The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #50436   Message #766809
Posted By: masato sakurai
17-Aug-02 - 12:04 AM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: Come Lasses and Lads
Subject: Lyr Add: COME LASSES AND LADS
A version in William Chappell, Popular Music of the Olden Time, vol. II (1859; Dover, 1965, pp. 532-533; with music) is longer:

COME LASSES AND LADS
("The following is the traditional tune. The words are in several other collections besides those above-mentioned, and are still in print in Seven Dials."--Chappell.)

Come, Lasses and Lads, get leave of your Dads,
And away to the Maypole hie;
For ev'ry fair has a sweetheart there,
And the fiddler's standing by.
For Willie shall dance with Jane,
And Johnny has got his Joan,
To trip it, trip it, trip it, trip it,
Trip it up and down,
To trip it, trip it, trip it, trip it,
Trip it up and down.

Strike up, says Wat,--agreed, says Matt,
And I prithee, fiddler, play;
Content, says Hodge, and so says Madge,
For this is a holiday.
Then every lad did doff
His hat unto his lass,
And every girl did curtsey, curtsey,
Curtsey on the grass.

Begin, says Hall,--aye, aye, says Mall,
We'll lead up Packington's Pound;
No, no, says Noll, and so says Doll,
We'll first have Sellenger's Round.
Then every man began
To foot it round about,
And every girl did jet it, jet it,
Jet it in and out.

You're out, says Dick,--not I, says Nick,
'Twas the fiddler play'd it wrong;
'Tis true,' says Hugh, and so says Sue,
And so says every one.
The fiddler then began
To play the tune again,
And every girl did trip it, trip it,
Trip it to the men.

Let's kiss, says Jane,--content, says Nan,
And so says every she;
How many? says Batt,--why three, says Matt,
For that's a maiden's fee.
The men, instead of three,
Did give them half a score;
The maids in kindness, kindness, kindness,
Gave 'em as many more.
Then, after an hour, they went to a bow'r,
And play'd for ale and cakes;
And kisses too,--until they were due
The lasses held the stakes.
The girls did then begin
To quarrel with the men,
And bade them take their kisses back,
And give them their own again.

Now there they did say the whole of the day,
And tired the fiddler quite
With dancing and play, without any pay,
From morning until night.
They told the fiddler then
They'd pay him for his play,
And each a twopence, twopence, twopence,
Gave him, and went away.

Good night, says Harry,--good night, says Mary;
Good night, says Dolly to John;
Good night,' says Sue, to her sweetheart Hugh;
Good night, says every one.
Some walk'd, and some did run;
Some loiter'd on the way,
And bound themselves with kisses twelve
To meet the next holiday.

~Masato