The Cooper o' Dundee

Ye coopers and hoopers, attend to my ditty,
I sing o'a cooper wha dwelt in Dundee;
This young man he was baith am'rous and witty,
He pleased the fair maids wi the blink o' his e'e.
He was nae a cooper, a common tub-hooper,
The most o'his trade lay in pleasin'the fair;
He hoopt them, he coopt them, he bort them, he plugt them,
An' a' sent for Sandy when out o'repair.

For a twelvemonth or sae this youth was respected,
An' he was as busy, as weel he could be;
But bus'ness increased so that some were neglected,
Which ruined trade in the town o'Dundee.
A baillie's fair daughter had wanted a coopin',
And Sandy was sent for, as oft time was he;
He yerkt her sae hard that she sprung an end-hoopin'
Which banish'd poor Sandy frae bonnie Dundee.
From MacColl, Folk Songs and Ballads of Scotland
Collected by Burns
RG