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As I roved out one morning in the lovely month of May,
I met a pretty fair one, these words I heard her say:
"Oh, father, I'm sixteen years of age; I'm weary of my life;
Oh, father, I think it's almost time for me to be made a wife."
"Oh, hold your tongue, dear daughter. Oh, hold your tongue," said he,
"For men they are deceitful with flatt'ring tongues," said he.
"Oh, what care I for flatt'ring tongues, for flatt'ring tongues," said she,
"At the time you married my mamma she wasn't as old as me."
"I have a sister Mary, and that you well do know,
She has not long been married, only nine short months ago;
She has a baby for herself to daddle upon her knee,
And I think it's time for me to have one, for I'm nearly as old as she."
The bell-man he went 'round the town to see what he could find,
A soldier or a sailor to please this fair one's mind;
"A soldier or a sailor, no matter who," she said,
"I pray, young men, come marry me, and don't let me die a maid."
This variant was collected by Edith Fulton Fowke (Literary Editor) and Richard Johnston (Music Editor) and published in Folk Songs Of Canada, pp.162-163 (Waterloo Music Company, Waterloo, Ontario, 1954).
A variant was also collected in 1958 from Freeman Bennett of St. Paul's, NL, by Kenneth Peacock and published as I Long to Be Wedding in Songs Of The Newfoundland Outports, Volume 2, p.461, by the National Museum of Canada (1965) Crown Copyrights Reserved.
