| The king sits in Dumferling toune, | |
| Drinking the blude-reid wine: | |
| O quhar will I get guid sailòr, | |
| To sail this schip of mine? | |
| Up and spak an eldern knicht, | 5 |
| Sat at the kings richt knee: | |
| Sir Patrick Spens is the best sailòr | |
| That sails upon the se. | |
| The king has written a braid letter | |
| And signed it wi' his hand, | 10 |
| And sent it to Sir Patrick Spence, | |
| Was walking on the sand. | |
| The first line that Sir Patrick read, | |
| A loud lauch lauched he; | |
| The next line that Sir Patrick read, | 15 |
| The tear blinded his ee. | |
| O quha is this has don this deid, | |
| This ill deid don to me, | |
| To send me out this time o'the yeir, | |
| To sail upon the se? | 20 |
| Mak hast, mak haste, my mirry men all, | |
| Our guid schip sails the morne. | |
| O say na sae, my master deir, | |
| For I feir a deadlie storme. | |
| Late late yestreen I saw the new moone | 25 |
| Wi' the auld moon in hir arme, | |
| And I feir, I feir, my deir mastèr, | |
| That we will com to harme. | |
| O our Scots nobles wer richt laith | |
| To weet their cork-heild schoone, | 30 |
| Bot lang owre a’ the play wer playd | |
| Thair hats they swam aboone. | |
| O lang, lang, may thair ladies sit | |
| Wi’ thair fans into their hand, | |
| Or eir they se Sir Patrick Spence | 35 |
| Cum sailing to the land. | |
| O lang, lang may the ladies stand | |
| Wi’ their gold kems in their hair, | |
| Waiting for their ain deir lords, | |
| For they'll see thame na mair. | 40 |
| Half owre, half owre to Aberdour, | |
| It’s fiftie fadom deip: | |
| And thair lies guid Sir Patrick Spence, | |
| Wi’ the Scots lords at his feit. |