Sailor Boy- Georgina Reid (Aber) c.1882 Duncan C
[From The Greig-Duncan Folk Song Collection- Volume 8- page 501 by Patrick N. Shuldham-Shaw, Emily B. Lyle, published 2002. This is a variant of Alehouse with the Foolish Young Girl or, Irish Boy stanza.
Georgina (b. about 1868, d. 1958) was the daughter of John Reid (c. 1844 Elgin) and Elizabeth Murray (c. 1838 Aberdour) who taught her songs. The family (with seven children) were living at Cottage Ford, Federate, New Deer, Aberdeen in 1881. so I've dated this c. 1881. She later married Alexander Ironside (b. circa 1864) did not belong to any of the New Deer Ironsides (at least not for a couple of generations back) who was the son of Alexander Ironside and Mary Still. These Ironsides were from Fyvie[1].
R. Matteson 2017]
The Sailor Boy- sung by Miss Georgina Reid (b. 1868) of Collyford, New Deer. Her married name was Mrs. Alexander Ironside and she lived at Woodside, Carnousie, Turriff. Georgina learned songs from her parents about 1882.
1. Oh what a foolish young girl was I,
To lay my love on a sailor boy
A sailor boy although that he be,
He spoke brood Scotch when he courted me.
2. My love he wears a smiling face
And on his jacket he wears gold lace
He thinks himself of a higher degree
But oh, if he knew it, it's a grief to me
3. It's a grief to me and I'll tell you why,
Because she has more gold than I,
But her gold will fade and her silver decay,
She'll be left a poor girl as well as I.
4. My love he goes to yonder town,
In yonder inn it's him you'll see,
He takes another girl on his knee,
And tells he what he's told to me.
5. I wish, I wish, my babe were born
And placed on some kind nurse's knee.
And I myself in the old churchyard
With the green grass growing over me.
1. Some information quoted from online sources and may not be accurate.