The Bonny Earl of Murray
Language: English
Ye Highlands, and ye Lowlands,
Oh where have you been?
They have slain the Earl of Murray,
And they layd him on the green.
“Now wae be to thee, Huntly!
And wherefore did you sae?
I bade you bring him wi’ you,
But forbade you him to slay.”
He was a braw gallant,
And he rid at the ring;
And the bonny Earl of Murray,
Oh he might have been a king!
He was a braw gallant,
And he play’d at the ba’;
And the bonny Earl of Murray
Was the flower amang them a’.
He was a braw gallant,
And he play’d at the glove;
And the bonny Earl of Murray,
Oh he was the Queen’s love!
Oh lang will his lady
Look o’er the Castle Down,
E’er she see the Earl of Murray
Come sounding thro the town!
Confirmed with The Library of the World’s Best Literature. An Anthology in Thirty Volumes, New York: Warner Library Co., 1917.
Text Authorship:
- from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , "The Bonny Earl of Murray" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, [adaptation] ; composed by Benjamin Britten.
- Also set in English, [adaptation] ; composed by Ivor Gurney.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Johann Gottfried Herder (1744 - 1803) , "Murray's Ermordung", subtitle: "Schottisch", first published 1778-79 ; composed by Johannes Brahms.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2021-04-04
Line count: 24
Word count: 140