The Lass of Loch Royal
Performed by William Ritter.
Recorded June 20, 2022 in Bakersville, North Carolina.
Performed with guitar. Additional verses performed unaccompanied.
Cf. Child, no. 76.
Primarily from an old woman in Avery Cty., documented by Maude Minish Sutton.
Wm.'s edits and additions in italics.
'Oh, who will shoe your little foot,
And who will glove your hand,
And who will kiss your ruby lips,
When I'm in a foreign land?
"Papa can shoe my little foot,
And mama can glove my hand,
And friends can kiss my ruby lips,
Till you come home again.'
'Your papa can shoe your little foot,
Your mama can glove your hand,
But no one can be your babe's father
While I'm in a foreign land.'
'Oh, if I had a sailing ship
And men to sail with me,
I'd go today to my true love
Who will not come to me.'
Her father gave her a sailing ship
And sent her to the strand.
She took her baby on her lap
And turned her back on land.
She had not been at sea three months,
I'm sure it was not four
Till she had landed her sailing ship
Right at her true love's door.
The night was black and the wind blew cold
And her lover was sound asleep,
And the baby in poor Annie's arms
Began to cry and weep.
Long she stood at her true love's door
And jingled at the ring.
At last his mother rose from bed,
But would not let her in.
Oh, open to the door my own true love
Oh, arise and let me in
the wind blows through my yellow hair
And the dew drops o'er my chin
Oh, open the the door, my old true love
Oh, open the door I pray
For your young child that's in my arms
Will be dead before it's day.
'Oh, don't you recall,' poor Annie said,
'When we sat down to dine
We stripped the rings from our fingers,
And the best of the rings was mine?'
'Go 'way, go 'way, you ill woman.
For here you cannot stay
Go and drown yourself in the ocean deep
Or hang on the gallows tree.
"The storms are on the ocean,
A-rolling goes the sea
The earth may lose its motion
Ere I prove false to thee.'
Her true love rose from out his bed
And to his mother said:
'I dreamed fair Annie and her child
Stood right beside my bed.'
'There was a woman at the door
With a baby in her arms.
But I wouldn't let her in the house
For fear she'd do you harm.'
Oh, quickly, quickly rose he up
And fast ran to the strand
And there he saw his fair Annie
A-sailing from the land.
It's 'hey, Annie,' and 'whoa, Annie,'
And 'Annie, speak to me.'
But the louder he cried 'Annie'
The louder roared the sea.
The wind grew loud and the sea grew rough
And the ship was broke in twain.
And soon he saw his old true love
Come floating o'er the main.
He saw his baby in her arms.
Both tossed upon the tide.
He wrung his hands and fast he ran
And plunged into the tide.
