Glen Collection of printed music > Printed music > Wood's edition of the songs of Scotland

46
THE SONGS OF SCOTLAND.
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A" DANTE.
FAIR JANET.
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"Ye maun gang to your fa - ther, Ja - net, Ye maun gang to him
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what's your will wi' me, fa - ther ; O what's your will wi'
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" My will wi' you, fair Janet," he said,
" It is baith bed and board ;
Some say that ye lo'e sweet Willie,
But ye maun wed a French Lord."
Janet's awa' to her chamber,
As fast as she could go ;
Wha's the first ane that tapped there
But sweet Willie, her jo?
" we maun part this love, Willie,
That lias been lang between ;
There's a French Lord coming o'er the sea,
To wed me wi' a ring ;
There's a French Lord coming o'er the sea,
To wed and tak' me hame."
* * * *
Willie he was scarce awa',
And the lady put to bed,
When in and came her father clear,
" Make haste, and busk the bride !"
" There's a sair pain in my head, father;
There's a sair pain in my side ;
And ill, ill am I, father,
This day for to be a bride."
" 0, ye maun busk this bonnie bride,
And put a gay mantle on ;
For she shall wed this auld French Lord,
Gin she should dee the morn."
* * * «
Some put on the gay green robes,
And some put on the brown,
But Janet put on the scarlet robes,
To shine foremost through the town.
And some they mounted the black steed,
And some they mounted the brown,
But Janet mounted the milk-white steed,
To ride foremost through the town.
" wha will guide your horse, Janet?
wha will guide him best ?"
" wha but Willie, my true love ;
He kens I lo'e him best."
And when they cam' to Marie's kirk,
To tye the haly ban',
Fair Janet's face look'd pale and wan',
And her colour gaed and cam'.
When dinner it was past and done,
And dancing to begin,
" 0, we'll go take the bride's maidens,
And we'll go fill the ring."
0, ben then came the auld French Lord,
Saying, "Bride, will ye dance wi' me?"
" Awa', awa', ye auld French Lord,
Your face I downa see."
0, ben then came now sweet Willie,
Saying, "Bride, will ye dance wi' me?"
" Ay, by my sooth, and that I will,
Gin my back should break in three."
She hadna turn'd her thro' the dance,
Thro' the dance but thrice,
When she fell down at Willie's feet,
And up did never rise.
Willie's ta'en the key o' his coffer,
And gi'en it to his man —
" Gae hame, and tell my mother dear,
My horse he has me slain ;
Bid her be kind to my young son,
For father he has nane."
The tane was buried in Marie's kirk,
And the tither in Marie's quier ;
Out of the tane there grew a birk,
And the tither, a bonnie brier.
" Fair Janet." The air of this ballad was obligingly given to the Publishers of this work by the late Charles Kirk-
patrick Sharpe, Esq. Mr. Sharpe published the ballad in his "Ballad Book," 1824. He there says, "This ballad,
the subject of which appears to be very popular, is printed as it was sung by an old woman in Perthshire. The air is
extremely beautiful." Motherwell also gives it in his " Minstrelsy," 1827, with some remarks.