National Ballad and Song/Volume 1/The Jolly Beggar

by unknown author

For other versions of this work, see The Jolly Beggar (Song).

Layout 2

THE JOLLY BEGGAR

[b. 1542]

[Attributed to James V of Scotland: see note to preceding song].

There was a jolly beggar, anda begging he was born.set forth
And he took up his quarters into a land ’art town,country farmsteading
  And we’ll gang nae mair a roving
   Sae late into the night,
  And we’ll gang nae mair a roving, boys,
  Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.

He wad neither ly in barn, not yet wad he in byre;
But in ahint the ha’door, or else afore the fire.behind
  And we’ll gang nae mair a roving
   Sae late into the night,
  And we’ll gang nae mair a roving, boys,
  Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.

The beggar’s bed was made at e’en wi’ good clean straw and hay,
And in ahint the ha’door, and there the beggar lay.
  And we’ll gang nae mair a roving
   Sae late into the night,
  And we’ll gang nae mair a roving, boys,
  Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.

Up raise the goodman’s dochter and for to bar the door,
And there she saw the beggar standin’ i’ the floor.
  And we'll gang nae mair a roving
   Sae late into the night,
  And we'll gang nae mair a roving, boys,
  Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.

He took the lassie in his arms, and to the bed he ran,
cautiouslyOhooly, hooly wi’ me, sir, ye’ll waken our goodman.
  And we'll gang nae mair a roving
   Sae late into the night,
  And we'll gang nae mair a roving, boys,
  Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.

The beggar was a cunnin’ loon, and ne’er a word he spake,
talkUntil he got his turn done, syne he began to crack.
  And we'll gang nae mair a roving
   Sae late into the night,
  And we'll gang nae mair a roving, boys,
  Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.

“Is there ony dogs into this town? maiden, tell me true.”
my honey and my dove“And what wad ye do wi’ them, my hinny and my dow?”
  And we'll gang nae mair a roving
   Sae late into the night,
  And we’ll gang nae mair a roving, boys,
  Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.

“They’ll rive a’ my meal pocks, and do me meikle wrang.”meal bags
“O dool for the doing o’t! are ye the poor man?”
  And we’ll gang nae mair a roving
   Sae late into the night,
  And we’ll gang nae mair a roving, boys,
  Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.

Then she took up the meal pocks, and flang them o’er the wa’;
“The deil gae wi’ the meal pocks, my maiden head, and a’!”
  And we’ll gang nae mair a roving
   Sae late into the might,
  And we’ll gang nae mair a roving, boys,
  Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.

“I took ye for some gentleman, at least the laird of Brodie;
O dool for the doing o’t! are ye the poor bodie?”
  And we’ll gang nae mair a roving
   Sae late into the night,
  And we’ll gang nae mair a roving, boys,
  Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.

He took the lassie in his arms, and gae her kisses three,
a silver coin worth 13 1/3d. Stg.
wet-nurse wageAnd four and twenty hunder merk to pay the nurice-fee.
  And we’ll gang nae mair a roving
   Sae late into the night,
  And we’ll gang nae mair a roving, boys,
  Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.

He took a horn frae his side, and blew baith loud and shrill,
And four and twenty belted knights came skipping o’er the hill.
  And we’ll gang nae mair a roving
   Sae late into the night,
  And we’ll gang nae mair a roving, boys,
  Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.

ragsAnd he took out his little knife, loot a’ his duddies fa’;
And he was the brawest gentleman that was amang them a’.
  And we’ll gang nae mair a roving
   Sae late into the night,
  And we’ll gang nae mair a roving, boys,
  Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.

The beggar was a cliver loon, and he lap shoulder height:
such“O, ay for sicken quarters as I gat yesternight!”
  And we’ll gang nae mair a roving
   Sae late into the night,
  And we’ll gang nae mair a roving, boys,
  Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.