Bonny lass of Calder Braes (1)/Jenny's Bawbee

JENNY’S BAWBEE.

I met four chaps yon birks amang,
Wi’ hanging lug, and faces lang.
I speer’d at niebour Baldy Strang,
What are they these we see?
Quoth he Ilk cream-fac’d pawky chiel,
Thinks himsell cunning as the de'il,
And here they cam awa to steal
Jenny’s bawbee.

The first, a Captain to his trade,
Wi’ ill lin’d scull, and back well clad,
March’d roun’ the barn, and bye the shed,
And papped on his knee:
Quoth he, My bonny nymph and queen,
Your beauty’s dazzl’d baith my een:
But feint a beauty he had seen
But Jenny’s bawbee.

A norlan’ Laird neist trotted up,
Wi' bassen’d nag, and siller whip.
Cry’d. Here's my beast lad, had he grip
Or tie him to a tree;
What’s goud to me. I’ve wealth o’ lan'?
Bellow on ane o’ worth your han’.
He thought to pay what he was awn
Wi’ Jenny's bawbee.

A lawyer niest wi' blatherin’ gab,
Wi' speeches wove like ony web;
In ilk anes corn he took a dab,
An' a' for a fee :
Accounts he ow’d thro’ a’ the town.
And tradesmen's tongues nae mair cou’d drown
But now he thought to clout his gown
Wi' Jenny’s bawbee.

Quite spruce, just frae the washing tubs,
A fool came neist, but life has rubs,
Foul were the roads, and fu' the dubs,
And fair besmear'd was he:
He danc'd up, squintin' thro' a glass,
And grinn'd—I faith, a bonny lass
He thought to win wi’ front o’ brass,
And Jenny’s bawbee.

She bade the laird gae kaim his wig,
The soldier not to strut sae big.
The lawyer not to be a prig,
The fool he cry'd, Tee-hee:
I ken'd that I cou’d never fail;
But she prin’d the dish-clout to his tail,
And cool'd him wi' a water-pail,
And kept her bawbee.

Then Johny cam', a lad o’ sense,
Altho' he had na mony pence,
He took young Jenny to the spence,
Wi’ her to crack a wee:
Now Johny was a clever chiel,
And here his suit he press’d sae weel,
That Jenny's heart grew saft as jeel,
And she birl'd her bawbee.