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Redesdale and Wise William

[ Roud 243 ; Child 246 ; Ballad Index C246 ; trad.]

Chris Coe sang Redesdale and Wise William in 2001 on her Backshift album A Wiser Fool. She also sang it at the Fife Traditional Singing Festival, Collessie, Fife in May 2008, which was included in the following year on the festival anthology Grand to Be a Working Man (Old Songs & Bothy Ballads Volume 5). Chris Coe noted on her album:

Conjectural restoration again—Child and Bronson. Two lager-louts out on the town boasting about their prowess with women and making drunken bets. No change there then! Tap-dancing carrier pigeons as a bonus!

Lyrics

Chris Coe sings Redesdale and Wise William

Redesdale and Wise William
Sat drinking at the wine,
And all the talk between them two
Was about the ladies fine,
Was about the ladies fine.

Said Redesdale unto William,
“I’ll tell you what I’ll do
I’ll wager my lands against your head,
And that is what I’ll do,
And that is what I’ll do.

“That there’s no woman in all this land
In a bower where’er she’d be,
That I cannot her favour win
But with one blink of my eye,
But with one blink of my eye.”

Says William, “I’ve a sister
In a bower wherever she’d be,
And you will not her favour win,
Not with ten blinks of your eye,
Not with ten blinks of your eye.”

So Redesdale’s took young William
And placed him in prison strong,
That he may neither go nor ride
Nor one word o’ warning send her,
Nor one word o’ warning send.

William wrote a letter
Between the night and day,
And he sent it to his sister
By the white feather and the gray,
By the white feather and the gray.

Now she looked out of her west window
For to see what she could see,
And there she spied him, Redesdale,
Come riding over the lea,
Come riding over the lea.

“Come down, come down, you lady fair,
One sight of you I’ll see.
For the gowns are of the silk so fine
That I will give to thee,
That I will give to thee.”

“If yours are of the silk so fine
Then mine’s of the bonnie brown,
So get you gone, you Redesdale,
For I will not come down,
For I will not come down.”

“Come down, come down, fair lady,
One sight of you I’ll see.
For the rings are of the gold so red
That I will give to thee,
That I will give to thee.”

“If yours are of the gold so red
Then mine’s of the silver clear.
So [sling you up?], you Redesdale,
For you should not be here,
For you should not be here.”

“Come down, come down, fair lady,
One sight of you I’ll see.
Or I will set your house on fire
If better cannot be,
If better cannot be.”

So he has set her house on fire
And quickly it did flame,
But there came a short sharp shour out of the west
And put it out again,
And put it out again.”

Then out from among the smoke and flames
The bonnie lady’s come,
With as much red gold wrapped around her neck
As could buy him ten times over,
As could buy him ten times round.

“O woe betide you, ill woman,
And an ill death may you die,
For you have won your brother’s head
And landless I must fly,
And landless I must fly.”