The Water Is Wide
Hayley Westenra Lyrics

O Waly, waly, up the bank,
Woe is me, up the bank of the river,

And waly, waly, doun the brae,
And woe is me, down the hill,

And waly, waly, yon burn-side,
And woe is me, by the riverside,

Where I and my Love wont to gae!
Where my love and I used to go!

I lean'd my back unto an aik,
I leaned my back against an oak,

I thocht it was a trustie tree;
I thought it was a trustworthy tree;

But first it bow'd and syne it brak,
But first it bowed and then it broke,

Sae my true love did lichtlie me.
So my true love lightly (easily) rejected me.

O waly, waly, gin love be bonnie,
Woe is me, if love is beautiful,

A little time while it is new!
It does not last long when it is new!

But when 'tis auld it waxeth cauld,
But when it grows old, it becomes cold,

And fades awa' like morning dew.
And fades away like the morning dew.

O wherefore should I busk my heid,
Why should I adorn my head,

Or wherefore should I kame my hair?
Or why should I comb my hair?

For my true Love has me forsook,
For my true love has abandoned me,

And says he'll never lo'e me mair.
And says he will never love me again.

Now Arthur's Seat
Now Arthur's Seat (a hill in Edinburgh)

Sall be my bed,
Shall be my burial place,

The sheets sall ne'er be 'filed by me,
The sheets shall never be soiled by me,

Saint Anton's well sall be my drink
I shall drink from Saint Anton's well,

Since my true Love has forsaken me.
Since my true love has abandoned me.

Marti'mas wind, when wilt thou blaw,
Martinmas wind, when will you blow,

And shake the green leaves aff the tree?
And shake the green leaves off the tree?

O gentle Death, when wilt thou come?
Oh gentle Death, when will you come?

For of my life I am wearing.
For I am weary of my life.

'Tis not the frost, that freezes fell,
It's not the intense cold that freezes me,

Nor blawing snaw's inclemencie,
Nor the harshness of blowing snow,

'Tis not sic cauld that makes me cry;
It's not such cold that makes me cry;

But my Love's heart grown cauld to me.
But rather my love's heart has grown cold towards me.

When we cam in by Glasgow toun,
When we came into Glasgow town,

We were a comely sicht tho,
We were a sight to behold,

My Love was clad in the black velvet,
My love wore black velvet,

And I mysel in cramasie.
And I myself in crimson.

But had I wist, before I kist
But if I had known, before I kissed

That love had been sae ill to win,
That love would be so difficult to obtain,

I had lock'd my heart in a case o' gowd,
I would have locked my heart in a golden case,

And pinn'd it wi' a siller pin;
And pinned it with a silver pin;

And O! if my young babe were born,
Oh, if my young babe were born,

And set upon the nurse's knee,
And placed upon the nurse's lap,

And I mysel were dead and gane,
And if I myself were dead and gone,

And the green grass growing over me!
And the green grass growing over me!