Bonnie Annie (Child 24A)

There was a rich lord, and he lived in Forfar,
He had a fair lady, and one only dochter.
O she was fair, O dear, she was bonnie!
A ship’s captain courted her to be his honey.
There cam a ship’s captain out owre the sea sailing,
He courted this young thing till he got her wi bairn.
‘Ye’ll steal your father’s gowd, and your mother’s money,
And I’ll mak ye a lady in Ireland bonnie.’
She’s stown her father’s gowd, and her mother’s money,
But she was never a lady in Ireland bonnie.

‘There’s fey fowk in our ship, she winna sail for me,
There’s fey fowk in our ship, she winna sail for me.’
They’ve casten black bullets twice six and forty,
And ae the black bullet fell on bonnie Annie.
‘Ye’ll tak me in your arms twa, lo, lift me cannie,
Throw me out owre board, your ain dear Annie.’
He has tane her in his arms twa, lo, lifted her cannie,
He has laid her on a bed of down, his ain dear Annie.
‘What can a woman do, love, I’ll do for ye;’
‘Muckle can a woman do, ye canna do for me.’

‘Lay about, steer about, lay our ship cannie,
Do all ye can to save my dear Annie.’
‘I’ve laid about, steerd about, laid about cannie,
But all I can do, she winna sail for me.
‘Ye’ll tak her in your arms twa, lo, lift her cannie,
And throw her out owre board, your ain dear Annie.’
He has tane her in his arms twa, lo, lifted her cannie,
He has thrown her out owre board, his ain dear Annie.
As the ship sailed, bonnie Annie she swam,
And she was at Ireland as soon as them.
He made his love a coffin of the gowd sae yellow,
And buried his bonnie love doun in a sea valley.