My Bonny Lad Is Young- Such broadside (Lon) c. 1863
[From H. Such, Machine Printer & Publisher, 177, Union Street, Boro'., S.E.(London), dated 1863-1885. Another Such broadside 1849-1862 was printed at Such's Song Mart, 123, Union Street, Borough, London. This is the text from the latter version. There are minor differences.
Other broadsides were printed, the earliest in Scotland c. 1820s; this text represents the newer broadsides.
R. Matteson 2016]
MY BONNY LAD IS YOUNG, BUT HE'S GROWING.
O, the trees that do grow high and the leaves that do grow green,
The days are gone and past, my love, that you and I have seen;
On a cold winter's night when you and I alone have been—
My bonny lad is young, but he's growing.
"O father, dear father, you to me much harm have done,
You married me to a boy, you know he is too young,"
"O daughter dear, if you will wait you'll quickly have a son,
And a lady you'll be while he's growing.
I will send him to the college for one year or two,
And perhaps in that time, my love, he then may do for you;
I'll buy him some nice[1] ribbons to tie round his bonny waist, too,
And let the ladies know he's married."
She went to the college and looked over the wall,
She saw four-and-twenty gentlemen playing there at ball;
They would not let her go through, for her true love she did call,
Because he was a young man growing.
At the age of sixteen he was a married man,
At the age of seventeen she brought him forth a son,
At the age of eighteen the grass did grow over his gravestone,
Cruel death put an end to his growing.
I will make my love a shroud of the fine holland brown,
And all the time I'm making it the tears they shall run down,
Saying "Once I had a sweetheart, but now I have got none,
Farewell to thee, my bonny lad, for evermore."
O now my love is dead and in his grave doth lie,
The green grass grows over him so very high;
There I can sit and mourn until the day I die,
But I'll watch o'er his child while he's growing.
1. 1849 broadside has "white ribbons"