The beggar girl/The Weaver and the Tailor

THE WEAVER and THE TAILOR.

As I was a-walking
down by yon shady grove,
I heard a couple talking,
it was concerning love,
The young man being a weaver,
the maid she prov d shy;
And he knew full well by her discourse,
she lov’d a tailor boy.

My dear, for to maintain you,
I'd make my shuttle fly;
I’ll wear my fngers to the bone,
new fashions for to buy.
I’ll buy you silks and satins,
and all things you do choose,
I’ll buy you all new fashions
that you read of in the news.

O how can you maintain me,
and you a journey man;
How can you maintain me,
when you haven't a loom?
With your lee and your rubbing bone,
your knife instead of sheers:
But I'll go wed the taylor boy,
that needs neither reed nor gear.

If you do wed the taylor lad,
You’d have to take out the dung;
You'd have to dig the potatoes,
for work he can do none:
You’ll have to carry in the peats
in a basket or a creel,
While the tailor he sits on his beach,
threading a bar of steel.

Ho'd your tongue of my tailor boy,
he’ll not do so to me;
For when that he does go abroad,
I'll take my liberty;
And I will go a gossiping,
in all places thro’ the town:
And I will please my taylor boy,
at noon, when he comes home.

When your tailor boy does come home,
He'll clip off both your ears;
He’ll beat you with his lappiag board,
with his knife instead of sheers;
He will chide you for going idle,
the length of the whole day;
And an iron goose give you to pluck,
in end of drinking tea.

Ho'd your tongue of ny taylor boy,
He'll not do so to me;
For Adam was a taylor
when the world began so free;
For Adam he made aprons
out of the leaves so fine;
So ever since the world began
The tailor trade doth shine.

But if you saw your taylor lad,
when he sits all alone,
You would take him for an ornament,
for legs you can see none:
Like a frog upon a beating stone,
he sits the live long day,
While the Weaver he goes neat and trim,
amongst the ladies gay.