I Will Set My Good Ship- Lee (Stich) 1908 Greig D
[My date, Grieg collected from them in 1908. From: The Greig-Duncan folk song collection - Volume 4; edited by Patrick N. Shuldham-Shaw, Emily B. Lyle - 1981. Collected in North Scotland early 1900s by Gavin Greig (1856–1914), and the minister James Bruce Duncan 1848-1917).
R. Matteson 2016]
D. I Will Set My Good Ship- Sung by Mr. Alexander M. Lee and Mrs. Lee of Stichen in June, 1908. Mr Lee was a chemist in Strichen at that time and a member of the Buchan Club.
1. I will set my good ship in order,
And I will set her to the sea,
And I'll sail over to yonder ocean
To see gin my love will fancy me.
2. We sail-ed east sae did we west,
We sail-ed up, sae did we down,
From the port of Venice to the coast of Genoa,
All the ocean we sail-ed 'round.
3. Now unto my love's bower window,
And see what she's got to say,
Awake, awake you downy[1] sleeper,
Awake, awake it's almost day.
4. Ye'll gang to your father's bower,
And see if he'll let you my bride be,
If he deny you, come back and tell me,
It'll be the last time I'll visit thee.
5. My father's in his office writing,
Trading out his merchandise;
In his hand he holds a letter,
That speaketh much to your dispraise.
6. To my dispraise, love, how can that be?
Or how can it speak ill of thee?
I never proved you an inconstant lover,
Until this time you've denied me.
7. Gang tell your mother love,
And see gin she'll let you my bride be,
If she denies, then come back and tell me,
It'll be the last time I'll visit thee.
8. My mother is in her chamber sleeping
And the terms of marriage wouldn't reach her ear,
It's so my love go chise[2] another
She softly whispered in my ear.
9. Oh how can I go chise another
And you so full o' beauty's charms?
You're fit enough to leave your mother[3]
You're fit enough for your true love's arms.
10 Up she rose, put on her clothes,
For let her true love in,
But before she got the door unlock-ed
Her true love, he was past and gone.
11. Come back, come back, my true lovie,
Come back, come back and speak with me,
The drums may beat and the cannon roar,
But I hinna time to speak wi' thee.
12 The fish may fly, and the seas gang dry,
And the rocks melt in the sun,
And workin' man may give over labour
But ne'er to you, love, will I return.
1. drowsy
2. choose
3. Compare to lines from Ramsay's TTM, c.1725:
'Tis time you were wean'd from your mother,
You're fitter for a lover's arms.