Lyrics:

It fell about the Lammastide,
When moor-men win their hay,
The doughty Douglas bound him to ride
Into England, to drive a prey.

And he has burned the dales of Tyne,
And part of Bamburghshire,
And three good towers on Reidswire Fells,
He left them all on fire.

Then he's marched on down to Newcastle,
'Whose house is this so fine?'
It's up spoke proud Lord Percy,
'I tell you this castle is mine!'

'If you're the lord of this fine castle,
Well it pleases me.
For, ere I crossed the Border fells,
The one of us shall die.'

Then Percy took a long, long spear,
Shod with metal free,
And for to meet the Douglas there
He rode right furiously.

How pale, how pale his lady looked
From the castle wall,
When down before the Scottish spear
She saw proud Percy fall.

'Had we two been upon the green,
No other eye to see,
I would have had you, flesh and fell;
Now your pennon shall go with me!'

Now I'll go up to Otterburn,
There I'll wait for thee.
If you not come ere three days end
A false knight I'll call thee.'

'Oh it's I will come,' proud Percy said,
'I swear by our Lady.'
Then there I'll wait,' says Douglas,
'My troth I plight to thee.'

They've ridden high on Otterburn,
Upon the bent so brown;
They've lighted high on Otterburn,
And threw their pallions down.

The day being done and the night come on,
A clear moon o'er the land,
'Awake, awake my lord!
For Percy is hard at hand.'

'You lie, you lie, you little page!
Loud I hear you lie!
For Percy had not men yestreen
To dight my men and me.

But I have dreamed a dreadful dream,
Beyond the Isle of Skye;
I saw a dead man win a fight,
And I think that man was I.'

He's belted on his good broad sword
And to the field he ran,
But he forgot the helmet good
That should have kept his brain.

They hacked their swords till the sweat did flow,
Blood ran down like rain.
And Percy wounded Douglas on the brow
And he fell never more to rise again.

He's called to him the Lord Montgomery,
'What recks the death on one?
Last night I dreamed a dreadful dream
And I know that this day is your own.

Oh bury me by the bracken bush,
'Neath the briar tree,
Oh hide me by the bracken bush
That my merry men might not see.'

The moon was clear, the day drew near,
The spears in flinders flew,
Many's the bold Englishman
Ere day these Scotsmen slew.

The Percy and Montgomery met,
The blood so free did flow,
'Now yield thee, Percy,' he says,
'Or else I'll lay you low.

You shall not yield to lord nor loun,
Nor shall you yield to me,
But yield unto the bracken bush
That grows by yonder briar tree.'

'I will not yield to a bracken bush,
Nor to a briar tree,
But I would yield to Earl Douglas,
Or else to Lord Montgomery.'

This deed was done at the Otterburn,
At the break of day.
The buried Douglas by the bracken bush
And led Percy a captive away.