Vagabond Songs and Ballads of Scotland
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SECOND SERIES Vagabond Songs and Ballads of Scotland With Many Old and Familiar Melodies Edited^ with Notes, By ROBERT FORD ALEXANDER GARDNER Publisher to Her Majesty the Queen PAISLEY; and PATERNOSTER SQUARE, LONDON 1901 — PREFACE, The Preface to the first series of this work might very well be allowed to stand as the Preface to the second also, were it not that some may see the one volume who have not seen the other, and that I feel it my duty to thank in this place the numerous correspondents all over the country who have helped so freely, albeit, now and again, at the cost of much personal trouble, to render the collection as represen- tative and efficient as I hope my never unkind critics will acknowledge it to be. Here again, as in the preceding volume, issued exactly two years ago, will be found not less than half-a-hundred blads of lyric verse, which, though familiar in every country bothy, in every country cottage, and regularly sung at markets and fairs all over Scotland from thirty to sixty years ago, and learned in part many of them from hearsay by persons still " to the fore," have yet seldom appeared in print, but till now have been ignored by, or have escaped the vigilance of, the song-collectors. These Vagabond Pieces—^poor as poetry often admittedly I esteem of no small value. As a species of folk-lore, even the rudest of them are eminently deserving of rescue. Some ; vi. Preface. are dear to us as " sangs our mithers sang.'" All for one reason or another—^but chiefly for the joy they have given to Scottish rural life—are particularly interesting. My long-cherished conviction that they were wanted in budget form—though I collected originally for my own satisfaction alone—was proved by the hearty reception accorded to the first volume, which was rapidly bought up. Many songs and ballads are here, to be sure, which in the strictest sense may not be claimed as vagabonds. Their character, nevertheless, has brought them into the same company they have lived the vagabond life with the homeless and rapidly-disappearing wanderers for which it is our avowed object to provide permanent housing ; and having been found with these, so they are maintained with them in boon companionship—some later pieces being added. All, with their appended notes—and here and there the original airs, not less vagabond than the songs themselves—it is hoped, will find ready and agreeable acceptance. Among the rarer ditties embraced (each with its original melody), will be found " The Bonnet o' Blue," " Bonnie Jeanie Cameron," " A Lassie Lives by yonder Burn," " Jean and Caledonia," "Brannan on the Moor," "The Heights of Alma," " The Gallant Hussar," « A-Begging we will Go," « When John's Ale was New," « The Jolly Ploughboy," « The Banks o' Claudy," and " The Feeing Time," not to mention others equally representative of the class which will be readily recognised as old time favourites. — Preface. vii. Well, so much for that. Now, in a word, I thank the numerous correspondents—^north, east, south, and west for their esteemed assistance, by fishing out and sending at my request, copies of oral songs for comparison, each as he found them lingering in his district. Very specially I acknowledge my indebtedness to the late Mr. Craibe Angus, so well known in art circles in Glasgow and the West of Scotland, and to Mr. George Gray, the respected town-clerk of Rutherglen, who freely submitted for perusal, to aid in the work, each his very extensive and valuable collection of Scottish Song Chapbooks. To Mr. D. Kippen, Crieff, I am again under pleasing obligation for a number of the more characteristic and hitherto unrecorded melodies. Thanks are due, and gratefully tendered also, to Mr. George Taggart, Glasgow, for his painstaking and esteemed revision of some of the airs. R. F. Glasgow, 1900. CONTENTS. PAGE A-BEGGING WE WILL GO, 118 A' Body's Like to be Maekied but Me, 170 A CoGiE o' Till, 262 Adieu to Boglbside 116 A Lassie lives by Yonder Burn, 24 A Song or Hotch-Potch, 178 Auld Eddie Ochiltree 9 Bailie Kicol Jarvie, 239 Bbnty Bows, Eobin 185 BiNNORiE, Binnorie 189 Bold Brannan on the Moor, 56 Bonnie Jeanie Cameron 12 Bonnie George Campbell, 198 Brannan on the Moor (Second Version), 56 Captain Fkazbr's Nose, 187 Captain Paton's Lament, 213 Donald and His Lowland Bride 257 Donald and Glbncob, ; 64 Donald o' Dundee 182 Drinkin' Drams, 236 Duncan and Janet M'Cleary, : 173 GuDBMAN, ye'ke A Drucken Carle 126 I'll prie your Bonnlb Mou', Lassie, 136 Imph-m 218 I've aye been Fou' sin' the Year cam' in 53 I WONDER WHA'LL BE MY MAN, 109 I WONDER WHA'lL BE MY WlFB, Ill Jambs Kaeburn's Parewbel, 55 Jean and Caledonia, 44 X. Contents. PAGE John Bablbtcoen, 18 John Grumlib 46 Johnnie and Maey, 127 Johnnie Copb, 232 Johnnie, My Man, 254 Kate Dalrymple 19 Katey of Lochgoil, 51 Lbbzib Lindsay, 205 Low Down in the Broom, 40 Macpherson's Farewell 223 Maggie Lauder 61 My Auld Grannie's Leather Pouch 21 My Bonnie Laddie's Young but He's Growin' Yet 183 My Wife she's ta'en the Gee, 67 Nab Bonnie Laddie Wad Tak' Her Awa' 206 Nab Bonnie Laddie Will Tak' Mb Awa', 208 Neerie Noerie 123 No TO BE Married Ava, 195 O Gin Jocky wad but steal Me, 97 Our Gudeman cam' Hamb at E'en, 31 Over the Hills and Far Away, 227 O, What a Parish, 7 Patie's Waddin', 112 Pawkie Adam Glen, 171 Pawkie Paitebson's Auld Grey Yaud 202 *5X^Sae will we Yet, 95 Sandy and Jockie, 244 Sequel to Maggie Lauder, 63 She's Bonnie and Beaw ._. 177 Symon and Janet, 240 Ta Clerk in ta Offish, 145 Tak' Your Auld Cloak About Ye 259 The Auld Man's Make's Dead, 143 The Auld Wife Ayont the Fire, 246 Contents. xi. FAGIS The Banks o' Claudy „ 211 Xhb Banks op Inverurie 100 The BiiAEBEKRY Courtship, 77 The Bltthesome Bridal, 199 The Bonnet o' Blub 1 The Bonnie Beeist-Knots 174 The Bonnie House o' Airlie 167 The Bold Sodger Boy 221 The Brisk Young Lad 164 The Cameeonian Cat, 220 The Clown's Courtship 104 The Cornceaik amang the 'Whinny Knowes 244 The Druckbn Wife o' Gallowa' 249 The East Neuk o' Fife, 125 The Feeing Time, 229 The Flittin' o' the Coo, 128 The Gallant Hussar, 91 The Ghaist o' Fbrnb-den 251 The Girl I left behind Mb, 101 The Girl I left behind Mb (Second Version) 103 The Gude Gudewife 235 The Heights of Alma 73 The Hogg's Tub 71 The Jolly Ploughboy 150 The Kilties in the Crimea 14 The Laird o' Cockpen 159 The Lang Awa' Ship, 70 The Little Couple 26 The Massacre of ta Phairshon, 152 The Muckle Meal-Pock, 49 The Ocld Bog Hole 157 The Reformer, 263 The Shepherd on the Hill, 162 The Spinning Wh'eel, 256 xii. Contents. Page The 37 Twa Bumbbes ; Thb Twa Corbies, 155 The Waggin' o' our Dog's Tail, 4 The Wee Toun Clerk 139 The Wicked Wife 88 The Winsome Lass o' Gallowa', 93 The Wooin' o' Jenny and Jock 82 This is no my Plaid , 107 Tom Brown, 134 Tugal M'Tagger 86 t0llochgorum 147 When John's Ale was New, 130 WITH MUSIC. A-BEGGING We Will Go, 118 A Lassie Lives by Yonder Bdrn, 24 BiNNOBiE, Binnorie 189 Bold Bbannan on the Moor 56 Bonnie Jeanie Cameron 12 Jean and Caledonia 44 She's Bonnie and Bbaw, 177 Tak' Your Auld Cloak About Ye, 259 The Banks o' Claudy, 211 The Bonnet o' Blub, 1 The Brisk Young Lad 164 The Corncraik amang the Whinny Knowes 244 The Feeing Time, 229 The Gallant Hussar, 91 The Girl I Left Behind Me, 101 The Heights op Alma, 73 The Jolly Plouohboy, 150 When John's Alb was New, 130 " — VAQA50ND SONGS AND 5ALLADS. THE BONNET O' BLUE. — — I F st> ; Vagabond Songs and Ballads. His cheeks are like roses, his eyes black as sloes, He is handsome and proper, wherever he goes. Likewise he's good-natured and comely to view, And right well he becomes his fine bonnet o' blue. It was early one morning I rose from my bed, I called upon Sally, my own waiting-maid. Saying, " Dress me as fine as your two hands can do, And ril go seek my lad and his bonnet o' blue." So quickly she dressed me, as quickly I came. To mingle with persons and hear my love's name, Charlie Stuart they called him, I felt it was true, Once a Prince of that name wore a bonnet o' blue. When I came to the regiment, they were on parade, I stood with great pleasure to hear what was said, He's name's Charlie Stuart, I love him most true. My bonnie young lad with his bonnet o' blue. My love he marched by with his gun in his hand, I strove to speak to him, but he would not stand ; I strove to speak to him, but away past he flew, And away went my heart with his bonnet o' blue. I said, " My dear jewel, I'll buy your discharge, I'll free you from soldiering, and set you at large I'll free you from soldiering if your heart will prove true. And I'll ne'er cast a stain on your bonnet o' blue." The Boniiet d Blue.