THE GABERLUNYIE MAN
Traditional
O, a beggar man cam' ower
yon lea,
An' mony a fine tale he
told me,
Seekin' for charity,
Will ye lodge a beggar
man?
Chorus :
Lal lal tee too roo ree.
The nicht was cauld, the
carle was wat,
An' doon ayont the ingle
he sat,
Then he threw the
meal-pock aff'n his back
And aye as he ranted and
sang,
"If I were black as I am
white,
As the snaw that lies on
yonder dyke,
I wad dress mysel' some
beggar-like
And awa' wi' you I would
gang."
"O lassie, O lassie,
you're far ower young,
And ye hae na cant o' the
beggin' tongue
Ye hae na the cant o' the
beggin' tongue
And wi' me ye canna gang."
"I'll bend my back and bow
my knee,
And I'll put a black patch
on my e'e,
And for a beggar they'll
tak' me,
Syne awa' wi' you I will
gang."
'Twas then they twa made
up the plot,
To rise twa hours afore
the old folk,
Sae cannily they slipped
the lock
And through the fields
they ran.
Early neist mornin' the
auld wife rose,
An' at her leisure put on
her clothes;
Syne to the servant's bed
she goes
To speir for the silly
puir man.
She gaed to the bed where
the beggar lay,
The strae was cauld and he
was away,
She clapped her hands and
cried, "Welladay,
Is there ony o' oor guid
gear gane?"
Some ran to the coffer,
some ran to the kist,
But naethin' was awa' that
could be missed,
She danced her lane, cried
"Praised be the blest,
I've lodged an honest old
man.
"Since naething's awa'
that we can learn,
The kye are to milk and
the milk is to kirn;
Gae but the hoose, lass,
and wauken my bairn
And bid her come speedily
ben."
The servant gaed where the
dochter lay,
But the sheets were cauld
and she was away,
And fast to the gudewife
she did say:
"She's awa' wi' the beggar
man."
"O fye gar ride, O fye gar
rin!
And haste ye find they
traitors again,
For she'll be brunt and
he'll be slain,
The wearifu' beggar man."
Some rode on horseback,
some run on foot,
A' but the auld wife and
she wasna fit,
She hobbled aboot frae hip
to hip
An' aye she cursed and
banned.
Meanwhile far oot ower yon
lea,
Fu' snug in a glen where
nane could see,
The twa wi' muckle sport
and glee
Frae a new cheese cut a
whang.
When years had passed some
twa or three
The same beggar carle cam'
ower yon lea,
Saying, "Gudewife for your
courtesie,
Will ye lodge a silly,
puir man?"
"A beggar, a beggar I'll
ne'er lodge again,
I had ae dochter but ane
o' my ain,
And awa' wi' a beggar man
she's gane
And I dinna ken whence nor
where."
"O, yonder she's comin',
ower yon lea
Wi' mony a fine tale unto
thee,
An' she's gotten a baby on
her knee
And anither yin comin'
hame.
"O, yonder she's comin' to
your bower,
In silk an' satin wi'
mony a flower,"
She's held up her hands
and she's blest the hour
That she followed the
beggar man.
Footnote : The first printed text of this song appeared in Volume 1 of
Allan Ramsay's 'Tea-Table Miscellany' (1724). According to tradition, it
chronicles one of the adventures of James V, King of Scots, in his guise
of the 'Gudeman o Ballengeich'. Aiblins!
