The Little Scotch Girl

There was a little Scotch girl, she went down-town.
Some whitefish for to buy.
Then she got acquainted with a little town clerk
He followed her by and bye
O Bye,
He followed her bye and bye.

"Where are you going, sweet maid?" said he
"And whereon do you be?
Let this night be ever so dark
I'll come and visit thee
O Thee
I'll come and visit thee.

"My mama locks the door within
My papa keeps the key,
Unless you be a silly old witch
You'll never get up to me....

"Unless you have a ladder built
Of thirty steps and three,
And build it up to the chimney top
And then come down to me...

The town clerk he had a brother
And a wee little wit was he
He built his brother a great muckle ladder
Of thirty steps and three...

He put the click to his right shoulder
And the creel was to the pin,
He drew him up to the chimney top
And he let the bonny clerk in...

The old folks layed in the room close by
And hearing what was said,
"I'll lay my life," says the silly old wife
There's a man in our daughter's bed...

The good old man he goes upstairs
To see if this be true;
When she drew the bonny clark close in her arms
And covered him over with blue...

What brings you here, papa," she says,
"What bring you here so late?"
You disturb me of my evening prayers
And it's Oh, but they are sweet...

The good old man he goes downstairs.
Says, "You did not tell me true;
Our daughter has a great muckle hook in her arms
She's praying for me and you...

The good old woman, she goes upstairs
To see could this be true,
What in the devil should take her foot
But in the creel she flew...

The brother at the chimney top
Finding the creel was full,
He put the click to his right shoulder
And fast to her did pull..

He shook her up, he shook her down,
He gave her a right downfall,
Till every crick in the old girl's ribe
Played Knick-knack on the wall..

Here's to the blue, the bonny, bonny blue
Here's to the blue that will;
Every mother that is jealous of her daughter
Might fall into the creel,
O creel,
Might fall into the creel.

Child #281
From Folk Songs of the Catskills,Cazdrn et al.
Collected from George Edwards
RG
APR99