Five Excellent New Songs (c. 1800, "The Cumberland Courtship")/The Cumberland Courtship

The Cumberland Courtship.

When I was in Cumberland I went a wooing,
But love to my ſorrow had nigh prov’d my ruin,
I died by inches and looked ſo ſhocking,
And all for the ſake of one Margery Topping
Fel al de ral lal, ral ſi.
When thinking of Margery ſo handſome and proper,
I ſighed all the day, nor could eat a bit ſupper;
My mother cried Peter, pray make thyſelf eaſy,
But ſhe wasn’t Margret; Oh! lack a daity
I put on my beſt cloaths, and thought I look’d gay,
And if I could win her I knew that was the way,
So I powder’d my hair from our old drudging-box,
And I got a pig‘s tail, my look how it cocks.
Then I plack’d up a ſpirit and aſk’d the fair maiden,
If ever ſhe thought it would come to a wedding;
But ſhe laugh‘d in my face and cal’d me a ninny,
Have thee, lays our Margrey, no not for a guinea.
Then I wonder’d with myſelf what the devil could ail her,
Says I, I‘ll e‘en go my ways and liſt for a ſailor,
So I got me ſome paper an wrote her a letter,
Saying, Fare thee well, Margery, till thou love me better.
Then ſhe came to me beſlubbord with tears;
And ſaid ſhe would have me if I‘d eaſe her fears:
I mentioned a parſon and bid her comply,
She bluſh‘d her eyes twinkled, ſhe could not tell

The neighbours throng‘d in, and we long’d to be prancing,
The fiddlers ſtruck up and we all fell a dancing;
Confin Dick he ſtood by at the corner of the hall,
While Margery and I we open‘d the ball.
Supper being over and night coming on,
I could not be eaſy till the ſtocking was thrown
So I whiſper‘d our Margery and bid her be gone,
For I was ſo ſleepy I could do nothing but fun.
By this time out Margery had flipt to one ſide,
And brid‘s maid was up ſtairs undreſſing the bride,
So I tript up ſtairs too puſh‘d bride‘s maid out at door,
Put the candle out, and then—but I muſt not tell more