Sir Patrick Spens

The king sits in Dunfermline town

Drinking the blude-red wine;

"O whare will I get a skeely skipper

To sail this new ship o' mine?"

O up and spak an eldern knight,

Sat at the king's right knee;

"Sir Patrick Spens is the best sailor

That ever sail'd the sea."

Our king has written a braid letter,

And seal'd it with his hand,

And sent it to Sir Patrick Spens,

Was walking on the strand.

"To Noroway, to Noroway,

To Noroway o'er the faem;

The king's daughter o' Noroway,

'Tis thou must bring her hame."

The first word that Sir Patrick read

So loud, loud laugh'd he;

The neist word that Sir Patrick read

The tear blinded his e'e.

"O wha is this has done this deed

And tauld the king o' me,

To send us out, at this time o' year,

To sail upon the sea?

"Be it wind, be it weet, be it hail, be it sleet,

Our ship must sail the faem;

The king's daughter o' Noroway,

'Tis we must fetch her hame."

They hoysed their sails on Monenday morn

Wi' a' the speed they may;

They hae landed in Noroway

Upon a Wodensday.

"Mak ready, mak ready, my merry men a'!

Our gude ship sails the morn."

"Now ever alack, my master dear,

I fear a deadly storm.

"I saw the new moon late yestreen

Wi' the auld moon in her arm;

And if we gang to sea, master,

I fear we'll come to harm."

They hadna sail'd a league, a league,

A league but barely three,

When the lift grew dark, and the wind blew loud,

And gurly grew the sea.

The ankers brak, and the topmast lap,

It was sic a deadly storm:

And the waves cam owre the broken ship

Till a' her sides were torn.

"Go fetch a web o' the silken claith,

Another o' the twine,

And wap them into our ship's side,

And let nae the sea come in."

Another o' the twine,

And they wapp'd them round that gude ship's side,

But still the sea came in.

O laith, laith were our gude Scots lords

To wet their cork-heel'd shoon;

But lang or a' the play was play'd

They wat their hats aboon.

And mony was the feather bed

That flatter'd on the faem;

And mony was the gude lord's son

That never mair cam hame.

O lang, lang may the ladies sit,

Wi' their fans into their hand,

Before they see Sir Patrick Spens

Come sailing to the strand!

And lang, lang may the maidens sit

Wi' their gowd kames in their hair,

A-waiting for their ain dear loves!

For them they'll see nae mair.