The king he has been a poor prisoner
And a prisoner lang in Spain
And Willie o’ the Winsbury
Has lain lang wi’ his daughter at hame

"What troubles you, my daughter dear
You look so pale and wan
Oh have you had any sore sickness
Or yet been sleeping wi’ a man?"

"I have not had any sore sickness
Nor yet been sleeping wi’ a man
It is for you, my father dear
For biding sae lang in Spain"

"Cast off, cast off your berry-brown gown
Stand naked upon a stane
That I may ken you by your shape
Whether you be a maiden or nane"

So she’s cast off her berry-brown gown
Stood naked upon a stane
Her haunches were round and her apron was short
Her cheeks they were pale and wan

"Oh is he a lord or a duke or a knight
Or a man of birth or fame?
Or is he one of my serving men
That's lately come out of Spain?"

"He is nae a lord nor a duke or a knight
Nor a man of birth nor fame
But he is Willie of Winsbury
I could bide nae langer my lane"

The king has sent for his merry men all
His merry men thirty and three
Says "Bring me Willie of Winsbury
For hanged he shall be"

But when he cam the king before
He was clad in the red silk
His hair was like the strands of gold
His skin was as white as milk

"It is nae wonder," says the king
"That my daughter's love you did win
Had I been a woman, as I am a man
My bedfellow you would have been"

"And will you marry my daughter Janet
By the truth of your right hand?
And will you marry my daughter Janet
And be a lord of the land?"

"Yes, I will marry your daughter Janet
By the truth of my right hand
And I will marry your daughter Janet
But I won’t be a lord of the land"

He's mounted her on a milk-white steed
Himself on a dapple grey
He has made her the lady of as much land
As she could ride in a lang summer's day

This ballad is relatively unusual because it has a happy ending and nobody dies. Notice at the end that Willie refuses a formal aristocratic appointment by the king. He doesn't need such favors because he's made his own fortune. In this sense the song reflects the gradual process in late medieval Europe whereby independently wealthy commoners increased in number and played an increasingly important role in society.