Get out the microscope, because we’re going through this poem line-by-line.
Lines 13-14
"What became of your bloodhounds, Lord Randall my son?
What became of your bloodhounds, my handsome young man?"
- Lord Randall's mother notices that his dogs (bloodhounds are a kind of hunting dog) are missing. Where did they go?
- More nagging questions from the mom. More worries for us readers.
Lines 15-16
"O they swelled and they died mother, make my bed soon,
For I'm weary wi' hunting, and fain wald lie down."
- Oh dear… the dogs, it turns out, met a terrible end. They didn't just die—they swelled and they died, which is particularly awful (and by awful, we mean gross). They clearly met an unnatural death.
- The refrain swoops in for a fourth go-around. Clearly, the air of menace that has been building with every repetition has come to a head here, with this evidence of tragic dog-murder. We're starting to get the idea that poor Randy is weary from more than just hunting.
- Look out next time—the refrain will definitely change in the fifth stanza.