Douglas Tragedy- Viola Cook (KY) 1938 Carpenter
[This is the lone US version from James Madison Carpenter Collection, JMC/1/3/H, pp. 06768-06769. It's so close to Scott's printed version (Sharpe, 1802) that it's possibly taken from it and reworded.
R. Matteson 2018]
Douglas Tragedy- sung by Viola Cook of Whitesburg, Kentucky c. 1938
1 "Rise up, rise up, Lord Douglas," she said
"And put on your armor so bright.
Let it never be said that a daughter of mine
Was married to a lord by night[1]."
2 "Rise up, rise up, my seven bold sons,
And put on your armour so bright,
And take better care of your youngest sister,
For your eldest's was wed last night."
3 He's mounted her on a milk-white steed,
And himself on a dapple grey,
With a bugled horn hung down by his side,
And lightly they rode away.
4 Lord William looked over his left shoulder,
To see what he could see,
And there he spied her seven brothers bold,
Come riding over the lea.
5 "Light down, light down, Lady Margaret," he said,
"And hold my steed in your hand,
Until that again your seven brethren bold,
And your father, I make a stand."
6 She held his steed in her milk-white hand,
And never shed one tear,
Until that she saw her seven brothers fall,
And her father, who loved her so dear.
7 "O hold your hand, Lord William," she said,
"For your strokes they are wonderous strong;
True lovers I can get many a one,
But a father I can never get no more."
8 O she's took out her handkerchief,
It was o the holland satin fine,
And soon she had bandaged her father's bloody wounds,
That were redder than the wine.
9 "O choose, O choose, Lady Margaret," he said,
"O whether will you go or bide?"
"I'll go, I'll go, Lord William," she said,
"For you have left me no other guide.'
10 He lifted her on a milk-white steed,
And himself on a dapple grey,
With a bugled horn hung down by his side,
And slowly they both rode away.
11 O they rode, and they rode,
And by the light of the moon,
Until they come to yon clear water,
And there they lighted down.
12 They lighted down to take a drink
Of the spring that run so clear,
And down the stream run his good heart's blood,
And very strong she begin to fear.
13 "Hold up, hold up, Lord William," she said,
"For I fear that you are slain."
"That is nothing but the shadow of my scarlet cloak,
That shines in the water so plain.'
14 O they rode, and they rode,
And by the light of the moon,
Until they come to his mother's hut door,
And there they lighted down.
15 "Get up, get up, lady mother," he says,
"Get up, and let me in.
Get up, get up, lady mother,' he says,
"For this night my fair lady I've win."
16 "O make my bed, lady mother,' he says,
"O make it wide and deep,
And lay Lady Margret close at my back,
And the sounder I will sleep.'
17 Lord William was dead long before midnight,
Lady Margaret long before day,
And all truelovers that go together,
May they have more luck than they.
18 Lord William was buried in St. Mary's kirk,
Lady Margaret in Mary's quire;
Out of the lady's grave grew a bonny red rose,
And out of the knight's a briar.
19 And they climbed and entwined, and they climbed and entwined,
Until they could not climb any higher;
The world might come from the east and the west
And see they were two true lovers.
20 And by and by rode the Black Douglas,
And lo but he was rough,
For he pulled up the bonny briar,
And flung it to St. Mary's Loch.
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1. This is sim. to Scott's version-- usually it's "lord or knight."