BESS THE GAWKIE

X: 8
T: BESS THE GAWKIE
O: 1811
B: "Caledonian Musical Repository", 1811, p.80-83
F: http://digital.nls.uk/special-collections-of-printed-music/pageturner.cfm?id=87686121
Z: 2013 John Chambers <jc:trillian.mit.edu>
M: C
L: 1/8
K: D
% - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
|:\
A3 d A2 (FG) | (AB/c/) (dc/B/) {B}A3 G |
w: Blythe young Bess to* Jean** did** say, Will
F2 (ED) d3 d | (BA) (GF) E2 (FG) | A2 d2
w: ye gang* to yon sun-*ny* brae, Where* flocks do
A2 (F>G) | A2 d>e f2 D2 | F2 A2 g2 d2 |
w: feed, And* herds do* stray, And sport a while wi'
{f}e4 d2 z2 :: (de) (fe) (de) (fe) | (df) (ed)
w: Ja-mie? Ah,* na,* lass!* I'll* no* gang*
%page 81
(c>de) A | e3 d (dc) (cB) | (BA) (AB/c/) d2 zd |
w: there,** Nor a-bout Ja-*mie* tak* a** care, Nor
(df) (ed) d3 d | (d {e}f ed) d>eHf D | F2 A2
w: a-*bout* Ja-mie tak* a* care,** For he's ta'en
g2 f2 | {f}e4 {de}d2 :|
w: up wi' Mag-gie.
% - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
W:2.For hark, and I will tell you, lass,
W:  Did I not see young Jamie pass,
W:  Wi' meikle blytheness in his face,
W:    Out owre the muir to Maggie:
W:  I wat he gae her mony a kiss,
W:  And Maggie took them nae amiss;
W:  'Tween ilka smack pleased her wi' this,
W:    "That Bess was but a gawkie.
W:
W:3."For when a civil kiss I seek,
W:  "She turns her head, and thraws her cheek,
%page 82
W:  "And for an hour she'll hardly speak:
W:    "Wha'd no ca' her a gawkie?
W:  "But sure my Maggie has mair sense,
W:  "She'll gie a score without offence;
W:  "Now gie me ane into the mense,
W:    "And ye shall be my dawtie."
W:
W:4.'O Jamie, ye hae mony ta'en,
W:  'But I will never stand for ane,
W:  'Or twa when we do meet again,
W:    'So ne'er think me a gawkie.'
W:  "Ah, na, lass, that canna be;
W:  "Sic thoughts as thae are far frae me,
W:  "Or ony thy sweet face that see,
W:    "E'er to think thee a gawkie."
W:
W:5.But, whisht, nae mair o' this we'll speak,
W:  For yonder Jamie does us meet;
W:  Instead o' Meg he kiss'd sae sweet,
W:    I trow he likes the gawkie.
W:  "O dear Bess, I hardly knew,
W:  "When I came by your gown sae new;
W:  "I think you've got it wet wi' dew."
W:    Quoth she, 'That's like a gawkie;
%page 83
W:
W:6.'It's wat wi' dew, and 'twill get rain,
W:  'And I'll get gowns when it is gane;
W:  'Sae ye may gang the gate ye came,
W:    'And tell it to your dawtie.'
W:  The guilt appeared in Jamie's cheek;
W:  He cry'd, "O cruel maid, but sweet,
W:  "If I should gang anither gate,
W:    "I ne'er could meet my dawtie."
W:
W:7.The lasses fast frae him they flew,
W:  And left poor Jamie sair to rue,
W:  That ever Maggie's face he knew,
W:    Or yet ca'd Bess a gawkie.
W:  As they gade owre the muir they sang,
W:  The hills and dales with echo rang,
W:  The hills and dales with echo rang,
W:    'Gang o'er the muir to Maggie.'

Alternative sources for this tune:

• trillian.mit.edu/~jc/music/book/CaledonianMusicalRepository/1811/1811/0008
• trillian.mit.edu/~jc/music/book/CaledonianMusicalRepository/1811/Bess_the_Gawkie/0000
• trillian.mit.edu/~jc/music/book/CaledonianMusicalRepository/Bess_the_Gawkie_1811/0000
• trillian.mit.edu/~jc/music/book/CaledonianMusicalRepository/alltunes/0012

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