My Bonnie Laddie's Young- Broadside (Scot) c.1825 Baring-Gould
[This Scottish broadside is located in the British Library ref. 1871 f 13 60a and has been dated c. 1825 (1820s-1830s by Steve Roud). The text was also written in Sabine Baring-Gould's notebooks- the first stanza was written down from the broadside in 2011 by Steve Gardham:
1 folio volume 43 x 31 cm 94pp, spine says 'Ballads'. No details of provenance. BM stamps 27 April 1865, Probably all Scottish. The few with imprints all Scottish. Many of the other sheets include Scottish songs. Dated items 1820s-1830s. Some full sheets, some quarto, but many slips pasted up to 4 on a page, mostly cropped, imprints mostly lacking- in rough alphabetical order of song title. Likely that sheets didn't have an imprint at all. Likely most if not all from the same printer. Then follows a full list and description of all 94 items.
Baring-Gould supposes it was published in Aberdeen. Gardham thinks it could have been made by Peter Buchan in the 1820a.
R. Matteson 2016]
Copy of the original broadside courtesy of Steve Roud/ Steve Gardham
My Bonny Laddie's Young- Scottish Broadside c.1825. First copied by Baring-Gould around 1890.
1. The trees they are high and the leaves are green
The days they are awa that you and I have seen
The cauld winter nights I maun lie my lane,
My bonny laddie's young but he is growing.
2. Father, O father you have done me much wrong,
For you have married me to a lad that is young,
For he's scarce twelve and I am but thirteen
My bonny laddie's young but he's growing.
3. O daughter, O daughter I have done you no wrong,
For I have married you to a rich lord's son,
And if you will wait, his bride you will be,
Your bonny laddie is young he is growing
4. She sewed him a shirt of Holland fine[1],
And aye as she sew'd the tears they ran down,
And ay' as she sew'd the tears they ran down,
My bonny laddie is lang lang a growing.
5. Father, O father if you think it fit,
Weel send him to this high college another year yet,
And I'll cut of my yellow hair all above my brow,
And I'll go to the high College with my laddie now.
6. It happened on a day and a sun shiny[2] day,
Here going to a green wood to sport and to play,
And what they did there I never will declare,
But she never complained on his growing.
7. At the age of thirteen he was a married man,
At the age of fourteen he had a young son,
At the age of fifteen his grave was growing green,
And that put and end to his growing.
1. This stanza should be placed at the end.
2. original "shinny"