| |
| COPE sent a letter frae Dunbar:— | |
| ‘Charlie, meet me an ye daur, | |
| And I’ll learn you the art o’ war, | |
| If you’ll meet me in the morning.’ | |
| |
| Hey, Johnnie Cope, are ye wauking yet? | 5 |
| Or are your drums a-beating yet? | |
| If ye were wauking I wad wait | |
| To gang to the coals i’ the morning. | |
| |
| When Charlie looked the letter upon, | |
| He drew his sword the scabbard from: | 10 |
| ‘Come, follow me, my merry, merry men, | |
| And we’ll meet Johnnie Cope in the morning! | |
| |
| ‘Now Johnnie Cope, be as good’s your word; | |
| Come, let us try both fire and sword; | |
| And dinna flee away like a frighted bird, | 15 |
| That’s chased frae its nest in the morning.’ | |
| |
| When Johnnie Cope he heard o’ this | |
| He thought it wadna be amiss | |
| To ha’e a horse in readiness | |
| To flee awa’ in the morning. | 20 |
| |
| Fye now, Johnnie, get up and rin; | |
| The Highland bagpipes mak’ a din; | |
| It’s best to sleep in a hale skin, | |
| For ’twill be a bluidy morning. | |
| |
| When Johnnie Cope to Dunbar came | 25 |
| They speered at him, ‘Where’s a’ your men?’ | |
| ‘The deil confound me gin I ken, | |
| For I left them a’ i’ the morning.’ | |
| |
| Now, Johnnie, troth, ye are na blate | |
| To come wi’ the news o’ your ain defeat, | 30 |
| And leave your men in sic a strait | |
| Sae early in the morning. | |
| |
| ‘Oh, faith,’ quo’ Johnnie, ‘I got sic flegs | |
| Wi’ their claymores and philabegs; | |
| If I face them again, deil break my legs! | 35 |
| So I wish you a gude morning.’ | |
| |
