The Laird O' Drum Poem by Anonymous British

The Laird o' Drum has a-huntin' gane
All in the mornin' early
And he has spied a weel-faur'd maid
A-shearin' her faither's barley

My bonnie maid, my weel-faur'd maid
It's will ye gang wi' me, O
And will ye gang and be Lady o' the Drum
And leave your shearin' a-be, O

I couldnae gang wi' you, kind sir
Nor leave my shearin' a-be, O
For I'm ower low tae be Lady o' the Drum
And your miss I scorn tae be, O

My faither he's a shepherd man
Keeps sheep on yonder hill, O
And ye be gang and speir at him
I'm entirely at his will, O

Drum has tae her faither gane
Keepin' sheep on yonder hill, O
I'm come tae marry your ae dochter
Gin ye'll gie your guid will, O

My dochter can neither read nor write
Nor once she bred at the school, O
But she can work baith oot and in
For I've learned the girlie mysel', O

She'll wark in your barn, aye and at your mill
And brew your malt and your ale, O
And saddle your steed in time o' need
And draw aff your boots hersel', O

Noo I'll learn the lassie tae read and write
And pit her tae the school, O
And she'll never need tae saddle my steed
Nor draw aff my boots hersel', O

But wha will bake my bridal breid
And wha will brew my ale, O
And wha will welcome my lowly bride
That's mair than I can tell, O

Ah but four and twenty gentle knights
Gae'd in at the yett o' Drum, O
And there's never a one has lifted his hat
When the Lady o' the Drum cam' in, O

It's up and spake his brither John
And sair pit oot was he, O
Ye've married a wife beneath your degree
And shamed baith ye and me, O

It's up and spake the Laird o' Drum
Says, I've done ye nae wrang, O
I've married a wife tae wark and win
And ye've married ane tae spend, O

The firstmost wife that e'er I had
She was far abune my degree, O
She would never gang tae the yetts o' Drum
But the pearlins were roond her bree, O.

The firstmost wife that e'er I had
She lookit doon on me, O
And I dursnae gang intae the room whaur she was
But my bonnet was at my knee, O

It's twice he kissed her cherry cheek
And thrice her cherry chin, O
And twenty times her comely mou'
And ye're welcome, my Lady Drum, O

And when had eaten and drunken weel
And they were bound for bed, O
The Laird o' Drum and his lady fair
In ae bed they were laid, O

O it's ye shall be my kitchen cook
And the butler in my ha', O
And ye'll saddle my steed in time o' need
And draw aff my boots yersel', O

I tell't ye weel ere we were wed
Ye was far abune my degree, O
But noo we're wed, in ae bed laid
I'm just as guid as ye, O

And when you are dead and I am dead
And baith in ae grave laid, O
They wid have tae look wi very clear een
Tae ken your dust frae mine, O