Sweet Willie and Fair Annie
Malinky Lyrics

Sweet Willie and fair Annie sat ae day on a hill
One day, Sweet Willie and fair Annie sat together on a hill

Though they had sitten seven lang year, they ne'er wad had their fill
Even after spending seven long years together, they never felt satisfied

Sweet Willie said a word in haste and Annie took it ill
Sweet Willie spoke too quickly and Annie was offended

"I winna wed a tocherless maid against ma mither's will"
"I won't marry a woman without a dowry against my mother's wishes"

"For ye're come o' the rich, Willie, and I'm come o' the poor
"You come from a wealthy family, Willie, and I come from a poor one

I'm ower laich tae be your bride an' I winna be yer hooer"
"I'm too lowly to be your bride, and I won't be your mistress"

So Annie's gane in 'til her bower, and Willie doon the den
Annie went into her room, while Willie went down into the valley

And he's come 'til his mither's bower by the lee licht o' the moon
Willie went to his mother's room by the soft light of the moon

"Oh sleep ye, wake ye, mither?" he says, "Or are ye the bower within?"
"Are you sleeping or awake, mother? Are you in your room?" he asked

"I sleep richt aft, I wake richt aft, whit want ye wi' me, son?
"I sleep a lot, I wake a lot, what do you want, my son?

Whaur hae ye been a' the nicht, Willie? And wow, ye've tarried lang"
Where have you been all night, Willie? Oh, you've stayed out for a long time"

"I've been courtin' fair Annie, and she is frae me gan"
"I've been courting fair Annie, and she has left me"

"There is twa maidens in a bower, which o' them sall I bring hame?
"There are two maidens in a room, which one should I bring home?

The nut-broon maid has sheep and cows, fair Annie, she's got nane"
The brunette maiden has sheep and cows, while fair Annie has none

"It's an ye wed the nut-broon maid, I'll heap wi' gowd ma hand
"If you marry the brunette maiden, I will reward you with gold"

But an ye wed her fair Annie, I'd straik it wi' a wand
But if you marry fair Annie, I will curse it with a wand

The nut-broon maid has sheep and cows, fair Annie, she's got nane
The brunette maiden has livestock, fair Annie has nothing

And Willie, for my benison, the nut-broon maid bring hame"
And Willie, for my blessing, bring home the brunette maiden

"Oh I sall wed the nut-broon maid and I sall bring her hame
"Oh, I will marry the brunette maiden and bring her home

But peace nor rest atween us twa, 'til death sinder's again
But there will be no peace or rest between us two until death separates us once more

For sheep will die in cots, mither, and owsen die in byre
Sheep will die in their pens, mother, and oxen will die in the barn

And what's this warld's wealth to me gin I get na ma heart's desire?"
And what does this world's wealth mean to me if I don't get what my heart desires?

"Ye'll tell her to come tae Willie's weddin' the morn at twel at noon
"You will tell her to come to Willie's wedding tomorrow at twelve o'clock noon

Ye'll tell her to come tae Willie's weddin', the heir o' Duplin toon"
You will tell her to come to Willie's wedding, the heir of Duplin town

So he is on tae Annie's bower and he's tirled at the pin
So he went to Annie's room and he gently knocked at the door

Wha was sae ready as Annie hersel tae open and let him in
Who was as eager as Annie herself to open the door and let him in

"It's I will come tae Willie's weddin' the morn at twel tae dine
"I will come to Willie's wedding tomorrow at twelve to eat

I will come tae Willie's weddin' though I'd raither it had been mine
I will come to Willie's wedding even though I wish it were my own

So maidens, tae my bower come and lay gowd on my hair
So maidens, come to my room and place gold on my hair

And far ye laid ae plait afore, ye'll now lay ten times mair
And where you placed one strand before, now place ten times more

Tailors, tae my bower come and mak' tae me a weed
Tailors, come to my room and make me a beautiful dress

And smiths, untae my stable come and shoe tae me a steed"
And blacksmiths, come to my stable and shoe a horse for me

At every tate o' Annie's horse, there hang a silver bell
A silver bell was attached to each of Annie's horse's reins

There cam a wind oot frae the north which made them a' tae knell
A strong wind blew from the north, causing the bells to ring

Fan she came tae Marykirk and sat down in the deas
When she arrived at Marykirk and sat down in the choir

The licht that cam frae fair Annie enlichtened a' the place
The light that came from fair Annie illuminated the entire area

But up and stands the nut-broon bride jist at her faither's knee
But the brunette bride stood up right next to her father

"Oh fa is this, ma faither dear, that blinks in Willie's ee?"
"Oh, father dear, who is this girl that Willie is looking at?"

"Oh this is Willie's first true love afore he lovèd thee"
"This is Willie's first true love before he loved you"

"Gin that be Willie's first true love, he micht hae latten me be"
"If that is Willie's first true love, he should have left me alone"

"Oh far got ye the water, Annie, that washes ye sae white?
"Oh, where did you get the water, Annie, that cleanses you so white?

"I got it in ma mither's wame far you'll ne'er get the like
"I got it from my mother's womb, where you will never find the same

For ye've been washed in Dunny's well and dried on Dunny's dyke
Because you have been washed in a different well and dried on a different wall

And a' the water in the sea will never wash ye white"
And all the water in the sea will never make you as pure as me

Fan nicht was come, and day was gane, and a' man boun' to bed
When night came, and the day was gone, and everyone was going to bed

Sweet Willie and the nut-broon bride were in their chamber laid
Sweet Willie and the brunette bride were lying in their bedroom

They werena weel lyen doon and scarcely fa'an asleep
They had not been lying down for long and had hardly fallen asleep

Fan up and stands she, fair Annie, jist up at Willie's feet
When fair Annie suddenly stood up at Willie's feet

"Weel brook ye o' your broom, broon bride, atween ye and the wa'
"You can keep your bed, brunette bride, between you and the wall

And sae will I o' my winding sheet that suits me best of a'
And I will keep my burial shroud that suits me best

Sad Willie raise, pit on his claise, drew 'til him hose and shoon
Saddened, Willie got up, put on his clothes, and wore his socks and shoes

And he is on tae Annie's bower by the lee licht o' the moon
And he went to Annie's room by the soft light of the moon

The firsten bower that he cam 'til there was richt dowie wark
When he arrived at the first room, there was a sorrowful atmosphere

Her mither and her three sisters were makin' her a sark
Her mother and her three sisters were sewing her a shirt

The neisten bower that he cam 'til there was richt dowie cheir
The next room he came to was filled with great sadness

He's lifted up the coverlet, fair Annie lay streekit there
He lifted up the blanket, and fair Annie lay there stretched out

"It's I will kiss yer bonny cheek and I will kiss yer chin
"I will kiss your beautiful cheek, and I will kiss your chin

I will kiss yer clay-cald lip, but I'll ne'er kiss woman again
I will kiss your cold lips, but I will never kiss another woman

The day ye deal at Annie's grave, the breid but and the wine
On the day of Annie's funeral, they will have bread and wine

Afore the morn at twel o'clock they'll deal the same at mine"
Before tomorrow at twelve o'clock, they will do the same at my funeral

The tane was buried in Mary's kirk, the tither in Mary's quire
One was buried in Mary's church, the other in Mary's choir

And oot o' the tane there grew a birk, and oot o' the tither a briar
From one grew a birch tree, and from the other grew a thorn bush

And aye they grew, and aye they drew, until the twa did meet
And they kept growing, and they kept moving closer, until they met each other

And every ane that passed them by said, "There's been lovers sweet"
And everyone who passed by them said, "There have been sweet lovers"