



Produced by The Internet Archive Children's Library, Ted Garvin and
the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.





OLD BALLADS


_Illustrated by

JOHN EYRE R.B.A._



CONTENTS.


COME, LASSES AND LADS
COMIN' THRO' THE RYE
CHERRY-RIPE
ANNIE LAURIE
ROBIN ADAIR
MOLLY BAWN
GO, HAPPY ROSE!
THE ANCHOR'S WEIGH'D
ALICE GRAY
HOME, SWEET HOME
JOHN ANDERSON, MY JO
MY PRETTY JANE
ROCK'D IN THE CRADLE OF THE DEEP
THE MINSTREL BOY
ON THE BANKS OF ALLAN WATER
AULD LANG SYNE
WITHIN A MILE OF EDINBURGH TOWN
THE NIGHT-PIECE TO JULIA
TOM BOWLING
MY LOVE IS LIKE THE RED RED ROSE
WIDOW MALONE
THE JOLLY YOUNG WATERMAN
CALLER HERRIN'
A HUNTING WE WILL GO
HEARTS OF OAK
THE FINE OLD ENGLISH GENTLEMAN
THE BAY OF BISCAY O!
BLACK-EYED SUSAN
DUNCAN GRAY
THE BAILIFF'S DAUGHTER OF ISLINGTON
THE MILLER OF DEE
THE ANGEL'S WHISPER
SIMON THE CELLARER
AULD ROBIN GRAY
BONNIE DUNDEE
SALLY IN OUR ALLEY
KITTY OF COLERAINE
HERE'S TO THE MAIDEN OF BASHFUL FIFTEEN
THE LEATHER BOTTEL
WOODMAN, SPARE THAT TREE
THE TOKEN
O WERT THOU IN THE CAULD BLAST
THE PASSIONATE SHEPHERD TO HIS LOVE
LOVELY NAN
THE LASS OF RICHMOND HILL
TELL ME NOT, SWEET
SHE WORE A WREATH OF ROSES
O NANNY, WILT THOU GO WITH ME?
D'YE KEN JOHN PEEL?


       *       *       *       *       *




COME, LASSES AND LADS.


Come, lasses and lads,
                 get leave of your dads,
  And away to the Maypole hie,
For ev'ry fair has a sweetheart there,
  And the fiddler's standing by;

For Willy shall dance with Jane,
  And Johnny has got his Joan,
To trip it, trip it, trip it, trip it,
  Trip it up and down!

"You're out," says Dick; "not I," says Nick,
  "'Twas the fiddler play'd it wrong;"
"'Tis true," says Hugh, and so says Sue,
  And so says ev'ry one.
The fiddler than began
  To play the tune again,
And ev'ry girl did trip it, trip it,
  Trip it to the men!

Then, after an hour, they went to a bow'r,
  And play'd for ale and cakes;
And kisses too,--until they were due,
  The lasses held the stakes.
The girls did then begin
  To quarrel with the men,
And bade them take their kisses back,
  And give them their own again!

"Good-night," says Harry;
                  "good-night," says Mary;
  "Good-night," says Poll to John;
"Good-night," says Sue
                  to her sweetheart Hugh;
  "Good-night," says ev'ry one.
Some walk'd and some did run,
  Some loiter'd on the way,
And bound themselves by kisses twelve,
  To meet the next holiday.

         _Anon._




COMING THRO' THE RYE.


Gin a body meet a body
  Comin' thro' the rye,
Gin a body kiss a body,
  Need a body cry?

Ilka lassie has her laddie,
  Nane, they say, hae I,
Yet a' the lads they smile at me
  When comin' thro' the rye.

Gin a body meet a body
  Comin' frae the town,
Gin a body meet a body,
  Need a body frown?
    Ilka lass