Okay, here it is: I got it off Amazon's "Search this book" feature, but had to type it over. It's from The Glenbuchat Ballads, edited by David Buchan and James Moreira, pages 89-90. It originally appeared in volume 2 of the Glenbuchat folios. To put this in context, these manuscripts were written out, probably in 1818, by Rev. Robert Scott of the parish of Glenbuchat. Scott does not say if he got the song directly from oral tradition (from a singer or reciter), but the editors make a good case that he probably got most of the songs that way. Scott provided no tunes. This is considered one of the most important ballad manuscript collections that Child did not have access to when compiling the Child Ballads. The ballad singer seems to have been inconsistent on whether to sing "maid" or "maiden," and Scott inconsistent on whether the contraction for "ye are" should be "ye're" or "yere." ^^ The May's to the well to wash and to wring The primrose o' the wood wants a name An' ay so sweetly did she sing I am the fair maid of Coldingham O by there cam' an eldren man The primrose o' the wood wants a name O gie me a drink o' your cauld stream An' ye be the fair maiden of Coldingham My golden cup is down the strand The primrose o' the wood wants a name Of my cold water you shall drink nane Tho' I be the fair maiden of Coldingham O fair may bethink ye again The primrose o' the wood wants a name Gie a drink o' cauld water to an auld man If ye be the fair maid of Coldingham O she sware by the sun and the moon The primrose o' the wood wants a name That all her cups were flown to Rome Yet she was the fair maid of Coldingham O seven bairns hae ye born The primrose o' the wood wants a name An' as many lives hae ye forlorn An' ye're nae the fair maiden of Coldingham There's three o' them in your bower floor The primrose o' the wood wants a name It gars ye fear when you wouldna fear An ye're nae the fair maiden of Coldingham There's ane o' them in yon well stripe The primrose o' the wood wants a name And twa o' them in the garden dyke An' yere nae the fair maiden of Coldingham There's ane o' them in your bed feet The primrose o' the wood wants a name It gars ye wake when ye should sleep An' yere nae the fair maid of Coldingham Ye'll be seven lang years a stane in a cairn The primrose o' the wood wants a name An' seven years ye'll go wi' bairn An ye're nae the fair maiden of Coldingham Ye'll be seven years a sacran bell The primrose o' the wood wants a name An' ither seven the cook in hell An ye're nae the fair maiden of Coldingham
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