Page:The Book of Scottish Song.djvu/279

Rh Wi' guid ait cakes, or butter bakes,

And routh o' whiskey toddy,

Wha daur complain, or mak' a mane,

That man's a saul-less body!

[, "Johnnie M'Gill," or "The Laird o' Cockpen."]

[.—First published in the Portfolio of British Songs. The air is an old reel tune, originally called "The Drummer," but now better known by the name of "The Tailor," for which Burns wrote some words, with the burthen, "For weel he kenn'd the way, O."]

the closin' o' the day,

The wild green woods amang, O,

A wee auld man cam' doon this way,

As fast as he could gang, O.

He entered into this wee house,

Where unco weel kent he, O,

That there, there lived a virtuous lass,

And fair as fair could be O.

For he had vow'd to ha'e, O,

To ha'e, O, to ha'e, O,

For he had vow'd to ha'e, O,

A wifie o' his ain, O.

He tell't the auld gudewife he'd come

Her dochter Jean to woo, O,

And gin she would but come wi' him,

She never would it rue, O.

For he had oxen, horse, and kye,

And sheep upon the hill, O,

And monie a cannie thing forbye,

That should be at her will, O.

For he had vow'd, &c.

The auld gudewife replied in turn.

Up rising frae her stool, O,

The lass that would your proffer spurn,

Would surely be a fool, O.