The Book of Scottish Song/The Collier Laddie

The Collier Laddie.

[Tune, "The Collier's bonnie lassie."—"I do not know," says Burns, "a blyther old song than this."—The poet himself furnished Johnson with a copy of the words and the tune for the Museum.]

Whar live ye, my bonnie lass,
And tell me what they ca' ye?
My name, she says, is Mistress Jean,
And I follow the collier laddie.

See ye not yon hills and dales,
The sun shines on sae brawlie!
They a' are mine, and they shall be thine,
Gin ye'll leave your collier laddie.

Ye shall gang in gay attire,
Weel buskit up sae gawdy:
And ane to wait on every hand,
Gin ye'll leave your collier laddie.

Though ye had a' the sun shines on,
And the earth conceals sae lowly,
I wad turn my back on you and it a',
And embrace my collier laddie.

I can win my five-pennies in a day,
And spen't at night fu' brawlie:
And make my bed in the collier's neuk,
And lie down wi' my collier laddie.

Love for love is the bargain for me,
Tho' the wee cot-house should haud me,
And the warld before me to win my bread,
And fair fa' my collier laddie.

---