Trees They do Grow High- Mrs. Studeley (Dor) 1906
[From Henry Hammond Manuscript Collection (HAM/4/27/14)
The instructions are to make several changes to Mrs Hann's version; clearly these changes will not give an accurate version since Hann's first measure is so unusual, in fact most of her version is corrupt. I've replaced the first measure- made changes to the rest of Hann's version and added a missing line.
R. Matteson 2016]
The Trees They do Grow High- Sung by Mrs. Studeley of Corfe, Dorset in November, 1906; Collected by H.E.D. Hammond
The trees they do grow high, and the leaves they do grow green,
The day is past and gone, my love, that you and I have seen,
It's a cold winter's night, my love, when you and I must bide alone,
And my bonny lad is young, and is growing[1].
I made my love a shirt[2] of the holland so fine,
Every stitch in it, I brought it to my mind,
And every stitch in it, I brought it to my mind[3],
whilst my bonny boy is young, but he's growing.
Dear father dear father, you have done to me much harm,
You've married me to a boy and I'm sure he is too young
For he's scarce sixteen and I am twenty-one[4]
Whilst my bonny boy is young, but he's growing.
Dear daughter, dear daughter if you don't think it's fair
I'll send him to some college from year unto year,
I'll tie a white ribbon all around his Scotch bonnet,
For it's to let the ladies know he is married.
As I looked over my father's garden wall,
[There were] four and twenty school boys playing at the ball,
Oh! where is my true love before I see them all,
Whilst my bonny boy is young, but he's growing.
At the age of fourteen he was a married man,
At the age of fifteen he was the father of a son,
At sixteen his grave oh his grave it did grow green,
And that put and end to his growing.
1. stanza based on Amos Ash 1905.
2. usually "shroud"
3. this repeats
4. I've added this missing line