The Rover- Jack Brown (Sus) 1911 Clive Carey
[From Clive Carey Manuscript Collection (CC/1/32)
R. Matteson 2017]
"The Rover." Sung by Jack Brown of Trotton Sussex on 27 / 28 Feb 1911, collected by Clive Carey
1. I am a rover, that's well known,
I'm a just a-going to leave my home;
Leaving my friends for to sign and mourn,
Fare you well bonny girl till I return.
2. As I tripped over Dabry moor
There I lost sight of my true love's door;
My heart did ache, and my eyes went blind,
Thinking of that bonny girl I’d left behind.
3. “Am I single or am I free?
Or am I bound to marry thee?
A married life then you soon shall see,
A contented mind shows no jealousy.”
4. I sat me down for to write a song,
I wrote it wide and I wrote it long;
At every line I dropped a tear,
At every verse, cried, “O Polly dear!”
5. “I wish, I wish, but it's all in vain,
I wish I was a maid again;
A maid again I never shall be,
Till the apples grow on the orange trees.”