Page:The Book of Scottish Song.djvu/20

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But for the dirty, fawning fool,

Who wants to be oppression's tool,

May envy gnaw his rotten soul,

And discontent devour him!

May dool and sorrow be his chance,

Dool and sorrow, dool and sorrow,

May dool and sorrow be his chance,

And nane say, Wae's me for 'im!

May dool and sorrow be his chance,

And a' the ills that come frae France,

Whae'er he be, that winna dance

The reel of Tullochgorum!

[ favourite old song is of unknown antiquity and authorship. It appears in the Tea Table Miscellany, (1724—1733) but belongs to an earlier period than that. The Ettrick is a river in Selkirkshire, but, from the allusions of the song, the lover of the nymph seems to have resided on the banks of Loch Erne in Perthshire.]

[ beautifully simple song first appeared in Herd's Collection, 1776. Fraser, a hautbois player in Edinburgh, and acquainted with Burns, distinguished himself by his manner of playing the air. "When he plays it slow," says Burns, "he makes it, in fact, the language of despair." Fraser died in 1825.]

ye Johnny comin', quo' she,

Saw ye Johnny comin'.

Saw ye Johnny comin', quo' she,

Saw ye Johnny comin;

Saw ye Johnny comin', quo' she,

Saw ye Johnny comin';

Wi' his blue bonnet on his head,

And his doggie rinnin', quo' she,

And his doggie rinnin'?

Fee him, father, fee him, quo' she,

Fee him, father, fee him;

Fee him, father, fee him, quo' she,

Fee him, father, fee him;

For he is a gallant lad,

And a weel-doin';

And a' the wark about the house,

Gaes wi' me when I see him, quo' she,

Wi' me when I see him.

What will I do wi' him, quo' he,

What will I do wi' him?

He's ne'er a sark upon his back,

And I ha'e nane to gi'e him.

I ha'e twa sarks into my kist,

And ane o' them I'll gi'e him;

And for a merk o' mair fee

Dinna stand wi' him, quo' she,

Dinna stand wi' him.