The Blue Flowers and Yellow- Christie 1876 Child B b.
Version B- Child 25; Willie's Lyke-Wake
b. Christie, Traditional Ballad Airs, I, 120.
1 'O Willie my son, what makes you sae sad?'
As the sun shines over the valley
'I lye sarely sick for the love of a maid.'
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow
2 'Were she an heiress or lady sae free,
As the sun shines over the valley
That she will take no pity on thee?
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow
3 'O Willie, my son, I'll learn you a wile,
As the sun shines over the valley
How this fair maid ye may beguile.
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow
4 'Ye'll gie the principal bellman a groat,
As the sun shines over the valley
And ye'll gar him cry your dead lyke-wake.'
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow
5 Then he gae the principal bellman a groat,
As the sun shines over the valley
He bade him cry his dead lyke-wake.
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow
6 This maiden she stood till she heard it a',
As the sun shines over the valley
And down frae her cheeks the tears did fa.
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow
7 She is hame to her father's ain bower:
As the sun shines over the valley
'I'll gang to yon lyke-wake ae single hour.'
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow
8 'Ye must take with you your ain brither John;
As the sun shines over the valley
It's not meet for maidens to venture alone.'
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow
9 'I'll not take with me my brither John,
As the sun shines over the valley
But I'll gang along, myself all alone.'
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow
10 When she came to young Willie's yate,
As the sun shines over the valley
His seven brithers were standing thereat.
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow
11 Then they did conduct her into the ha,
As the sun shines over the valley
Amang the weepers and merry mourners a'.
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow
12 When she lifted up the covering sae red,
As the sun shines over the valley
With melancholy countenance to look on the dead,
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow
13 He's taen her in his arms, laid her gainst the wa,
As the sun shines over the valley
Says, 'Lye ye here, fair maid, till day.'
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow
14 'O spare me, O spare me, but this single night,
As the sun shines over the valley
And let me gang hame a maiden sae bright.'
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow
15 'Tho all your kin were about your bower,
As the sun shines over the valley
Ye shall not be a maiden ae single hour.
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow
16 'Fair maid, ye came here without a convoy,
As the sun shines over the valley
But ye shall return wi a horse and a boy.
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow
17 'Ye came here a maiden sae mild,
As the sun shines over the valley
But ye shall gae hame a wedded wife with child.'
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow
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Traditional Ballad Airs: Volume 1 - Page 121 William Christie - 1876
This Air was arranged by the Editor from the singing of the old woman mentioned in p. 42. It is apparently an old air. The Editor has made a few alterations in the Ballad to suit it for this Work, some of them given from the recitation of the old woman from whose singing the Air was arranged. The Ballad is epitomized. See Buchan's "Ballads of the North, l.lfiS.Buchan's version differs little from the way the old woman sung the ballad.
[p. 42: This copy of the air was arranged by the Editor from the singing of an old woman in Buckie, (Enzie, Banffshire,) from whose singing he arranged a great number of old Airs and Ballads. She died in the year 1866 at the age of nearly 80 years Her father, long resident in Buckie, where fishermen and labourers have "tee-names"had the "sobriqluet'l"Meesic" (Music)— given to him in the end of the last century by the populace, thus indicating his fame as a ballad-singer. ]
"O WILLIE my son, what makes you sae sad?
As the sun shines over the valley;"
"I am sarely sick for the love of a maid,
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow."
"Is she an heiress or lady sae free,
As the sun shines over the valley,
That she will take no pity on thee,
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow?
"Ye'll gi'e the principal bellman a groat,
As the sun shines over the valley;
And ye'll gar him cry your dead lyke-wake,
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow."
Then he gae the principal bellman a groat,
As the sun shines over the valley;
And he bade him cry his dead lyke-wake,
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow.
The maiden stood till she heard it a',
As the sun shines over the valley;
And down frae her cheeks the tears did fa',
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow.
And she is hame to her father's ain bower,
As the sun shines over the valley;
"I'll gang to yon lyke-wake ae single hour,
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow."
"Ye maun tak" wi' you your ain brither John,
As the sun shines over the valley;
It's not meet for maidens to venture alone,
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow."
"I'll not take wi' me my ain brither John,
As the sun shines over the valley;
But I'll gang along, myself all alone,
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow."
When she came to young Willie's yate,
As the sun shines over the valley;
His seven brithers were standing thereat,
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow.
Then they did conduct her into the ha',
As the sun shines over the valley;
Amang the weepers and merry mourners a',
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow.
"Fair maid, ye've come here without a convoy,
As the sun shines over the valley;
And ye shall return wi' a horse and a boy,
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow.
Fair maid, I love thee as my life,
As the sun shines over the valley;
But ye shall gae hame a lov'd wedded wife,
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow.''
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Traditional ballad airs: Volume 1 - Page 121; William Christie - 1876
This Air was arranged by the Editor from the singing of a native of Aberdeen as sung to "Willie's Lyke Wake''and can also be sung *o "Willie and Lady Maisry" Buchan 1. 155. The Ballad to which the Air was sung is given by Buchan, II. 51. He says "the stratagem "of the lover" is somewhat similar to the one displayed in the Blue Flowers and the Yellow, and was alike successful'. The Ballad is here given with some changes from the way the Editor has heard it sung.
If my love loves me, she lets me not know,
This is a dowie chance;
I wish that I the same could do,
Tho' my love were in France, France,
Tho' my love were in France.
O lang think I, and very lang,
And lang think I, I trow;
But lang and langer will I think,
'Ore my love o' me rue, rue,
'Ore my love o' me rue.
But I will write a broad letter,
And write it sae perfite;
That gin she winna o' me rue,
I'll bid her come to my lyke, lyke,
I'll bid her come to my lyke.
Then he has written a broad letter,
And seal'd it wi' his hand,
And sent it on to his true love,
As fast as boy could gang, gang,
As fast as boy could gang.
When she looked the letter upon,
A light laugh then ga'e she;
But ere she read it to an end,
The tear blinded her e'e, e'e,
The tear blinded her e'e.
"O saddle to me a steed, father,
O saddle to me a steed;
For word has come to me this night,
That my true love is dead, dead,
That my true love is dead.
The steeds are in the stable, daughter,
The keys are casten by;
Ye canna won the night, daughter,
The morn ye'se won away, away,
The mom ye'se won away.
She has cut aff her yellow locks,
A little aboon her e'e;
And she is on to Willie's lyke,
As fast as gang could she, she,
As fast as gang could she.
As she gaed ower yon high hill head,
She saw a dowie light;
It was the candles at Willie's lyke,
And torches burning bright, bright,
And torches burning bright
Three o' Willie's eldest brothers
Were making for him a bier;
One half o' it was gude red gowd,
The other silver clear, clear,
The other silver clear.
Three o' Willie's eldest sisters
Were making for him a sark;
The one half o' it was cambric fine,
The other needle wark, wark,
The other needle wark.
Out spake the youngest o' his sisters,
As she stood on the fleer;
"How happy would our brother been,
If ye'd been sooner here, here,
If ye'd been sooner here."
She lifted up the green covering,
And ga'e him kisses three;
Then he look'd up into her face,
The blythe blink in his e'e, e'e,
The blythe blink in his e'e.
O then he started to his feet,
And thus to her said he:
"Fair Annie, since we're met again,
Parted nae mair we'se be, be,
Parted nae mair we'se be."