I Will Rank My Ship- Mrs Duncan (Aber) 1908 Grieg Q
[My date, title. Single stanza of "I Will Put My Ship in Order" from The Greig-Duncan Folk Song Collection - Volume 4; edited by Patrick N. Shuldham-Shaw, Emily B. Lyle - 1981. Collected in North Scotland in early 1900s (1904-1917) by Gavin Greig (1856–1914), and the minister James Bruce Duncan 1848-1917).
R. Matteson 2016]
Q. "I Will Rank My Ship" - Sung by Mrs. Duncan of New Deer, maiden name Dickie (no relation to James Duncan). Collected by Ernest Coutts for Gavin Greig circa 1908.
1. I will rank my ship in order,
An' I will send her unto the sea,
And I'll sail over to yonder border,
An' see if my lovie mines[1] on me.
2. I sail-ed east, I sail-ed west,
I sail-ed past many a seaport town,
I sail-ed up to my love's bow window,
An' rapp-ed sae loudly an' wid be in.
3. "Who's that, who's that at my bow window,
Who Raps so loudly and would be in?"
"It's I, it's I, yer ain dear Johnnie,
O rise, oh rise, love, an' lat me in.
4. It's I has nae lovers withoot me,
An' as few lovers have I within,
I have nae lovers bit my ain dear Johnnie,
An' sure am I that ye are nae him.
5. Oh rise, oh rise love, go ask your father,
If he is willing you shall my bride be,
If he denies you, come back an' tell me,
It is the last time I'll visit thee.
6 Oh rise, oh rise love, go ask your mother[2],
If she is willing you shall my bride be,
If she denies thee , come back an' tell me,
It is the last time I'll visit thee.
7. My mother's in her chamber sleeping,
And taking oot her morning rest,
If I disturb her she'll be angry,
So go, begone and don't me molest.
8. My father's in his chamber writing,
An' setting doon his merchandise;
And he's got letters in his pocket,
Speaks very much unto thy dispraise.
9. To my dispraise, to my dispraise,
Unto my dispraise it canna be,
For I never slighted not yet denied thee;
Until this night that ye've slighted me.
10. Then up she 'rose, an' put on her clothes,
Twas to let her true love in,
Bit before she got the door unlocket,
His ship was sailin' oot owre the main.
11. Come back, come back, my true love Johnnie,
Come back, come back an' I'll lat ye in,
For I hae nae lover bit my ain dear Johnnie
An' I didna think love that ye wis him.
12. The fish shall fly, an' the seas gang dry,
An' the rocks will all melt wi' the sun,
The crow may grow into a white turtle,
But I will never return again.
13. She's set herself upon a rock,
An' she's thrown herself into the sea,
Think lang, think lang my true love Johnnie,
Ye winna hae me to come an' see.
1. minds
2. stanzas out of place beginning here