1. The Shearing

Bonny laddie will ye nay gang
Shear with me the whole day long
And love will cheer us as we gang
To join you band of shearers.

Summer days and heather bells
Are ringing in the silent hills
There's yellow corn in yonder fields
And autumn brings the shearing.

And if the weather it be dry
They’ll say there's love 'tween you and I
They’ll say there's love 'tween you and I
When autumn brings the shearing.

And when the harvest it be done
We'll have some ranting roaring fun
We'll have some ranting roaring fun
When autumn brings the shearing.

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2. The Country Life

Chorus:
O I like to rise when the sun she rises
Early in the morning
I like to hear them small birds singing
Merrily upon their lay-land
And hurrah for the life of a country girl
And to ramble in the new mown hay

In he spring we sow, in the harvest mow
And that's how the seasons around they go
But of all the times if choose I may
It’s to ramble in the new mown hay

In the winter when the sky is gray
We edge & ditch our life away
But in summer when the sun shines gay
We go rambling in the new mown hay

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3. Tell My Ma

Chorus:
Tell my ma when I go home
The boys won't leave the girls alone
They pull my hair & they stole my comb
But that's alright 'till I go home
She is handsome, she is pretty
She's the bell of Belfast City
She's a courting one, two, three
Please won't you tell me, who is she.

Albert Mooney says he loves her
All the boys are fighting for her
They knock on the door and they ring the bell
Oh my true love are you well
Here she comes as white as snow
Rings on her fingers, bells on her toes
Old Johnny Murray he says she’ll die
If she doesn't get the fellow with the rovin' eye

Let the wind & the rain and the hail blow high
And the snow come tumbling from the sky
She's as nice as apple pie
She'll get her own boy by and by
If she gets a lad of her own
She won't tell her ma till she comes home
Let the boys stay as they will
For it's Albert Mooney she loves still

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4. Lots of Fish in Bonavist Harbour

Oh there's lots of fish in Bonavist Harbout
Lots of fish right in around here
Boys & girls are fishing together
Forty-five from Carbonear

Chorus:
Catch a hold this one, catch a hold that one
Swing around this one, dance around she
Catch a hold this one, catch a hold that one
Diddle dum this one, diddle dum dee.

Sally is the pride of Cat Harbour
Ain't been swung since late last year
Since she met that fellow from Fortune
Who came down a-fishing last year.

Uncle George got up in the morning
He got up in a heck of a tear
Tore the seat right out of his trousers
Now he's got no pair to wear

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5. I Dyed My Petticoat Red

I dyed my petticoat I dyed it red,
And around the world I begged my bread,
Friends and relations think me dead,
Call the cat the kiddley-ack the low.

Chorus:
Shoal, shoal, shoal the backerol,
Show de ramsack call and the popatoo,
While they call the cat the kiddleyack,
A-widdley widdley wum,
'Till they niddleyack niddleyack night night night.

I wish and I wish and I wish in vain,
I wish I was a young maid again,
A maid again I never shall be,
'Till cherries grow on an apple tree.

I churned my butter with a bullikin boot,
And I churned it round with a muddy old scoot,
Friends and relations think it cute,
Call the cat the kiddleyack the low.

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6. A-Rovin'

In Charlottetown there lived a maid
Bless you young women
In Charlottetown there lived a maid
Now mind what I do say
In Charlottetown there lived a maid
And she was mistress of her trade
I'll go no more a roving with you fair maid.

Chorus:
A-roving, A-roving,
Since roving is my ruin
I'll go no more a-roving
With you fair maid.

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7. Johnny's Gone-A-Sailing

Johnny's gone a-sailing
With trouble on his mind,
For the leaving of his country,
And his darling girl behind.
Dor a lee a laddle,
Dor a lee my lily O.

"Before you step on board sir,
Your name I'd like to know,"
With a smile upon her countenance
She answered, "Jack Munro."

"Your waist it is quite slender
And your fingers they are small,
And your cheeks they are too rosy
To face the cannon ball."

"My waist it is quite slender
And my features they are small,
But I never faint nor falter
If then thousand round me fall."

"I am not your daughter,
And her I do not know,
For I've just come from the battlefield
And they call me Jack Munro."

I saw her walking on the strand . . .
I said ahoy & took her hand . . .

I took this fair maid for a walk . . .
And we had such a lovely talk . . .

She swore that she'd be true to me . . .
Spent my pay so fast & free . . .

Scare had I been gone to sea . . .
When a soldier took her on his knee . . .

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8. Si J'Avais Les Beaux Souliers

Si j'avais les souliers
Qu'ma mignonn' m'avait donnes
Si j'avais les souliers
Qu'ma mignonn' m'avait donnes
Mes souliers d'papier.
Mes souliers sont rouges,
Ma mignonne, ma mignonne,
Mes souliers sont rouges,
Ma mignonne, mes amours.

Si j'avais les beaux bas
Qu'ma mignonn' m'avait donnes! (bis)
Mes beaux bas d'peau d'chat
Mes souliers d'papier.

Si j'avais les culottes . . . (bis)
Mes culott's de potte-en-potte
Mes beaux bas d'peau d'chat . . .

Si j'avais la ceinture . . . (bis)
Ma ceintur' de confiture
Mes culott's de potte-en-potte . . .

Si j'avais le chapeau . . . (bis)
Mon chapeau bien haut
Ma ceintur' de confiture
Mes culott's de potte-en-potte
Mes beaux bas d'peau d'chat
Mes souliers d'papier

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9. Ca' The Ewes

Chorus
Ca'the ewes unto the knowes, ca'them where the heather grows
Ca'them where the burnie rows, by bonnie dearie

We'll gae doon by Cluden side thru the hazels spreading wide
O'er the waves that sweetly glide to the moon sae clearly

Hark the mavis evenin' song soundin' Cluden's woods amang
Then a-foldin' let us gang, my bonnie dearie

Fair & lovely as thou art, thou hast stol'n my very heart
I can die but canna part, by bonnie dearie

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10. A Leg Of Mutton

A leg of mutton went over to France,
Right fal diddle aye day
A leg of mutton went over to France,
The ladies did sing and the gentlemen dance,
To me right fal diddle aye day.

There was a man and he was dead . . .
They sent for the doctor to look in his head . . .

In his head there was a pool . . .
Where all the young salmon they went to school . . .

In the school there was a spring . . .
Where 39 salmon were learning to sing . . .

One of them was as big as I . . .
I hope you don't think that I'm single a lie . . .

One of them was as small as an elf . . .
If you want anymore you can sing it yourself.

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11. The Sailor's Alphabet

'A' for the anchor of our gallant ship,
And 'B' for the bowsprit, so neatly does fit,
'C' for the capstan, we all go around,
And 'D' for the davits our boat hands upon.

Chorus:
So merry, so merry, so merry are we,
No mortals on earth are like sailors at sea.
To me hi, to me ho, to me hi diddle dum,
Give sailors their grub, and there's nothing wrong.

'E' for the ensign so gallant and true,
'F' the forecastle that holds all our crew,
'G' for the grub that our captain sends 'round,
'H' for the halyards we all sway upon.

Chorus

'I' for the iron on our topsail boom,
'J' for the jigger block on the yardarm,
'K' for the keel away down below,
'L' for the lanyards we heave to and fro.

Chorus

'M' is for merlin spike hands on the nail,
'N' for the needle we sew up our sails,
'O' for the oars of our jolly boat,
'P' for the pump that keeps us afloat.

Chorus

'Q' for the quarterdeck polished and strong,
'R' for the rudder that steers her along,
'S' for the sails that drive her ahead,
'T' for the taffrail when we throw out the leads.

Chorus

'U' for the ugliest cloud of them all,
'V' for the vapour that comes with the squall,
'W' for the windlass on which we do wind,
'X Y Z' well I can't do the rhyme.

Chorus

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12. Molly & Johnny

Molly & Johnny sat reposing
Under a bank of blooming roses
While at the sea the ship was waiting
That young couple sat repeating, love farewell.

Chorus:
Darling farewell and it's all for parting
Love farewell.

On Johnny dear now do not leave
For your absence it would grieve me
For if you go where the cannons rattle
I fear my love will fell in battle.

Oh Molly dear, now do not mours
For there's a relief at my returning
For when I get back from the war's alarm
I'll gently roll you in my arms.

The old woman said now do not grieve
Do not take my daughter from me
For if you do I will torment you
At my death my ghost will haunt you.

The ship now she sails on the briny ocean
Seeking out for high commotion
The trumpets sound and the drums are beating
Hush me boys for there's no retreating.

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13. Mairi's Wedding

Chorus:
Step we gaily as we go, heel for heel & toe for toe
Arm in arm & on we go, all for Mairi's wedding

Over hill ways up & down, myrtle green & bracken brown
Past the sheeling through the town, all for the sake of Mairi

Plenty herring, plenty meal, plenty peat to fill her creal
Plenty bonny bairns as weel, that's the toast for Mairi

Cheeks as bright as rowans are, brighter far than any star
Fairest of them all by far is my darling Mairi

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14. Garten Mother's Lullaby

Sleep my child as the red bee hums
The silent twilight falls
Darkness from the grey rock comes
And wraps the world in thrall
A lean bhean 'og my child, my joy,
My love my heart's desire
The crickets sing you lullaby
Beside the dying fire
Dusk is drawn and the green man's horn
is wrapped in rings of fog
Shaoifre sails his boat till dawn
Upon the starry bog
A lean bhean 'og the paley moon
Hath brimmed its cusp with dew
And weeps to hear the sad sleep song
I sing my love to you.

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