He wrote a letter in a hurried hand,
And sent it to his lady,
"Come down, come down to Edinburgh town,
Or they will hang thy Geordie."
The very first line the lady read,
She blushed just like a rosie.
The second the lady read,
She turned pale as a lily.
"Go and saddle me my good brown mare,
And gather the Gordons to me,
And we'll go down to Edinburgh town,
And they'll not hang my Geordie."
The lady came to the king's high court,
And, oh, but she was weary,
Crying "Pardon, pardon, noble king,
And spare the life of Geordie."
"Go bid the hangsman to make haste,"
Replied the king full lordly,
And down the stairs came Geordie,
Then in chains of iron heavy.
The Gordons came into the hall,
And they stark and steady,
And the lady said unto them all,
"My Gordons, make you ready."
And when the king, he saw them,
There now he was wondrous canny,
He said "Give me five thousand pounds,
As ransom for Geordie."
Some brought silver, some brought gold,
And some brought jewels a-plenty,
And the king has his five thousand pounds,
As ransom for Geordie.
The lady went to Geordie then,
Saying "Dearly we bought thee Geordie,
But the king would have paid a higher price,
Had he dared to hang thee Geordie."
And Geordie went to his lady wife,
And kisses gave her many,
And there's not a lord in all this land
Who has so brave a lady.