The Book of Scottish Song/The rinaway bride

The rinaway bride.

[To a lively tune of the same name. The song is given in Yair's "Charmer," Edinburgh, 1751, and also in Herd's collection, 1776.]

A laddie and a lassie fair
Lived in the south countrie;
They ha'e coost their claes thegither,
And wedded wad they be:
On Tuesday to the bridal feast
Cam fiddlers flocking free—
But hey play up the rinaway bride,
For she has ta'en the gee.

She had nae run a mile or mair,
Till she 'gan to consider
The angering of her father dear,
The vexing of her mither;
The slighting of the silly bridegroom,
The warst of a' the three—
Then hey play up the rinaway bride,
For she has ta'en the gee.

Her father and her mither baith
Ran after her wi' speed;
And aye they ran and cried, How, Ann!
Till they came to the Tweed:
Saw ye a lass, a lovesome lass,
That weel a queen might be?
O that's the bride, the rinaway bride,
The bride that's ta'en the gee.

And when they came to Kelso town,
They gaur'd the clap gang through;
Saw ye a lass wi' a hood and mantle,
The face o't lined up wi' blue?
The face o't lined up wi' blue,
And the tail turn'd up wi' green;
Saw ye a lass wi' a hood and mantle,
Should ha'e been married on Tuesday 't e'en?

O at the saft and silly bridegroom
The bridemaids a' were laughin';
When up there spake the bridegroom's man,
Now what means a' this daffin'?
For woman's love's a wilfu' thing,
And fancy flies fu' free;
Then hey play up the rinaway bride,
For she has ta'en the gee.

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