Lord Randall
Lord Randall
Original Text
The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, ed.
Francis James Child, 5 vols. (1884-1898:
New York: Dover, 1965), I: 157-58 (12A); from an eighteenth-century manuscript owned by Charles Mackie in 1808.
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2And where ha you been, my handsome young man?'3'I ha been at the greenwood; mother, mak my bed soon,
6An wha met you there, my handsome young man?"
7"O I met wi my true-love; mother, mak my bed soon,
8For I 'm wearied wi huntin, an fain wad lie down."
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9"And what did she give you, Lord Randal, my son?10And what did she give you, my handsome young man?"
11"Eels fried in a pan; mother, mak my bed soon,
12For I 'm wearied with huntin, and fain wad lie down."
14And what gat your leavins, my handsom young man?"
15"My hawks and my hounds; mother, mak my bed soon,
16For I 'm wearied wi huntin, and fain wad lie down."
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17"And what becam of them, Lord Randall, my son?18And what became of them, my handsome young man?"
19"They stretched their legs out an died; mother, mak my bed soon,
20For I 'm wearied wi huntin, and fain wad lie down."
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21"O I fear you are poisoned, Lord Randal, my son!22I fear you are poisoned, my handsome young man!"
23"O yes, I am poisoned; mother, mak my bed soon,
24For I 'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down."
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25"What d' ye leave to your mother, Lord Randal, my son?26What d 'ye leave to your mother, my handsome young man?"
28For I 'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down."
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29"What d' ye leave to your sister, Lord Randal, my son?30What d' ye leave to your sister, my handsome young man?"
31"My gold and my silver; mother, mak my bed soon,
32For I 'm sick at the heart, an I fain wad lie down."
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33"What d' ye leave to your brother, Lord Randal, my son?34What d' ye leave to your brother, my handsome young man?"
35"My house and my lands; mother, mak my bed soon,
36For I 'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down."
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37"What d' ye leave to your true-love, Lord Randal, my son?38What d' ye leave to your true-love, my handsome young man?"
39"I leave her hell and fire; mother, mak my bed soon,
40For I 'm sick at the heart, and I fain was lie down."
Notes
1] This ballad -- in versions in other European languages -- goes back to the early seventeenth century in Italy, but the English texts all belong to the eighteenth century.Lord Randal: Lord Ronald in many versions.ha: have. Back to Line
4] wi: with. wad: would. Back to Line
5] wha: who. Back to Line
13] gat: got. leavins: leftovers. Back to Line
27] kye: cattle. Back to Line
Publication Start Year
1803
Publication Notes
Sir Walter Scott's Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border (1803): III, 292.
RPO poem Editors
Ian Lancashire
RPO Edition
2002
Rhyme