Hi Steve,

Still out of town, I've been working on the Baring-Gould versions, lots of re-writing :)

Baring-Gould studied versions in the British Library, he says in his MS it's from "a volume of Scottish broadsides in British Library 1871f. dated 1750-1780" and was "printed in Aberdeen probably." I was wondering if you could give me info about this one. The date appears in Songs and Ballads of the West, 1892 edition as 1750-1840 quite a gap!

Here's most of the text:

1. The trees they are so high and the leaves they are so green,
The day [etc]

2. Father, O father you have done me much wrong,
For you have married me to a lad
My bonny laddie's young but is growing

3. O daughter, O daughter I have done you no wrong,
For I have married you to a rich lord's son,
And if you will wait, his bride you will be,
My bonny laddie's young but is growing

4. She sewed him a shirt of Holland fine,
And aye as she sewed the tears they ran down,
And aye as she sewed the tears they ran down,
My bonny laddie's young but he's growing.

5. Father, O father if you think's fit,
We'll send him to this high college another year yet,
And I'll cut of my yellow hair all above my brow,
And I'll go to the high college with my laddie now.

6. It happened on a day and a sun shiny day,
Here going to a green wood to sport and to play,
And what they did there I never will declare,
But she never complained on his growing.

7. At the age of thirteen he was a married man,
At the age of fourteen he had a young son,
At the age of fifteen his grave was growing green,
And that put and end to his growing.

Richie