Lord Douglas
Jim Moray Lyrics

Awake, awake, arise, you seven sleepers,
Lord Douglas urges the seven sleepers to wake up and get going early to sneak into his lover's chamber

So long before the day,
It's really early in the morning and they have to hurry to steal his love away before anyone else discovers them

For Lord Douglas comes all in your lady's chamber
Lord Douglas is on his way to his lover's chamber in secret

To steal his love away.
Lord Douglas plans to take his lover away with him forever

Put on, put on the gold and chains of silver;
He tells his lover to dress up in her most expensive jewelry

Don't let your father know
He wants to take his lover away without her father knowing

That I will take in hand his youngest daughter,
Lord Douglas wants to take the daughter away with him to the hills

And to the hills we'll go.
They plan to go away to the hills together and elope

But there was one in the lady's house
Someone in the lady's house overhears their plan

Who heard what they did say;
The eavesdropper hears all their plans

He rang the bells both loud and shrill
He alerts the guards with the bells ringing loud

So long before the day.
It's still dark outside and he already warns the guards

Awake, awake, arise, you seven brothers.
Now, he urges the lady's seven brothers to wake up

Put on your armour bright,
He tells them to get their armor on and be ready to fight

For Lord Douglas comes all in your lady's chamber
Lord Douglas is planning to get his lover from her chambers with force

To steal his love by night.
He plans on taking his love away in the middle of the night

They had not rode but few short miles together,
As they leave, they have only traveled a small distance together.

Across the wooded green.
The sight before them was of dense forest

"Well, light down, light down," he says, "my own true lover,
Lord Douglas tells his lover to get down from the horse as they rest

For dawn is coming in."
Dawn is approaching and they should rest for a while

The sourwood and the ash grew up together
The trees formed a dense woodland of varying species

Across the wooded plain,
They were passing by plain lands in the forest

And all the trees in the green wood start to tremble
The trees in the jungle tremble as the riders pass

To whisper Douglas' name.
They seem to be talking about Lord Douglas as he passes

"I think I hear your father's steed, his hooves upon the ground,
Lord Douglas thinks the father is approaching on horseback

And I will wager that it won't be long till we are found,
He thinks it won't be long before they are caught.

But I have run from all that was before me, and put my house to shame,
He has run away from his past that has brought shame to his house

So fear the curse my mother placed upon me, and dare not speak my name."
He warns Margaret to not utter his name because of the curse

"Light down, light down," he says, "my own true lover,
He tells her to get down from the horse as they prepare for the fight

And hold my steed to stand,
She is to hold the horse steady as Lord Douglas fights the seven brothers and the father

While I do go and fight your seven brothers And your father just at hand."
He goes to fight the seven brothers and the father head-on to take Margaret away.

So well she stood and held his horse and harness;
Margaret stands with the horse and gear not moving

She never she'd a tear,
Margaret holds back tears to be strong for Lord Douglas

Until his keening blade took seven brothers
However, when the sword takes down the seven brothers, she starts crying

And the father she held so dear.
When Lord Douglas also kills her father, she mourns his death

"Hold your hand, my love," she says.
Margaret could not bear seeing any more of the violence

"Your strokes are wondrous all.
She praises Lord Douglas's fighting ability

For sweethearts I will have again,
She is reassured that she will have other lovers in the future

But father I'll get no more."
However, she will never have her father again

"Hold off, hold off, Lord Douglas," she calls towards him --
Margaret calls Lord Douglas by his name to plead with him

She calls him by his name --
She refers to him by his name as a plea to show mercy

"For all the blood that you've she'd in anger,
She reminds him of all the blood he has shed from anger

Love runs in every vein."
"Love runs in every vein of ours" she pleads again with him to not shed more blood

"Oh, you must choose, oh choose then, Lady Margaret,
Lord Douglas states that Margaret must now choose if she wants to stay or go with him

If you do stay or bide."
He leaves the decision to her as to whether she goes with him or not

"Well I must go with you into the green wood,
Margaret decides that she wants to go with Lord Douglas into the green woods

Since you have left no guide."
Margaret wants to go with Lord Douglas since he does not have anyone to guide him

So he's placed her on the saddle seat beside him,
Lord Douglas picks Margaret up and puts her on the horse beside him

His sword hung to the ground,
He carries his weapon carelessly, indicating exhaustion

And how his wounds did tremble and did quaver,
Lord Douglas' wounds make him shiver heavily in great pain

And soaked his shirt with blood.
His shirt is now completely drenched with his own blood from his wounds

"Lie down and rest, my love," she says;
Margaret asks Lord Douglas to lie down and rest

I fear that you are slain.
She fears he is dying and wants him to rest until help arrives.

Your body trembles to the touch;
She can feel his body trembling with pain as a result of his wounds

There's not much life within."
She is convinced that there is not much life left in Lord Douglas

They had not rode but few short miles together,
They did not travel far before they arrived at the town

Till they came to the town.
When they arrive in the town, Lord Douglas cries for his mother to make a bed for him

"Oh mother, make my bed then," cries Lord Douglas,
Lord Douglas asks for his mother's bed to rest in due to his wounds

For I want to lie down."
He wants to lay down to rest due to his grave wounds

But slowly, slowly, the sun rose up before them.
The morning sun slowly rose in their presence

The cocks began to crow.
As morning approached, the sound of the rooster's call could be heard

For every wound Lord Douglas had upon him,
Lord Douglas' wounds bleed profusely in the morning light

The crimson blood did flow.
His blood flows out of his wounds and is red like the rose

Lord Douglas died so long before the morning;
Lord Douglas dies just moments before the sun rises

His love she died tomorrow.
Margaret dies a day later in mourning for Lord Douglas

Lord Douglas died of the wounds her father gave him;
Lord Douglas died due to the injuries inflicted upon him by Margaret's father

His lady died for sorrow.
Margaret died of sadness from losing Lord Douglas

She was buried in the yard,
Margaret's remains are buried in the yard of their home

And he was buried by her,
Lord Douglas is buried beside Margaret's burial site

And out her heart a crimson rose,
A crimson rose grows out of Margaret's heart

And out his heart a briar.
A briar grows out of Lord Douglas' heart

The briar and the rose grew up together,
The briar and the rose grow beside each other.

Till they could get no higher,
The briar and the rose have grown to their limit and cannot grow taller

And there they twined a true love's knot together
The briar and the rose wrapped around each other symbolizing the love between Margaret and Lord Douglas