The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #22802   Message #253072
Posted By: lamarca
06-Jul-00 - 05:45 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: Bonny May (from June Tabor)
Subject: RE: Lyrics of Bonny May? as sung by J. Tabor
I sing this one! Here's a couple more corrections:

Verse 4: Now he's ta'en her by the middle jimp
And by the green gown sleeve,
And there he's had his will of her
And he's asked of her no leave, leave,
He's asked of her no leave.

The line in the original Scots is something like:

where jimp means slender or thin.

Verse 8:
Oh, woe betide your shepherd, father,
He takes no care of the sheep,
For he's builded the fold at the back of the down
And a fox has frightened me, me
And a fox has frightened me."

She's blaming the shepherd for building the sheep-fold at the back of the downs, a remote location.