Gammer Gurton's Garland Part 2

THE OLD MAN AND THE OAK.

A NORTH-COUNTRY SONG.

Says t' auld man t.i.t oak tree, Young and l.u.s.ty was I when I kenn'd thee; I was young and l.u.s.ty, I was fair and clear, Young and l.u.s.ty was I mony a lang year, But sair fail'd am I, sair fail'd now, Sair fail'd am I sen kenn'd thou.

A SOLEMN DIRGE.

Ding dong bell, The cat is in the well.

Who put her in?

Little Johnny Green.

What a naughty boy was that, To drown poor p.u.s.s.y cat, Who never did him any harm, And kill'd the mice in his father's barn.

TRIP UPON TRENCHES.

A MELANCHOLY SONG.

Trip upon trenches, and dance upon dishes, My mother sent me for some barm, some barm; She bid me tread lightly, and come again quickly, For fear the young men should do me some harm.

Yet didn't you see, yet didn't you see, What naughty tricks they put upon me: They broke my pitcher, And spilt the water, And huff'd my mother, And chid her daughter, And kiss'd my sister instead of me.

T'OTHER LITTLE TUNE.

A VERY PLEASANT SONG.

Won't be my father's Jack, I wont be my mother's Gill, I will be the fiddler's wife, And have music when I will.

T'other little tune, T'other little tune, Pr'ythee, love, play me T'other little tune.

THE SONG OF

THE THREE WISE MEN OF GOTHAM,

WHO WENT TO SEA IN A BOWL.

Three wise men of Gotham Went to sea in a bowl, And if the bowl had been stronger, My song had been longer.

SONG OF SIXPENCE.

Sing a song of sixpence, a bag full of rye, Four-and-twenty blackbirds bak'd in a pye; And when the pye was open'd the birds began to sing, And was not this a pretty dish to set before a king?

The king was in the parlour counting o'er his money, The queen was in the kitchen, eating bread and honey; The maid was in the garden laying out the clothes, Up came a magpie and bit off her nose.[B]

[B] Quoted in Beaumont and Fletcher's Bonduca, act v. sc. ii.

THE SONG OF

THE CAT AND THE FIDDLE.

Sing hey diddle, diddle, The cat and the fiddle, The cow jump'd over the moon, The little dog laugh'd To see such craft, And the dish run away with the spoon.

THE WOODc.o.c.k, THE SPARROW, AND THE LITTLE DOG.

I'll sing you a song: The days are long, The woodc.o.c.k and the sparrow: The little dog he has burnt his tail, And he must be hang'd to-morrow.

THE SONG OF

THE TWO BIRDS.

There were two birds sat on a stone, Fa, la, la, la, lal, de; One flew away, and then there was one, Fa, la, la, la, lal, de; The other flew after, and then there was none, Fa, la, la, la, lal, de; And so the poor stone was left all alone, Fa, la, la, la, lal, de.

THE SURPRISING OLD WOMAN.

There was an old woman, and what do you think?

She liv'd upon nothing but victuals and drink; And tho' victuals and drink were the chief of her diet, This plaguy old woman could never be quiet.

She went to the baker, to buy her some bread, And when she came home, her old husband was dead; She went to the clerk to toll the bell, And when she came back her old husband was well.