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The Laird O' Logie (Child 182)

from Blood & Roses Volume 3 by Ewan MacColl & Peggy Seeger

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about

The events described in this short ballad occurred in August 1592, when Francis Stewart, Earl of Bothwell, was found guilty of having conspired to kidnap King James VI of Scotland at the palace of falkland. Wamyss of Logie, who is generally cites as a central character in the ballad, was among the other conspirators found guilty and sentenced to death. On the same night that the sentence was passed, he was rescued by his mistress, a Danish waiting-woman of the Queen's bed-chamber. In our version of the ballad, Logie has been abandoned in favour of Andrew Steward, Laird of Ochiltree, who was an active partisan of Bothwell.

lyrics

Listen, good people, to my tale,
Listen to what I tell to thee;
The King has ta'en a poor prisoner
The wanton Laird o' Ochiltree.

When news it cam' tae the Queen,
She sighed and sair richt mournfully:
O, whit will come o' Lady Margret
Wha bears sic love for Ochiltree?

The queen she's gane intil the King
And louted low doon til her knee;
I never asked a boon but noo:
O, spare the life o' Ochiltree.

Gin ye had asked for hoose or land
I'd freely gie them a' to thee,
But a' the gowd fair Scotland
Winna buy the life o' Ochiltree.

The Queen she tripped doon the stair,
And doon she gaed richt mournfully;
A' the gowd in fair Scotland
Winna buy the life o' Ochiltree.

Lady Margaret tore her yellow hair,
And aye the saut tear blint her e'e;
I'll tak' a knife and end my life'
And lie in the ground wi' Ochiltree.
always, blinded her eye

O na, na, na, then, quoth the Queen,
O haud your tongue, this maunna be!
I'll set ye on a better way
To free the Laird o' Ochiltree.

The Queen she slippit up the stair,
And up she gaed richt privilee;
And she has stolen the prison keys
And lowsed the Laird o' Ochiltree.

She's gi'en to him a purse o' gowd
And anither o' the white money;
She's gi'en him twa pistols by his side,
Says, Fire them baith when ye gang free.

When he cam' tae the Queen's window,
Whaten a joyfu' cry gi'ed he!
He's fired the pistols and he's awa',
The wanton Laird o' Ochiltree.

The King he rose up in his bed.
O, wha is this has waukened me?
I'll pledge my lands and a' my rents
It's the wanton Laird o' Ochiltree.

Then ca' to me my jailors a',
Ca' them by thirty and by three!
I swear that e'er the clock strikes twal'
That hangit high they a' shall be.

O na, na, na, then cried the Queen,
Na, na, na that cannae be!
Gin ye are gaun tae hang them a'
Ye maun, my love, begin wi' me.

The tane was shippit at the pier o' Leith,
Lady Margaret at the Queen's ferry.
And she's gotten a faither tae her bairn,
The wanton Laird o' Ochiltree.

credits

from Blood & Roses Volume 3, released September 14, 1982
Ewan MacColl - vocals

Produced by Neill MacColl
Engineered by Nick Godwin
Recorded at Pathway Studios, London

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Ewan MacColl London, UK

This site is maintained by the MacColl family, aiming to make Ewan's catalogue available to download.
Ewan MacColl is known to most as a songwriter and singer, but he was also of significant influence in the worlds of theatre and radio broadcasting. His art reached huge numbers through the folk clubs, greater numbers through his recordings and untold millions through the radio. ... more

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