Lyr Req: Come Lasses and Lads

Subject: Lasses & Lads
From: Bill (Portsmouth, England)
Date: 25 Sep 98 - 04:46 AM

Is it possible that anyone out there could provide me with the rest of the lyrics to the old May Festival song that begins:

Come lasses and lads, take leave of y're dads, And away to the Maypole high. There is ev'ry he has gotten his she, And a fiddler's standing by....

Incidently, there are two versions of one of the tunes this has been set to in the Richard Robinson collection.

Many thanks.

Subject: RE: Lasses & Lads
From: Bruce O
Date: 25 Sep 98 - 09:39 AM

The Rural Dance around the May-pole. The Tune, the first Figure dance at Mr. Young's Ball in May 1671. [5 verses. Westminster Drollery, II, p. 80, 1672.] "Joan to the maypole" is somewhat similar.

Subject: RE: Lasses & Lads
From: Bruce O.
Date: 25 Sep 98 - 12:01 PM

The text is on the internet in Bell's 'Ancient Poems, 'Ballads and songs'

You can click on the latter from
www.pbm.com/~lindahl/ballads

The song is about 2/3 of the way through the file, so to get there fast use EDIT- FIND and put in 'and lads'.

Subject: RE: Lasses & Lads
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 Sep 98 - 02:48 PM

I found it a little difficult to find the "Ancient Poems" file on the index, but it's worth searching for. If you're lazy, click here. As Bruce says, search for "and lads" after the file loads on your computer. It's better to read the song in context with other May-day songs, so for once I'm going to agree with Bruce's methodology and not post the actual lyrics.
-Joe Offer-