15 Mar 04 - 02:11 PM (#1137238) Subject: Lyr Req: Killen's Patrick Spens From: Roberto From LOUIS KILLEN, The Rose in June, Old and New Tradition 2001. Louis Killen writes that the tune he sings is from the singing of Ewan MacColl (and it is true) and the text from his friend Lawrence E. Charlton, Borderer and ballad scholar (but I find it very similar to the one sung by Ewan MacColl as well). I've placed question marks in the first, fifth, tenth and fourteenth stanza. May "fa" mean "where", besides "who"? I hear "attend", instead than "tak' tent", as MacColl used to sing, but I'm not sure. Please, could someone check and correct this text? Thank you. Roberto The King sits in Dunfermline toon Drinking the blood-red wine Fa (???) will I find me a skeely skipper To stir (?) this new ship o' mine? And it's up and spak' a doited carle Stood by the King's ain knee: Patrick Spens is the best sailor That ever sailed the sea The King has screvit a braid letter And signed it wi' his ain hand And sent it tae young Patrick Spens Was walking on Leith strand When first he lookit the letter on He laughed sae loud and free But when he'd done the readin' oot The tears fell frae his ee Oh fa, fa's (???) done this fell deed And telt the King o' me? Tho' it be my ain faither An ill death may he dee Tae Norowa', tae Norowa' To Norowa' ower the faem The King's daughter o' Norowa' Tis we maun bring her hame But they hadna been in Norowa' A week but barely three When a' the lords o' Norowa' They up and spak' sae free This ootland Scots waste oor King's gowd And drink our Queen's fee - Weary fa' the tongue that spak' Sic a muckle lee Oh how can this be? – says Patrick Spens I pray ye tell tae me For the bows o' our ship they are wrocht wi' gold And there's twal kists o' white monie Attend, attend (???), my guid men all See you be weel forn For cometh wind or cometh hail Our guid ship sails the morn But up and spak' the weatherman Says – I fear we'll be a' drooned For I saw the new moon late yestereen Wi' the auld moon in her airms And they hadna sailed a league, a league A league but barely three When the wind grew haich and the lift grew laich And the gurly grew the sea Fa will I find me a bonny boy To tak' my steer in hand While I gae climb the topmost mast To see if I can spy land? Well, he had not gaed a step, a step A step but barely ane When the bow flew (??) out of our goodly ship And the salt, salt sea come in Oh laith, laith were those good Scots lords To wat their cork-heeled schoon But lang afore the play was ower They wat their hats abune And lang may the ladies sit With their gowd kems in their hands Ere they see young Patrick Spens Come sailing ower Leith strand Half ower, half ower frae Aberdour Where the sea is wide and deep It's there that lies young Patrick Spens With the Scots lords at his feet |
15 Mar 04 - 02:19 PM (#1137247) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Louis Killen's Sir Patrick Spens From: Roberto Sorry, I've written "stir" instead of "steer" in the first stanza. R |