Madam I Have Come A-Courting- Fraser (ON) 1961 Fowke
[From Fowke, "Ring Around the Moon" pp. 122-123. The last stanza is from The Courting Case.
R. Matteson 2017]
Madam I Have Come A-Courting- sung by Mrs. Arlington Fraser of Lancaster, Ontario. Collected by Edith Fowke in 1961.
1. Madam, I have come a-courting,
If your favor I might gain,
I will kindly entertain me
If you will never come again.
CHORUS: Da-di-dum, a-derry, a-derry, a-derry,
Da-di-dum a-derry, a-derry, a-day,
2. Blue is a handsome colour,
Till it gets a second dip,
Like young men when they go a-courting
Very often make a slip.
CHORUS:
Madam, I have gold and silver,
Madam, I have houses and land;
Madam, I have a worldly treasure,
All to be at your command.
CHORUS:
What care I for your gold or silver?
What care I for your house and land?
What care I for your worldly treasure?
All I want is a handsome young man.
CHORUS:
The biggest apple soon grow rotten,
The hottest love soon grows cold;
Young men's words are soon forgotten,
Pretty fair maid, don't speak so bold.
CHORUS:
A handsome man I do admire
A handsome man I do adore
A handsome man I mean to marry
Be him rich or be him poor.
CHORUS:
Madam you are very saucy
Madam you are hard to please
Madam you are very saucy--
I hope to the Lord that you will freeze.
CHORUS: