O Rattlin, roarin Willie

O Rattlin, roarin Willie,
  O he held to the fair,
An' for to sell his fiddle
  And buy some other ware;
But parting wi' his fiddle,
  The saut tear blin't his e'e;
And Rattlin, roarin Willie,
  Ye're welcome hame to me.

O Willie, come sell your fiddle,
  O sell your fiddle sae fine;
O Willie, come sell your fiddle,
  And buy a pint o' wine;
If I should sell my fiddle,
  The warl' would think I was mad,
For mony a rantin day
  My fiddle and I hae had.

As I cam by Crochallan
  I cannily keekit ben,
Rattlin, roarin Willie
  Was sitting at yon boord-en',
Sitting at yon boord-en',
  And amang guid companie;
Rattlin, roarin Willie,
  Ye're welcome hame to me!

by Robert Burns (1759-1796)

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

[ None yet in the database ]

by Robert Alexander Schumann (1810-1856) , "Bänkelsänger Willie", op. 146 (Romanzen und Balladen) no. 2 (1849). [SATB]

Added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

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Bänkelsänger Willie

O Bänkelsänger Willie
du ziehst zu Jahrmarkt aus,
Du willst deine Geige verkaufen,
o Willie bleibe zu Haus.
Doch wie man für die Geige
schon blankes Silber ihm reicht,
Da wird dem armen Willie das Auge
von Tränen feucht.

O Willie, verkauf' deine Geige,
verkauf' mir die Geige fein,
O Willie, verkauf' deine Geige
und akuf' dir ein Schöppchen Wein.
Nein, nimmer verkauf' ich die Geige,
mich träfe zu harter Schlag.
Ich hatte mit meiner Geige
schon manchen glücklichen Tag!

Jüngst lugt' ich in der Schenke,
sie sassen um den Tisch,
Und obenan sass Willie 
und sang und geigte frisch.
Sie lauschten seinen Tönen,
wie glühte jedes Gesicht,
O Bänkelsänger Willie,
verkauf deine Geige nicht!

by Wilhelm Gerhard

a text in English by Robert Burns (1759-1796)

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

by Robert Alexander Schumann (1810-1856) , "Bänkelsänger Willie", op. 146 (Romanzen und Balladen) no. 2 (1849). [SATB]

Date added to the website: 2004-07-04.