Sir Johnnie Cope trod the North right far,
Yet ne'er a rebel he came n'ar;
Until he landed at Dunbar,
Right early in a morning.

Refrain:
Hey Johnnie Cope are ye wauking yet,
Or are ye sleeping, I wou'd wit.
Make haste and get up, for the drums do beat,
O fie, Cope rise in the morning!

Cope wrote a challenge from Dunbar,
Come meet me, Charlie, if you dare,
If it be not by the chance of war,
I'll gi'e you a merry morning.

(Refrain)

When Charlie look'd the letter on,
He drew his sword the scabbard from:
"So heav'n restore me to my own,
I'll meet you, Cope, in the morning."

(Refrain)

When Johnnie Cope got word o'this,
He thought it wouldna be amiss
To hae a horse in readiness,
Whate'er might hap in the morning.

(Refrain)

But when he saw the Higland lads,
Wi' tartan trews and white cockades,
Wi' swords and guns, and rungs, and gauds,
He gallop'd off in the morning.

(Refrain)