Lyr Req: Come Lasses and Lads

Subject: Lyr Add: COME LASSES AND LADS
From:
Date: 17 Sep 03 - 10:41 PM

COME LASSES AND LADS

Come lasses and lads get leave of your dads, and away to the Maypole hie
For every he has got him a she, and the fiddler's standing by
For Willie will 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

You're out says Dick, not I says Nick; 'twas the fiddler played it wrong
'Tis true says Hugh and so says Sue and so says everyone
The fiddler then began, to play the tune again
And every girl did trip it, trip it, trip it to the men
And every girl did trip it, trip it, trip it to the men

And there they sat until it was late and tired the fiddler quite
With singing and playing without any paying from morning until night
They told the fiddler then, they'd pay him for his play
And each a two-pence, two-pence, two-pence gave him and went away
And each a two-pence, two-pence, two-pence gave him and went away

Good night says Harry good night says Mary, good night says Poll to John
Good night says Sue, good night says Hugh, good night says everyone
Some walked and some did run, some loitered on the way
And bound themselves by kisses twelve to meet next holiday
And bound themselves by kisses twelve to meet next holiday

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Come Lasses and Lads
From: GUEST,annea
Date: 02 May 03 - 02:03 PM

Thankyou so much. As a child i loved to dance round the maypole-about 50 years or more now. We danced to the first song in the string but its good to see the others. This all came to mind yesterday on Mayday which I celebrated in Dunster with the Minehead traditional sailors hobby horse. sadly I didn't get a chance to dance around a maypole.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Come Lassies and Lads
From: masato sakurai
Date: 29 Apr 03 - 11:23 AM

Editions at Bodleian Library Broadside Ballads are:

come lasses and lads get leave of your dads [first line] (6 editions)

come lasses and lads take leave of your dads [first line] (1 edition)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Come Lassies and Lads
From: masato sakurai
Date: 28 Apr 03 - 10:33 PM

A version of "Come Lasses and Lads" (with audio & lyrics) is at this James Joyce site (scroll down).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Come Lassies and Lads
From: masato sakurai
Date: 04 Mar 03 - 12:50 AM

Also in Pan-Pipes - A book of old songs, newly arranged, & with accompaniments by Theo Marzials; set to pictures by Walter Crane; engraved and printed in colours by Edmund Evans. / Marzials, Theo (London : George Routledge & Sons, 1883), p. 49 [Image 53], with score.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Come Lassies and Lads
From: masato sakurai
Date: 02 Mar 03 - 08:48 AM

Two picture books are online:

Come Lasses and Lads / [Illustr.:] R[andolph] Caldecott (London : George Routledge & Sons, [1884])

The Maypole. (Come lasses and lads. An olld English ballad.) / [Illustr.:] G[ertrude] A[ngela Mary] Konstam, E[lla] Casella and N. Casella ((London) : (De La Rue), [1882]).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Come Lassies and Lads
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 20 Aug 02 - 12:33 PM

Numerous Mayday songs were included in This thread although I don't think they were marked for harvesting.

Nigel

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Come Lassies and Lads
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 02:51 PM

"Come Lasses and lads" was quite likely inspired by the following similar ballad.

Joan to the maypole away let's run/ ZN1553| May-Day Country Mirth/ Tune: excellent new tune/ RB7 79: [no imprint]/ CR 727: J. Deacon [DC2 152]// Rural Recreations: Dancing round a Country May-Pole/ Tune: Excellent new Tune/ Licensed according to Order/ P4 244: W. Thackeray/ DC2 152a: T. Norris, for M. Deacn [sic]? [expanded from very early MS song, c 1625, in Victoria and Albert Museum MS D.25.F.39 f. 89v, "Jone to ye maypole away let us be."]

The Douce collection copy can be seen on the Bodleian Ballads website.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Come Lassies and Lads
From: IanC
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 04:11 AM

This is already in the forum somewhere, but the mess the search engine is currently in makes it almost impossible to find anything.

The song is one of a set of 3 or 4 songs, the tunes of which are still used for the maypole dance. I was doing it as a child 40 years ago ... and we sang a modified version of the song above. Probably the most famous one in the set is "Now is the Month of Maying",

:-)
Ian

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Come Lassies and Lads
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Aug 02 - 01:39 AM

Acording to 'Westminster Drollery', part 2, 1672, the song (of 7 verses), pp. 80-82, is "The Rurall [sic] Dance about the May-pole", and has direction "The Tune, the first Figure dance at Mr. Young's Ball in May 1671." The tune comes from 'Pills to Purge Melancholy'.

The copy above is mostly correct, but some spellings have been modernized and the verse form has been rearranged.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE RURAL DANCE ABOUT THE MAY-POLE
From: masato sakurai
Date: 17 Aug 02 - 12:42 AM

The same song with a different title.

From: Ancient Poems, Ballads and Songs of the Peasantry of England, edited by Robert Bell.

Ballad: THE RURAL DANCE ABOUT THE MAY-POLE.

[THE most correct copy of this song is that given in THE WESTMINSTER DROLLERY, Part II. p. 80. It is there called THE RURAL DANCE ABOUT THE MAY-POLE, THE TUNE, THE FIRST-FIGURE DANCE AT MR. YOUNG'S BALL, MAY, 1671. The tune is in POPULAR MUSIC. The MAY- POLE, for so the song is called in modern collections, is a very popular ditty at the present time. The common copies vary considerably from the following version, which is much more correct than any hitherto published.]

COME, lasses and lads, take leave of your dads,
And away to the may-pole hie;
For every he has got him a she,
And the minstrel's standing by;
For Willie has gotten his Jill,
And Johnny has got his Joan,
To jig it, jig it, jig it,
Jig it up and down.

'Strike up,' says Wat; 'Agreed,' says Kate,
'And I prithee, fiddler, play;'
'Content,' says Hodge, and so says Madge,
For this is a holiday.
Then every man did put
His hat off to his lass,
And every girl did curchy,
Curchy, curchy 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; ''Tis a lie,' says Nick,
'The fiddler played it false;'
''Tis true,' says Hugh, and so says Sue,
And so says nimble Alice.
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, (36) 'Content,' says Nan,
And so says every she;
'How many?' says Batt; 'Why three,' says Matt,
'For that's a maiden's fee.'
But they, instead of three,
Did give them half a score,
And they in kindness gave 'em, gave 'em,
Gave 'em as many more.

Then after an hour, they went to a bower,
And played for ale and cakes;
And kisses, too; - until they were due,
The lasses kept the stakes:
The girls did then begin
To quarrel with the men;
And bid 'em take their kisses back,
And give them their own again.

Yet there they sate, until it was late,
And tired the fiddler quite,
With singing and playing, without any paying,
From morning unto night:
They told the fiddler then,
They'd pay him for his play;
And each a two-pence, two-pence,
Gave him, and went away.

'Good night,' says Harry; 'Good night,' says Mary;
'Good night,' says Dolly to John;
'Good night,' says Sue; 'Good night,' says Hugh;
'Good night,' says every one.
Some walked, and some did run,
Some loitered on the way;
And bound themselves with love-knots, love-knots,
To meet the next holiday.

~Masato

Subject: Lyr Add: COME LASSES AND LADS
From: masato sakurai
Date: 17 Aug 02 - 12:04 AM

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

Subject: Lyr Add: COME LASSES AND LADS
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 16 Aug 02 - 09:40 PM

Copied from http://www.contemplator.com/tunebook/englmidi/lasslads.htm
(That page, by the way, has a very nice midi file that plays automatically.)

COME LASSES AND LADS

Come lasses and lads, get leave of your dads
And away to the maypole hie
For every fair has a sweetheart there
And the fiddler's standing by
For Willy 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.

"You're out!" says Dick. "Not I!" says Nick
"'Twas the fiddler played it wrong."
"'Tis true!" says Hugh, and so says Sue
And so says everyone.
The fiddler then began
To play the tune again
And every girl did trip, trip it,
Trip it to the men
And every girl did trip, trip it,
Trip it to the men.

"Goodnight!" says Harry. "Goodnight!" says Mary
"Goodnight!" says Paul to John
"Goodnight!" says Sue to her sweetheart, Hugh
"Goodnight!" says everyone.
Some walked and some did run
Some loitered on the way
And bound themselves, by kisses twelve,
To meet the next holiday
And bound themselves, by kisses twelve,
To meet the next holiday.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Come Lassies and Lads
From: masato sakurai
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 01:15 AM

Google search results: Come Lasses and Lads.

~Masato

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Come Lassies and Lads
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 13 Aug 02 - 08:00 PM

As a general rule, it's a good idea to give just a wee bit of information about the song you're looking for; titles, and especially their spellings, do vary. There's a mysterious tendency for people to assume that anything with lass in it must be Scottish, and as a consequence to insist on lassies, where lasses might get better results. Have a look at this previous discussion:

Lasses & Lads

If it's completely different from what you're looking for, let us know and we'll look further.

Subject: Come Lassies and Lads
From:
Date: 13 Aug 02 - 06:53 PM

Can anyone help, please?