Beneath the Willow Tree/Gude Forgi'e Me for Liein'

by Anonymous

For other versions of this work, see Gude Forgi'e Me for Liein'.

Gude Forgi'e me for Liein'.

AE day a braw wooer came down the lang glen
And sair wi' his love he did deave me;
But I said, there was naething I hated like men
The duce tak' the lad to belive me.

A weel stocket mailen himself o't the laird,
An' bridal aff han', was the proffer;
I never loot on that I kend or I car'd,
But I thought I might get a waur offer.

He spake o' the darts o' my bonny black-e'en;
An' O, for my love he was diein'
⟨I⟩ said he might die whan he lizet for Jean:
The Gude forgi'e me for liein'.

But what do you think? in a fortnight or less
He has a poor taste to gae near her)
He's down to the castle to back cousin Bess;
O, think how I could endure her.

An' a' the naist ouk as I fretted wi care,
⟨I⟩ ga d to the tryst o' Dulgar ock;
An' wha but my bra sickle wooer was there?
Wha star'd as if he had seen a warlock.

⟨Out⟩ owre my left shouther I gied him ablink,
⟨Lest⟩ neighbours shou'd say I was saucy,,
My wooer he caper'd as he had been in drink,
And vow'd that was his dear lassie.

⟨I⟩ speer d for my cousin, fu' couthy and sweet,
And if she'd recovered her hearin':
And how my auld shoon fitted her shachel'd feet
Gude saf us he fell a swearin'.

He begg'd me for gudesake that I'd be his wife,
Or else I wad kill him wi' sorrow:
And just to preserve the poor body in life,
⟨I⟩ think I will wed him to morrow.