William Wordsworth: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

A famous man

William Wordsworth

“A famous man” as printed in The Book of Scottish Song (1843).

William Wordsworth: Collected Lyrics Text 1 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

A famous man was Robin Hood,

The English ballad-singer's joy,

But Scotland has a chief as good,

She has, she has her bold Rob Roy.

A dauntless heart Macgregor shows,

And wondrous length and strength of arm;

He long has quell'd his Highland foes,

And kept, and kept his friends from harm.

A famous man, &c.

His daring mood protects him still,

For this the robber's simple plan,

That they should take who have the will,

And they, and they should keep who can.

A famous man, &c.

And while Rob Roy is free to rove,

In summer's heat and winter's snow,

The eagle he is lord above,

And Rob, and Rob is lord below.

A famous man, &c.

Credits

Written by William Wordsworth

Words by William Wordsworth. 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, “A famous man”

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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