PART IV.
GILES COLLINS AND PROUD LADY ANNA.
Giles Collins he said to his old mother,
Mother, come bind up my head;
And send to the parson of our parish,
For to-morrow I shall be dead, dead,
For to-morrow I shall be dead.
His mother she made him some water-gruel,
And stirr'd it round with a spoon;
Giles Collins he ate up his water-gruel,
And died before 'twas noon, noon,
And died before 'twas noon.
Lady Anna was sitting at her window,
Mending her night-robe and coif;
She saw the very prettiest corpse,
She'd seen in all her life, life,
She'd seen in all her life.
What bear ye there, ye six strong men,
Upon your shoulders so high?
We bear the body of Giles Collins,
Who for love of you did die, die,
Who for love of you did die.
Set him down! set him down! Lady Anna she cry'd,
On the grass that grows so green;
To-morrow before the clock strikes ten,
My body shall lye by his'n, his'n,
My body shall lye by his'n.
Lady Anna was buried in the East,
Giles Collins was buried in the West;
There grew a lily from Giles Collins,
That touch'd Lady Anna's breast, breast,
That touch'd Lady Anna's breast.
There blew a cold north-easterly wind,
And cut this lily in twain,
Which never there was seen before;
And it never will again, again,
And it never will again.
LITTLE BO-PEEP.
Little Bo-peep has lost her sheep,
And can't tell where to find them:
Let them alone, and they'll come home,
And bring their tails behind them.
Little Bo-peep fell fast asleep,
And dreamt she heard them bleating:
But when she awoke, she found it a joke,
For they still were all fleeting.
Then up she took her little crook,
Determin'd for to find them;
She found them indeed, but it made her heart bleed,
For they'd left all their tails behind 'em.
It happen'd one day, as Bo-peep did stray,
Unto a meadow hard by;
There she espy'd their tails side by side,
All hung on a tree to dry.
She heav'd a sigh, and wip'd her eye,
And over the hillocks went stump-o,
And tried what she could, as a shepherdess should,
To tack each again to its rump-o.
WATER SKIMMING.
A duck and a drake,
A nice barley cake,
With a penny to pay the old baker,
A hop and a scotch,
Is another notch,
Slitherum, slatherum, take her.
THE JOLLY TESTER.
I love sixpence, a jolly, jolly sixpence,
I love sixpence as my life;
I spent a penny of it, I spent a penny of it,
I took a penny home to my wife.
I love fourpence, a jolly, jolly fourpence,
I love fourpence as my life;
I spent twopence of it, I spent twopence of it,
I took twopence home to my wife.
I love nothing, a jolly, jolly nothing,
I love nothing as my life,
I spent nothing of it, I spent nothing of it.
I took nothing home to my wife.
THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF THE GREY MARE.
John Cook had a little grey mare; he, haw, hum:
Her back stood up and her bones they were bare; he, haw, hum.
John Cook was riding up Shuter's bank; he, haw, hum:
And there his nag did kick and prank; he, haw, hum.
John Cook was riding up Shuter's hill; he, haw, hum:
His mare fell down and she made her will; he, haw, hum.
The bridle and saddle were laid on the shelf; he, haw, hum:
If you want any more, you may sing it yourself: he, haw, hum.
THE SEARCH AFTER FORTUNE.
My father he died, but I can't tell you how,
He left me six horses to drive in my plough:
With my wing wang waddle oh,
Jack sing saddle oh,
Blowsey boys bubble oh,
Under the broom.
I sold my six horses and I bought me a cow,
I'd fain have made a fortune, but did not know how:
With my wing wang, etc.
I sold my cow, and I bought me a calf;
I'd fain have made a fortune, but lost the best half:
With my wing wang, etc.
I sold my calf, and I bought me a cat;
A pretty thing she was, in my chimney-corner sat:
With my wing wang, etc.
I sold my cat, and I bought me a mouse;
He carried fire in his tail, and burnt down my house:
With my wing wang, etc.
DAME WIDDLE WADDLE.
Old Mother Widdle Waddle jumpt out of bed,
And out at the casement she popt out her head:
Crying the house is on fire, the grey goose is dead,
And the fox he is come to the town, oh!
THE MAD FOLKS OF THE MAD TOWN.
There was a mad man and he had a mad wife,
And they lived in a mad town:
And they had children three at a birth,
And mad they were every one.
The father was mad, the mother was mad,
And the children mad beside;
And they all got on a mad horse,
And madly they did ride.
They rode by night and they rode by day,
Yet never a one of them fell;
They rode so madly all the way,
Till they came to the gates of hell.
Old Nick was glad to see them so mad,
And gladly let them in:
But he soon grew sorry to see them so merry,
And let them out again.
THE TAYLOR'S COURTSHIP.
In love be I, fifth button high,
On velvet runs my courting,
Sheer buckram twist, best broadcloth list,
I leave for others sporting.
From needle, thread, my fingers fled,
My heart is set a-throbbing;
And no one by, I cross-legg'd sigh,
For charming Betsey Bobbin:
Betsey Bobbin, Betsey Bobbin,
For charming Betsey Bobbin.
Her lips so sweet, are velveret,
Her eyes do well their duty;
Her skin's to me like dimity,
The pattern gay of beauty.
Her hand squeez'd oft is satin soft,
And sets my heart a-throbbing,
Her cheeks, O dear, red cassimere,
Lord! what a Betsey Bobbin! etc.
Her roguish smile can well beguile,
Her every look bewitches;
Yet never stir, when tacked to her,
For Tim will wear the breeches;
I've face and mien, am spruce and keen,
And though my heart keeps throbbing,
There's not, in fine, one man in nine,
So fit for Betsey Bobbin, etc.
OLD CHAIRS AND OLD CLOTHES.
If I'd as much money as I could spend,
I never would cry old chairs to mend:
Old chairs to mend, old chairs to mend,
I never would cry old chairs to mend.
If I'd as much money as I could tell,
I never would cry old clothes to sell,
Old clothes to sell, old clothes to sell,
I never would cry old clothes to sell.
THE LITTLE LOVERS.
There was a little boy and a little girl
Liv'd in an alley;
Says the little boy to the little girl,
Shall I, oh, shall I?
Says the little girl to the little boy,
What shall we do?
Says the little boy to the little girl,
I will kiss you.
NEW BROOMS, BROOMS, O!
There was an old man, and he lived in a wood;
And his lazy son Jack would snooze till noon:
Nor followed his trade although it was good,
With a bill and a stump for making of brooms, green brooms;
With a bill and a stump for making of brooms.
One morn in a passion, and sore with vexation,
He swore he would fire the room,
If he did not get up and go to his work,
And fall to the cutting of brooms, green brooms, etc.
Then Jack he arose and slipt on his clothes,
And away to the woods very soon,
Where he made up his pack, and put it on his back,
Crying, Maids, do you want any brooms? green brooms, etc.
THE PARLIAMENT SOLDIERS.
High ding a ding, and ho ding a ding,
The parliament soldiers are gone to the King;
Some with new beavers, some with new bands,
The parliament soldiers are all to be hanged.
JACK DANDY-PRAT.
Little Jack Dandy-prat was my first suitor;
He had a dish and a spoon, and he'd some pewter;
He'd linen and woollen, and woollen and linen,
A little pig in a string cost him five shilling.
TWO BLACKBIRDS.
There were two blackbirds set upon a hill,
The one named Jack, the other named Gill:
Fly away, Jack; fly away, Gill;
Come again, Jack; come again, Gill.
THE DUCK AND THE DRAKE.
There was a little man
And he had a little gun,
And his bullets were made of lead, lead, lead:
He went to the brook,
And he saw a little duck,
And he shot it through the head, head, head.
He carried it home,
To his old wife Joan,
And bid her a fire for to make, make, make,
To roast the little duck,
He'd shot in the brook,
And he'd go and fetch her the drake, drake, drake.
THE MILK PAILS.
Betty's gone a-milking, mother, mother;
Betty's gone a-milking, dainty fine mother of mine:
Then you may go after, daughter, daughter;
Then you may go after, dainty fine daughter of mine.
Buy me a pair of milk pails, mother, etc.
Where's the money to come from, daughter? etc.
Pawn my father's feather-bed, mother, etc.
Where's your father to lay, daughter? etc
Lay him in the maid's bed, mother, etc.
Where is the maid to lay, daughter? etc.
Lay her in the pig-stye, mother, etc.
Where are the pigs to lay, daughter? etc.
Lay them at the stair-foot, mother, etc.
There they will be trod to death, daughter, etc.
Lay them by the water-side, mother, etc.
There they will be drowned, daughter, etc.
Then take a rope and hang yourself, mother, etc.
THE LADY'S SONG IN LEAP YEAR.
Roses are red, diddle, diddle,
Lavender's blue:
If you will have me, diddle, diddle,
I will have you.
Lilies are white, diddle, diddle,
Rosemary's green;
When you are king, diddle, diddle,
I will be queen.
Call up your men, diddle, diddle,
Set them to work;
Some to the plough, diddle, diddle,
Some to the cart.
Some to make hay, diddle, diddle,
Some to cut corn;
Whilst you and I, diddle, diddle,
Keep the bed warm.
THE END.
