There were twa sisters sat in a bow’r.
Binnorie, O, Binnorie;
There cam a knight to be their wooer.
By the bonny mill dams of Binnorie.

He courted the eldest wi’ glove and ring,
Binnorie, O, Binnorie;
But he lo’ed the youngest aboon a’ thing.
By the bonny mill dams of Binnorie.

He courted the eldest wi’ broach and knife,
Binnorie, O, Binnorie;
But he lo’ed the youngest aboon his life.
By the bonny mill dams of Binnorie.

The eldest she was vexed sair,
Binnorie, O, Binnorie;
And sore envied her sister fair.
By the bonny mill dams of Binnorie.

The eldest said to the youngest ane,
Binnorie, O, Binnorie;
"Will you go and see our father’s ships come in?”
By the bonny mill dams of Binnorie.

She’s ta’en her by the lily hand,
Binnorie, O, Binnorie;
And led her down to the river strand.
By the bonny mill dams of Binnorie.

The youngest stood upon a stane.
Binnorie, O, Binnorie;
The eldest cam and pushed her in.
By the bonny mill dams of Binnorie.

"O sister, sister, reach your hand,
Binnorie, O, Binnorie;
And ye shall be the heir to half my land.”
By the bonny mill dams of Binnorie.

"O sister, I’ll not reach my hand,
Binnorie, O, Binnorie;
And I’ll be heir of all your land.”
By the bonny mill dams of Binnorie.

"O sister, reach me but your glove,
Binnorie, O, Binnorie;
And sweet William shall be your love.”
By the bonny mill dams of Binnorie.

"Sink on, nor hope for hand or glove,
Binnorie, O, Binnorie;
And sweet William shall be my love.”
By the bonny mill dams of Binnorie.

Sometimes she sunk, sometimes she swam,
Binnorie, O, Binnorie;
Until she cam to the miller’s dam.
By the bonny mill dams of Binnorie.

The miller’s daughter was making bread,
Binnorie, O, Binnorie;
And went for water as she had need.
By the bonny mill dams of Binnorie.

"O father, father, draw your dam!
Binnorie, O, Binnorie;
There’s either a mermaid or a milk-white swan.”
By the bonny mill dams of Binnorie.

The miller hasted and drew his dam,
Binnorie, O, Binnorie;
And there he found a drowned woman.
By the bonny mill dams of Binnorie.

A famous harper was passing by.
Binnorie, O, Binnorie;
The sweet pale face he chanced to spy.
By the bonny mill dams of Binnorie.

And when he looked that lady on,
Binnorie, O, Binnorie;
He sighed and made a heavy moan.
By the bonny mill dams of Binnorie.

"Sair will they be, whate’er they be,
Binnorie, O, Binnorie;
The hearts that live to weep for thee.”
By the bonny mill dams of Binnorie.

He made a harp o’ her breast bone,
Binnorie, O, Binnorie;
Whose sounds would melt a heart of stone.
By the bonny mill dams of Binnorie.

The strings he framed of her yellow hair;
Binnorie, O, Binnorie;
Their notes made sade the listening ear.
By the bonny mill dams of Binnorie.

He brought it to her father’s ha’.
Binnorie, O, Binnorie;
There was a court assembled a’.
By the bonny mill dams of Binnorie.

He laid the harp upon a stane,
Binnorie, O, Binnorie;
And straight it began to play alane.
By the bonny mill dams of Binnorie.

"O yonder sits my father, the king,
Binnorie, O, Binnorie;
And yonder sits my mother, the queen.”
By the bonny mill dams of Binnorie.

"And yonder stands my brother Hugh,
Binnorie, O, Binnorie;
And by him my William, sweet and true.”
By the bonny mill dams of Binnorie.

But the last tune that the harp played then,
Binnorie, O, Binnorie;
Was, "Woe to my sister, false Helen!”
By the bonny mill dams of Binnorie.

Where have you been my love?
I have missed you so.
I’ve looked for days to find your soul,
won’t you please come back home.

Do you remember the vow we made
up on the mountain side?
Only a breeze our witness there
and you carried me in your arms.

And we danced into the night,
And we kissed by the fire bright.
And we bathed in the crystal stream.
Tell me ‘twas not a dream.

And we danced into the night,
And we kissed by the fire bright.
And we bathed in the crystal stream.
Tell me ‘twas not a dream.

It only seems an hour has passed
when you were lost in me.
Now you are victim to your haunts
and I am victim to memory.

And we danced into the night,
And we kissed by the fire bright.
And we bathed in the crystal stream.
Tell me ‘twas not a dream.

And we danced into the night,
And we kissed by the fire bright.
And we bathed in the crystal stream.
Tell me ‘twas not a dream.

Can you feel the rushing of the wind,
and the beating of the chime,
trembling through the towering trees,
whispering you are mine?

And we danced into the night,
And we kissed by the fire bright.
And we bathed in the crystal stream.
Tell me ‘twas not a dream.

And we danced into the night,
And we kissed by the fire bright.
And we bathed in the crystal stream.
Tell me ‘twas not a dream.

And we danced into the night,
And we kissed by the fire bright.
And we bathed in the crystal stream.
Tell me ‘twas not a dream.

She appeared thru the darkened night
with her cloak wrapped around her tight,
and she trod at a hastened pace
as the pain overwhelmed her face.

She fled through the silent wood.
She fled passed where the man had stood.

From behind a humble tree
the man could barely see
the eyes of the lone lady,
the eyes of her destiny.

And the mist began to rise,
obscuring her weary eyes,
and she stumbled to the ground,
collapsed without a sound.

She lay amongst withered leaves
where vines and ash interweave,
beneath the half stroked moon
in the dell beside the ruin.

The man quickly arrived
and remained by her frail side,
and he guard her soul that night
beneath the half moon light.

And the stars began to stir
and huddled ‘round him and her,
and she spun into a dream
beneath the half moon beam.

When the morning shadow broke,
from her sleep she gently woke,
she scarcely was aware
the man had been with her there.

He softly sidled away
as night slipped into day,
but as the wind brushed through her hair
she felt a kindly prayer.

There were three gypsies a-come to my door,
and downstairs ran this a lady, O!
The one sang high, and the other sang low,
the other sang, "Bonny, Bonny, Biscay, O!”

Then she pulled off her silk-finished gown,
and put on hose of leather, O!
The ragged rags about our door,
and she’s gone with the Wraggle-Taggle Gypsies, O!

It was late last night when my lord came home,
inquiring for his a-lady, O!
The servants said on ev’ry hand,
"She’s gone with the Wraggle-Taggle Gypsies, O!”

"Come, saddle to me my milk-white steed,
and go and seek my pony, O!
That I may ride and seek my bride,
who is gone with the Wraggle-Taggle Gypsies, O!”

Then he rode high and he rode low,
he rode though wood and copses, too.
Until he came to an open field,
and there he espied his a-lady, O!

"What makes you leave your house and land,
what makes you leave your money, O?
What makes you leave your new-wedded lord,
to go with the Wraggle-Taggle Gypsies, O?”

"What care I for my house and land,
what care I for my money, O?
What care I for my new-wedded lord?
I’m off with the Wraggle-Taggle Gypsies, O!”

"Last night you slept in a goose-feather bed
with the sheet turned down so bravely, O!
Tonight you sleep in a cold, open field,
along with the Wraggle-Taggle Gypsies, O!”

"Oh, what care I for a goose-feather bed
with the sheet turned down so bravely, O!
Tonight I sleep in a cold, open field,
along with the Wraggle-Taggle Gypsies, O!
Tonight I sleep in a cold, open field,
along with the Wraggle-Taggle Gypsies, O!”

One morning, one morning, one morning in June.
It was down by a green bank I happened to go.
I spied a pretty fair maid which made my heart pain.
She was reaching her house on the blades of Strawblane.

As I was walking along the grassy way,
I stepped up to this fair one and to her I did say,
"Oh for six months or better love it has run in my mind,
That we would get married if you are inclined.”

"Get married, get married? Kind sir, I’m too young.
For the most of those young man has a flattering tongue.
And my mama and my papa, oh angry they’d be.
If I married a rover, then a rover I’d be.”

I turned myself round with a tear in my eye,
Saying, "I wish you a good one, whoe’er he may be.
And the clouds they look heavy love, I’m afraid we’ll have rain.”
And we shook hands and parted on the blades of Strawblane.

"Come back to me laddie and say you’ll be mine.
For the last words you’ve spoken have altered my mind.”
"It has altered your mind love, it is quite out of time.
I will go seek some other love and leave you behind.”

Some marry for riches, that’s the proud-hearted way.
Some marry for beauty, but beauty fades away.
And if ever I get married it is plain, you may see,
For the one that gets married is the fair one for me.