Outlandish Knight- Mrs Andrews (Newcas) 1882 Stokoe
[From J. Collingwood Bruce and John Stokoe, "Northumbrian Minstrelsy", 1882, pp. 48-50. Also, with accompaniment, in John Stokoe and Samuel Reay, Songs of Northern England, 1892, p. 130. Text is very similar to Pitt's broadside (Dixon's text) which Child E. Reprinted in The Monthly Chronicle of North Country Lore and Legend, Volume 3, Stokoe. His notes follow:
R. Matteson 2018]
There are two ballads with a similar story to this in Scottish collections, “May Colvine” and the “Water o' Wearie's Well,” and the versions in other languages are all but innumerable. In England the ballad is well known and popular, and stall copies of considerable antiquity are in existence. By the term “Outlandish.” is signified an inhabitant of that portion of the Border which was formerly known by the name of the “Debateable Land,” a district which, though claimed by both England and Scotland, could not be said to belong to either country. The people on each side of the Border applied the term “Outlandish " to the Debateable residents. The tune was taken down from the singing of Mrs. Andrews, of Newcastle-on-Tyne.
Outlandish Knight- melody as sung by Mrs. Andrews of Claremont Place, Newcastle-on-Tyne, sister of the late Mr. Robert White, an indefatigable collector, and a learned authority upon our old Northumbrian minstrelsy.
An Outlandish knight came from the north lands,
And he came a wooing to me;
He told me he'd take me unto the North lands,
And there he would marry me.
“Come, fetch me some of your father's gold,
And some of your mother's fee;
And two of the best nags out of the stable,
Where they stand thirty and three.”
She fetched him some of her father's gold,
And some of her mother's fee;
And two of the best nags out of the stable,
Where they stood thirty and three.
She mounted her on her milk-white steed.
He on the dapple grey,
They rode till they came unto the sea side,
Three hours before it was day.
“Light off, light off thy milk-white steed,
And deliver it unto me;
Six pretty maids have I drowned here,
And thou the seventh shall be.
Pull off, pull off thy silken gown,
And deliver it unto me,
Methinks it looks too rich and gay,
To rot in the salt sea.
Pull off, pull off, thy silken stays,
And deliver them unto me,
Methinks they are too fine and gay
To rot in the salt sea.
Pull off, pull off, thy Holland smock,
And deliver it unto me,
Methinks it looks too rich and gay,
To rot in the salt sea.”
“If I must pull off my Holland smock,
Pray turn thy back to me,
For it is not fitting that such a ruffian,
A naked woman should see.”
He's turned his back towards her,
And viewed the leaves so green,
She catched him round the middle so small,
And tumbled him into the stream.
He dropp-ed high, he dropp-éd low,
Until he came to the side,-
“Catch hold of my hand, my pretty maiden,
And I will make you my bride.”
“Lie there, lie there, you false-hearted man,
Lie there instead of me;
Six pretty maids have you drowned here,
And the seventh has drown-éd thee.”
She mounted on her milk-white steed,
And led the dapple grey;
She rode till she came to her own father's hall,
Three hours before it was day.
The parrot being in the window so high,
Hearing the lady, did say:
“I’m afraid that some ruffian has led you astray,
That you've tarried so long away.”
“Don't prittle or prattle, my pretty parrot,
Nor tell no tales of me;
Thy cage shall be made of the glittering gold,
Although it is made of a tree.”
The king being in the chamber so high,
And hearing the parrot, did say:
“What ails you, what ails you, may pretty parrot,
That you prattle so long before day.”
“It’s no laughing matter,” the parrot did say:
“But so loudly I call unto thee,
For the cats have got into the window so high,
And I'm afraid they will have me.”
“Well turned, well turned, my pretty parrot,
Well turned, well turned for me;
Thy cage shall be made of the glittering gold,
And the door of the best ivory.”
___________________________
ABC notation
X:29
T:The Outlandish Knight
T:Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight
C:Trad
B:Bronson
O:J. Collingwood Bruce and John Stokoe, "Northumbrian Minstrelsy", I882,
O:pp. 48-50. Also, with accompaniment, in John Stokoe and Samuel Reay, Songs of
O:Northern England, I892, p. I30. Sung by Mrs.Andrews, Newcastle-on-Tyne.
M:6/8
L:1/8
K:C
G | GAG cdc | BGG G2 G |
w:An Out-land-ish knight* came from the north lands, And
GAG cBA | G3-G2 G | GAG cdc |
w:he came a woo-ing to me;* He told me he'd take me un-
BGE F2 E/F/ | GAG FDB, | C3-C2 |]
w:to the North lands, And* there he would mar-*ry me.
W:
W:An Outlandish knight came from the north lands,
W:And he came a wooing to me;
W:He told me he'd take me unto the North lands,
W:And there he would marry me.
W:
W:"Come, fetch me some of your father's gold,
W:And some of your mother's fee;
W:And two of the best nags out of the stable,
W:Where they stand thirty and three."
W:
W:She fetched him some of her father's gold,
W:And some of her mother's fee;
W:And two of the best nags out of the stable,
W:Where they stood thirty and three.
W:
W:She mounted her on her milk-white steed.
W:He on the dapple grey,
W:They rode till they came unto the sea side,
W:Three hours before it was day.
W:
W:"Light off, light off thy milk-white steed,
W:And deliver it unto me;
W:Six pretty maids have I drowned here,
W:And thou the seventh shall be.
W:
W:Pull off, pull off thy silken gown,
W:And deliver it unto me,
W:Methinks it looks too rich and gay,
W:To rot in the salt sea.
W:
W:Pull off, pull off, thy silken stays,
W:And deliver them unto me,
W:Methinks they are too fine and gay
W:To rot in the salt sea.
W:
W:Pull off, pull off, thy Holland smock,
W:And deliver it unto me,
W:Methinks it looks too rich and gay,
W:To rot in the salt sea."
W:
W:"If I must pull off my Holland smock,
W:Pray turn thy back to me,
W:For it is not fitting that such a ruffian,
W:A naked woman should see."
W:
W:He's turned his back towards her,
W:And viewed the leaves so green,
W:She catched him round the middle so small,
W:And tumbled him into the stream.
W:
W:He dropped high, he dropped low,
W:Until he came to the side,-
W:"Catch hold of my hand, my pretty maiden,
W:And I will make you my bride."
W:
W:"Lie there, lie there, you false-hearted man,
W:Lie there instead of me;
W:Six pretty maids have you drowned here,
W:And the seventh has drowned thee."
W:
W:She mounted on her milk-white steed,
W:And led the dapple grey;
W:She rode till she came to her own father's hall,
W:Three hours before it was day.
W:
W:The parrot being in the window so high,
W:Hearing the lady, did say;
W:"I'm afraid that some ruffian has led you astray,
W:That you've tarried so long away."
W:
W:"Don't prittle or prattle, my pretty parrot,
W:Nor tell no tales of me;
W:Thy cage shall be made of the glittering gold,
W:Although it is made of a tree."
W:
W:The king being in the chamber so high,
W:And hearing the parrot, did say:
W:"What ails you, what ails you, my pretty parrot,
W:That you prattle so long before day."
W:
W:"It's no laughing matter," the parrot did say;
W:"But so loudly I call unto thee,
W:For the cats have got into the window so high,
W:And I'm afraid they will have me."
W:
W:"Well turned, well turned, my pretty parrot,
W:Well turned, well turned for me;
W:Thy cage shall be made of the glittering gold,
W:And the door of the best ivory."