The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #1654   Message #7186
Posted By: Ran Coleman
22-Jun-97 - 12:20 AM
Thread Name: Origins: The Raggle-Taggle Gypsy
Subject: Lyr Add: RAGGLE-TAGGLE GYPSY / WRAGGLE-TAGGLE ...
Here are two slightly different versions. One may be from the database -- I'm not sure where I got it:

THE RAGGLE-TAGGLE GYPSY

There were three gypsies came to our door.
They came brave and boldly, O.
One sang high and another sang low,
And the other sang Raggle-Taggle Gypsies, O.

It was upstairs, downstairs the lady went,
Put on her suit of leather, O,
And there was a cry from around the door,
"She's away with the raggle-taggle gypsy, O."

It was late that night when the lord came in,
Inquiring for his lady, O,
And the servant girl she said to the lord,
"She's away with the raggle-taggle gypsy, O."

"Well, saddle for me my milk-white steed.
My big horse is not speedy, O,
And I will ride and seek my bride.
She's away with the raggle-taggle gypsy, O."

Well, he rode east, and he rode west.
He rode north and south also,
Until he came to a wide-open field.
It was there that he spied his lady, O.

"Tell me, how you could leave your goose-feather bed,
Your blankets strewn so comely, O?
How could you leave your newly wedded lord,
All for a raggle-taggle gypsy, O?"

"Well, what care I for my goose-feather bed,
For my blankets strewn so comely, O?
Tonight I lie in a wide-open field
In the arms of the raggle-taggle gypsy, O."

"Tell me, how could you leave your house and your land,
How could you leave your money, O?
How could you leave your only wedded lord,
All for a raggle-taggle gypsy, O?"

"Well, what care I for my house and my land?
And what care I for my money, O?
I'd rather have a kiss from the yellow gypsy's lips.
I'm away with the raggle-taggle gypsy, O!"


THE WRAGGLE-TAGGLE GYPSY

There were three gypsies a-come to my door,
And downstairs ran this-a lady, O.
One sang high and another sang low
And the other sang Bonny Bonny Biscay, O.

Then she pulled off her silk finished gown,
And put on hose of leather, O.
The ragged, ragged rags about our door,
And she's gone with the wraggle-taggle gypsies, O.

It was late last night when my lord came home,
Inquiring for his a-lady, O.
The servants said on every hand,
"She's gone with the wraggle-taggle gypsies, O."

"O saddle to me my milk-white steed,
And go and fetch me my pony, O,
That I may ride and seek my bride,
Who's gone with the wraggle-taggle gypsies, O."

O he rode high, and he rode low.
He rode through wood and copses too,
Until he came to a wide-open field,
And there he espied his-a lady, O.

"What makes you leave your house and land?
What makes you leave your money, O?
What makes you leave your new-wedded lord,
To follow the wraggle-taggle gypsies, O?"

"What care I for my house and land?
What care I for my money, O?
What care I for my new-wedded lord?
I'm off with the wraggle-taggle gypsies, O!"

"Last night you slept on a goose-feather bed,
With the sheet turned down so bravely, O.
Tonight you'll sleep in a cold open field,
Along with the wraggle-taggle gypsies, O."

"What care I for a goose-feather bed,
With the sheet turned down so bravely, O?
For tonight I'll sleep in a cold open field,
Along with the wraggle-taggle gypsies, O."

HTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 23-Oct-02.