Traditional: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

Blink o'er the burn

Traditional

“Blink o'er the burn” as printed in The Book of Scottish Song (1843).

Traditional: Collected Lyrics Text 48 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

"Come o'er the bourn, Bessy, to me:

Her boat hath a leak

And she must not speak,

Why she dares not come over to thee."

Verse 2

Blink o'er the burn, sweet Betty;

It is a cauld winter night,—

It rains, it hails, and it thunders,

The moon she gi'es nae light.

It's a' for the sake o' sweet Betty

That ever I tint my way:

O lassie, let me creep ayont thee,

Until it be break o' day.

It's Betty shall bake my bread,

And Betty shall brew my ale;

And Betty shall be my love,

When I come over the dale.

Blink over the burn, sweet Betty,

Blink over the burn to me;

And while I ha'e life, my dear lassie,

My ain sweet Betty thou's be.

Verse 3

Blink over the burn, sweet Betty,

Blink over the burn to me;

I would gi'e a' I had in the warld

But to be a widow for thee.

In summer I mawed my meadow,

In hairst I shure my corn,

In winter I married a widow,

I wish she was dead the morn.

Blink, &c.

The youth he was wamphlin' and wandy

The lassie was quite fu' o' glee,

And aye as she cried to the laddie,

Come down bonnie Tweedside to me.

Blink, &c.

Come meet me again ne'er to sever,

Come meet whare nae body can see,

I canna think ye're a deceiver,

And mean but to lichtlie me.

Blink, &c

Credits

Written by Traditional

Traditional words. 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, “Blink o'er the burn”

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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