Cambric Shirt- John Ross (Aber) c.1930 Carpenter
[My title. Fragment from James Madison Carpenter Collection, JMC/1/8/1/L, pp. 12067-12068. No date but older.
R. Matteson 2018]
[Cambric Shirt] The Elfin Knight - from John Ross, farmer of Lone Vine Farm, Balintore, Scotland. Heard at a wedding Parish of Nig, west of Balitore.
"O wid ye gie me a cambric shirt,
An' every rose blooms bonnie an' thyme,
An' stitch it along with roses so fine,
Before ye can be a truelover of mine.
"O ye maun wash it in yonder well,
An' every rose blooms bonnie an' thyme,
An' bleach it where grass never grew nor rain never fell,
Before ye can be a truelover of mine.
"Ye will bleach it on yonder green,
An' every rose blooms bonnie an' thyme,
Where rain never fell nor grass never grew,
Before ye can be a truelover of mine.