Spanish Lady- Mrs. Topper (OH) 1939 Eddy
[From Ballads and Songs from Ohio by Mary Olive Eddy, p. 222. This probably date to circa 1870 but no info was provided by Eddy to confirm this specific version. The last stanza is from the "Johnson Boys."
R. Matteson 2017]
The text is taken from a manuscript belonging to Mrs. S. T. Topper, Ashland, Ohio. The songs are mostly written in the neat, clear handwriting of Mrs. Topper's mother, Mrs. Ida Kessler Ferguson, and were written before she was fourteen (by about 1870).
"Spanish Lady" sung by Mrs. S. T. Topper, Ashland, Ohio, 1939;
1. "Yon doth sit a Spanish lady,
Who she is I do not know;
I'll go court her for her beauty,
Let her answer yes or no.
Refrain:
La de um a dui dudum dudum,
La de um a dui dudum da.
2. "Madam, I have come a-courting,
Some kind favors for to win;
If you will kindly entertain me,
In two weeks I'll call again."
3. "Yes, kind sir, you have come a-courting,
Some kind favors for to win;
I will kindly entertain you,
If you'll never call again."
4. "Madam, I have gold and silver,
Madam, I have houses and land;
Madam, I have a world full of pleasure,
All shall lie at your command."
5. "What care I for your gold and silver,
What care I for your houses and land,
What care I for your world full of pleasure?
All I want is a handsome man."
6. "Ripest apple, soonest rotten,
Hottest love, soonest cold,
Old true lovers soon forgotten;
Pray, pretty miss, don't be quite so bold."
7. "Blue it is a handsome color,
When it gets the second dip;
Young men often go a-courting,
And they often get the slip.
8. "My old father often told me
To suit my fancy, if I could;
My old father was a man of honor,
All he earnt was his house and wood.
9. "American boys are boys of pleasure,
Hain't afraid to court the girls;
Hug and kiss and call them honey,
That's the way, boys, don't be afraid."
1. This might be a corrupted variant of "Oh! No John."