ever laid a stane,
And he has built Lord Wearie a castle,
But payment he got nane.
11, once upon: Wearie went frae.
2 follows 6.
21. Lamkin he rockit and the.
22. Till to the four tors o the cradle the.
31. a wand.
8 is omitted.
92. as eer was paid.
N. 61. first steppd.
P. Eleven of the nineteen stanzas of Herd's version are spurious, and many of the others have been tampered with. The metre is disturbed or changed.
Stanza 4 is omitted in Herd's printed copy.
After 1 follow:
'Sen ye winnae gie me my guerdon, lord,
Sen ye winnae gie me my hyre,
Yon proud castle, sac stately built,
I sail gar reck wi the fyre.
'Sen ye winna gie me my wages, lord,
Ye sail hae caus to rue:'
And syne he brewed a black revenge,
And syne he vowed a vow.
'Now byde at hame, my luve, my lyfe,
I warde ye byde at hame;
Oh gang nae to this day's hunting,
To leave me a' my lane.
'Yestrene, yestrene, I dreamt my bower
Of red, red blude was fu;
Gin ye gang to this black hunting,
I sail hae caus to rue.'
'Wha looks to dreams, my winsome dame?
Ye hae nae caus to feare:'
And syne he,'s kist her comely cheik,
And syne the starting teare.
And syne he 's gane to the good greene wode,
And she to her painted bowir,
And she 's gard steck doors, windows, yates,
Of castle, ha and tower.
After 8 follow these five stanzas, found also in Herd's Manuscripts, II, 97:
And when she saw the red, red blude,
A loud scrich scriched she:
'O monster, monster, spare the child
Wha never skaithed thee.
'O spare, gif in your bluidy briest
Albergs not heart of stane;
spare, and ye sail hae of gould
What ye can carry hame.'
'Dame, I want not your gowd,' he sayd,
'Dame, I want not your fee;
I hae been wronged by your lord,
Ye sail black vengence drie.
'Here are nae serfs to guard your halls,
Nae trusty spearsmen here;
They sound the horn in good greene wode,
And chase the doe and deer.
'Tho merry sounds the gude greene wode,
Wi huntsmen hounds and horn,
Your lord sail rue eer sets yon sun
He hes done me skaith and scorn.'
For quha, ze, etc., wha, ye are printed.
Q. Of the thirty-five stanzas printed by Finlay, seventeen, or 2, 3, 5-9, 12 (?), 14, 16 (?), 18, 19, 21-25, are derived from Herd's version, P, all his spurious verses being retained. There are some variations, due to imperfect recollection. Of the remaining eighteen, 4, 28, 29, 31, 34 are clearly by a modern pen. There are some twelve genuine stanzas, 1, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 20, 26, 27, 30, 32, 33, which are independent of Herd. Two more, Finlay's 12, 16, have been left with these because they vary considerably from Herd, and may possibly be traditional. So may the following be, Finlay's 35 and last; but I think it is not.
They carried him a' airts o wind,
And mickle pain had he;
At last before Lord "Weire's gate
They hanged him on the tree.
R. This second version of Finlay's has been written over. His fourth stanza and his last six owe nothing to tradition. Finlay himself "restored" the name of Balwearie from a recited copy "in preference to that of Sr. Guy, or Gray, which the Manuscript bears, as it makes the ballad appear more decidedly local."
After 3:
Then up spak fause notirice:
' haste up to the tower,
Somebody knocks at the gate,
bauldly and dowr.'
After 11:
She 's lifted her baby,
and kissed cheek and chin,
And his ance rosy lips,
but nae breath was within.
'Fare weel, my sweet baby,
ye've left me alane;
But I see my death coming,
I needna make mane.'
They've taen this fair lady,
and tied her wi bands,
And in her sweet heart's blood
they've dipped their hands.
For Balcanqual and nourice
had vowd her to slae,
Because their ill deeds
made Balwearie their fae.
Balwearie and his train
cam hame weary at een,
Nae voice gied them welcome,
nae light could be seen.
'Open, dear lady,
my castle to me: '
Nae voice gied an answer,
nae voice was to gie.
S. "Lambkin ... 27 stanzas."
T. After 5: "The nurse said this, and the false Lantin stabbed the baby. He bribed the nurse to make the lady come down and please the child. It told how he stabbed the baby, what kind of knife he had, and how he put it through the baby."
U. b. Allingham's copy is principally composed of 14 stanzas of A, 9 of G, 5 of Q, 1 of B. So much of the following stanzas as is in larger type may be regarded as derived, partially or wholly, from the "copy taken down from the mouth of an Irish nurse in the family of a relative of the editor."
6 What care I for Lamkin,
or any of his gang?
I'll keep my doors weel guarded,
my windows all pennd in.'
7 When all the doors were guarded,
and all the windows shut,
There was still one little window,
and that one was forgot.
13 'And how are we to bring her down?'
says the Lamkin:
'Pinch the babe in the cradle here,'
says the fause nourice to him.
18 The first step the lady stepped,
she stepped on a stane;
The last step the lady stepped,
there she met Lamkin.
19 'O Mercy, mercy, Lamkin,
have mercy upon me!
O harm ye not my little son,
I pray you let him be.'
23 Lord Weare he sat in England,
a drinking o the wine;
He felt his heart fu heavy
at this very same time.
25 He sailed in his bonny ship
upon the saut sea-faem;
He leapd up on his horse
and swiftly he rade hame.
27 'O whas blude is this,' he says,
'that lies in the bower?'
'It is your lady's heart's blude,
where Lamkin he slew her.'
Additions and Corrections
P. 320 and 339: [Add version W.]
W. 'Bloody Lambkin,' communicated by Mr Macmath as derived from his aunt, Miss Jane Webster, who learned it from her aunt, Minnie Spark, Kirkcudbrightshire.
1 * * * *
And it was weel built,
without and within,
Except a little hole,
to let Bloody Lambkin come in.
* * * *
2 He stabbed her young son,
with the silver bodkin,
Till oot o the cradle
the reed blude did rin.
3 ‘Oh still my babe, nourrice,
still him wi the keys:’
‘He’ll no be still, madam,
let me do what I please.’
4 ‘Oh still my babe, nourrice,
still him wi the knife:’
‘He’ll no be still, madam,
na, no for my life.’
5 ‘Oh still my babe, still my babe,
still him wi the bell:’
‘He’ll no be still, madam,
till ye come down yoursel.’
6 ‘How can I come down,
his cold frosty night?
I have neither coal nor candle,
for to show me light!’
* * * *
7 ‘O haud your tongue, nourrice,
sae loud as ye lee;
Ye’d neer a cut finger
but I pitied thee.’
P. 320. The negroes of Dumfries, Prince William County, Virginia, have this ballad, orally transmitted from the original Scottish settlers of that region, with the stanza found in F (19) and T (15):
Mr. Lammikin, Mr. Lammikin,
oh, spare me my life,
And I'll give you my daughter Betsy,
and she shall be your wife.
"They sang it to a monotonous measure." (Mrs. Dulany.)
The following are mostly trivial variations from the spelling of the text.
321 b, note ‡. Read Balcanqual.
331 b, 31. Read nurice.
P. 321, note *. See further in Notes and Queries, First Series, II, 519; V, 32, 112, 184, 355. 321 ff., 513.
X. 'Lamkin,' "Scotch Ballads, Materials for Border Minstrelsy," No 133, Abbotsford; in the handwriting of James Hogg.
1 Lamkin was as good a mason
As ever lif tit stane;
He built to the laird o Lariston,
But payment gat he nane.
2 Oft he came, an ay he came,
To that good lord's yett,
But neither at dor nor window
Ony entrance could get.
3 Till ae wae an weary day
Early he came,
An it fell out on that day
That good lord was frae hame.
4 He hade steek dor an window,
An prick them to the gin,
Nor leave a little wee hole,
Else Lamkin wad he in.
5 Noorice steekit dor an window,
She steekit them to the gin;
But she left a little wee hole
That Lamkin might win in.
6 'O where's the lady o this house?'
Said cruel Lamkin;
'She's up the stair sleepin,'
Said fause noorice then.
7 'How will we get her down the stair?'
Said cruel Lamkin;
'We'l stogg the haby i the cradle,'
Said fause noorice then.
8 He stoggit, and she rockit,
Till a' the floor swam,
An a' the tors o the cradle
Red wi blude ran.
9 'O still my son, noorise,
O still him wi the kane;'
'He winna still, madam,
Till Lariston come hame.'
10 'O still my son, noorice,
O still him wi the knife;'
'I canna still him, madam,
If ye sude tak my life.'
11 'O still my soon, noorice,
still him wi the bell;'
'He winna still, madam,
Come see him yoursel.'
12 Wae an weary rase she up,
Slowly pat her on
Her green claethin o the silk,
An slowly came she down.
13 The first step she steppit,
It was on a stone;
The first body she saw
Was cruel Lamkin.
14 'O pity, pity, Lamkin,
Hae pity on me!'
'Just as meikle pity, madam,
As ye paid me o my fee.'
15 'I'll g' ye a peck o good red goud,
Streekit wi the wand;
An if that winna please ye,
I'll heap it wi my hand.
16 'An if that winna please ye,
goud an o fee,
I'll g' ye my eldest daughter,
Your wedded wife to he.'
17 'Gae wash the bason, lady,
Gae wash 't an mak it clean,
To kep your mother's heart' s-blude,
For she's of noble kin.'
18 'To kep my mother's heart's-blude
I wad be right wae;
O tak mysel, Lamkin,
An let my mother gae.'
19 'Gae wash the bason, noorice,
Gae wash 't an mak it clean,
To kep your lady's heart' s-blude,
For she's o noble kin.'
20 'To wash the bason, Lamkin,
I will be right glad,
For mony, mony bursen day
About her house I've had.'
21 But oh, what dule an sorrow
Was about that lord's ha,
When he fand his lady lyin
As white as driven snaw!
22 O what dule an sorrow
Whan that good lord cam in,
An fand his young son murderd,
I the chimley lyin!
92. kane. kame, B 132. But cf. wand, A 162, J 102, M 32.
P. 331, I, as it stands in "The Old Lady's Collection," No 15.
1 Lamken was as gued a masson
as ever did hue ston;
He bigged Lord Weary's house,
an pament never got non.
2 It fell ance on a day
Lord Weary went from home,
An Lamkin came to the fause nirice,
. . .
* * *
3 'O still my bairn, nirice,
still him we the kniff:'
'He winne still, lady,
tho I sud lay doun my life.'
4 'O still my bairn, nirice,
still him we the bell:'
'He winne still, lady,
till ye come doun yersell.'
5 The first step she came on,
it was the stane;
The nest step
she mett him Lamkin.
6 'O spare my life, Lamkin,
an I ell gee ye a peak of goud well laid on;
An that dinne pleas ye,
I ell heap it we my hand.'
7 'O will I kill the lady, nirice,
or will I lat her gang?'
O kill her, Lanken,
she was never gued to me.'
8 'O wanted ye yer meatt, nirice?
or wanted ye yer fiee?
Or wanted ye the other bountys
lady's are wont to gee?'
9 . . .
. . .
Kill her, Lanken,
she was never gued to me.'
10 'Ye wash a bason, nirice,
an ye wash it clean,
To cape this lady's blode;
she is come of high kine.'
11 'I winne wash a bason,
nor wash it clean,
To cap this lady's blod,
tho she be come of high kine.'
12 Bonny sang yon burd
as he satt on the tree,
Bat sare grat Lamkin
fan he was hanged hie.
13 Bonny sang the burd
that satt on the hill,
Bat sare grat the nirice
fan the caldron began to boill.
14 Lankin was hanged,
. . . high,
An the faus nirice
was burnt in the cadrou was she.
339 ff., 513, IV, 480.
Y. 'Lammikin,' Findlay's Manuscripts, I, 173, "from J. Milne, who wrote it down from recitation by John Duncan."
1 Lie in your room, my wife,
. . .
. . .
. . .
2 'You'll fasten doors and windows,
you'll fasten them out an in,
For if you leave ae window open
Lammikin will come in.'
3 They 've fastened doors an windows,
they 've fastened them out an in,
But they have left ae window open,
an Lammikin cam in.
4 'O where are a' the women
that dwell here within?'
'They're at the well washin,
and they will not come in.'
5 'O where are a' the men
that dwell here within?'
'They're at the . . .,
and they will not come in.'
6 'O where is the lady
that dwells here within?'
'She's up the stair dressin,
an she will not come doun.'
7 'It's what will we do
to mak her come doun?
We'll rock the cradle, nourrice,
an mak her come doun.'
8 They [hae] rocked the cradle
to mak her come doun,
. . .
the red bluid out sprung.
9 'O still the bairn, nourrice,
O still him wi the bell:'
'He winna still, my lady,
till ye come doun yersel.'
10 The first step she steppit,
it was upon a stane;
The next step she steppit,
she keppit Lammikin.
11 'O mercy, mercy, Lammikin,
hae mercy upo me!
Tho ye hae killed my young son,
ye may lat mysel abee.'
12 'O it's will I kill her, nourrice,
or will I lat her be?'
'O kill her, kill her, Lammikin,
she neer was gude to me.'
13 'O it's wanted ye your meat?
or wanted ye your fee?'
. . .
. . .
14 'I wanted not my meat,
I wanted not my fee,
But I wanted some bounties that ladies can gie.'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pp. 320-42, III, 515, IV, 480 f., V, 229 f.
Denham, Tracts, II, 190, refers to a Northumbrian version of the ballad which associated Long Lonkin with Nafferton Castle in the parish of Ovingham. He also gives a story, obtained from an old man in Newcastle, according to which Long Lonkin is no mason but a gentleman, who kills the lady and her one child because the lord of Nafferton had been preferred to him. The husband, abandoning his journey to London on account of a misgiving that all was not right at home, after finding his wife and child dead, hunts down the murderer, who drops from a tree in which he had concealed himself into a pool, thence called Long Lonkin's pool, and is drowned.
Communicated by Mr. W.W. Newell, with the superscription (by the original transcriber, Miss Emma M. Backus) "as sung in Newbern, North Carolina, seventy-five years ago" (1895).
1 John Lankin was a good mason
As ever laid a stone;
He built Lord Arnold's castle
And the lord he paid him none.
2 John Lankin then swore,
If the lord did not pay him,
He would break into his castle
And murder all his kinsmen.
3 Lord Arnold soon did hear
Of John Lankin's threat so dour;
He did guard all his castle
With soldiers every hour.
4 He said to his lady,
'I am going away from home,
And what should you do
If John Lankin should come?'
5 'I care not for John Lankin,
Or any of his kin;
I will bar all my doors
And I'll pin my windows in.'
6 The doors were all barrd
And the windows pinned in,
And out of the kitchen-window
The nurse she let him in.
7 He killed the good lady
With a cowardly cruel blow,
And threw her pretty baby
To the dank moat below.
8 John Lankin was hung
On the gallows so high,
And the nurse she was chained
In a dungeon to die.