O Rattlin, roarin Willie, O he held to the fair, An' for to sell his fiddle And buy some other ware; But parting wi' his fiddle, The saut tear blin't his e'e; And Rattlin, roarin Willie, Ye're welcome hame to me. O Willie, come sell your fiddle, O sell your fiddle sae fine; O Willie, come sell your fiddle, And buy a pint o' wine; If I should sell my fiddle, The [warl']1 would think I was mad, For mony a rantin day My fiddle and I hae had. As I cam by Crochallan I cannily keekit ben, Rattlin, roarin Willie Was sitting at yon [boord-en']2, Sitting at yon [boord-en']2, And amang guid companie; Rattlin, roarin Willie, Ye're welcome hame to me!
1 Scott: "warld"
2 Scott: "board-en' "
Glossary
"blint" = blinded
"keekit ben" = peeped in
"boord-en'" = end of the table
Authorship
- by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Rattlin, Roarin Willie" [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)
- by Francis George Scott (1880 - 1958), "Rattlin' Roarin' Willie", published 1939 [low voice and piano], from Scottish Lyrics, Book 5, no. 7, Bayley & Ferguson; confirmed with Songs of Francis George Scott, selected and edited by Neil Mackay, Roberton Publications, Aylesbury 1980, page 100. [ sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Wilhelm Christoph Leonhard Gerhard (1780 - 1858) , "Bänkelsänger Willie" DUT ENG ; composed by Robert Schumann.
Research team for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Iain Sneddon [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 122
"O Bänkelsänger Willie! Du ziehst zum Jahrmarkt aus; Du willst deine Geige verkaufen; O Willie, bleibe zu Haus!" Doch wie man für die Geige Schon blankes Silber ihm reicht, Da wird dem armen Willie Das Auge von Thränen feucht. "O Willie, verkauf' deine Geige, Verkauf' mir die Geige fein! O Willie, verkauf' deine Geige Und kauf' dir ein Schöppchen Wein!" Nein! nimmer verkauf' ich die Geige! Mich träfe zu harter Schlag: Ich hatte mit meiner Geige Schon manchen glücklichen Tag. "Jüngst lugt' ich in der Schenke; Sie saßen um den Tisch, Und obenan saß Willie, Und sang und geigte frisch. Sie lauschten seinen Tönen; Wie glühte jedes Gesicht! -- O Bänkelsänger Willie, Verkauf deine Geige nicht!"
Confirmed with Robert Burns’ Gedichte, deutsch von W. Gerhard, Leipzig: Verlag von Joh. Ambr. Barth., 1840, pages 102-103
Authorship
- by Wilhelm Christoph Leonhard Gerhard (1780 - 1858), "Bänkelsänger Willie" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
- a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Rattlin, Roarin Willie"
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)
- by Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856), "Bänkelsänger Willie", op. posth. 146 (Romanzen und Balladen für Chor (Heft 4)) no. 2 (1849), published 1860 [ SATB chorus ], Elberfeld, Arnold [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Willie, el cantant de fira", copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Kermiszanger Willie", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Ballad-monger Willie", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this text: Dr. Gerrit den Hartogh , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2004-07-04
Line count: 24
Word count: 116