Allan Ramsay: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

Busk ye, busk ye

Allan Ramsay

“Busk ye, busk ye” as printed in The Book of Scottish Song (1843).

Allan Ramsay: Collected Lyrics Text 4 1843 · historical text
Public domainScottish songFolk
Complete public-domain lyrics

This text comes from The Book of Scottish Song, edited by Alexander Whitelaw, a historical songbook transcribed on Wikisource and reproduced from the pinned revision linked below.

Verse 1

Busk ye, busk ye, my bonnie bride,

Busk ye, busk ye, my winsome marrow,

Busk ye, busk ye, my bonnie bride,

And let us to the braes of Yarrow.

There will we sport and gather dew,

Dance while lav'rocks sing in the morning;

Then learn frae turtles to prove true,

O Bell, ne'er vex me with thy scorning!

To westlin' breezes Flora yields,

And when the beams are kindly warming,

Blythness appears o'er all the fields,

And nature looks mair fresh and charming.

Learn frae the burns that trace the mead,

Though on their banks the roses blossom,

Yet hastily they flow to Tweed,

And pour their sweetness in his bosom.

Haste ye, haste ye, my bonnie Bell,

Haste to my arms, and there I'll guard thee;

With free consent my fears repel,

I'll with my love and care reward thee.

Thus sang I saftly to my fair,

Wha rais'd my hopes with kind relenting,

O! queen of smiles, I ask nae mair,

Since now my bonnie Bell's consenting.

Credits

Written by Allan Ramsay

Words by Allan Ramsay. Historical text published in The Book of Scottish Song (1843); public domain. No claim to a modern recording or arrangement.

Source & text edition

The Book of Scottish Song (1843), edited by Alexander Whitelaw, “Busk ye, busk ye”

Every contribution in this 1843 anthology predates modern copyright terms by more than a century; any contributor died at least 130 years ago, so the text is in the public domain worldwide (life+70 terms expired no later than 2020).

How to read this historical text and its source

Read the source on Wikisource

View copyright evidence · Transcription terms (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Retrieved 2026-10-12. Line spacing and section labels are adapted for reading. The displayed text follows the linked edition. Editorial notes and abstract artwork are by 52lyrics.
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