No! John- William Wooley (Som) 1907 Sharp MS
[From Cecil Sharp Manuscript Collection (at Clare College, Cambridge) (CJS2/9/1285). The first two stanzas of Woolsey's original version were uses for Sharp's composite.
R. Matteson 2017]
No John (Oh No John)- sung by William Wooley of Bincombe, Somerset in 1907
On yonder hill there stands a creature,
Who she is I do not know.
I'll go and court her for her beauty;
She must answer Yes or No.
O No John! No John! No John! No!
On her bosom were bunches of posies,
On her breast where flowers grow,
If I've a chance to touch that posy
She must answer Yes or No.
O No John! No John! No John! No!
My father was a Spanish captain -
Went to sea but a month ago,
And the very last time we kissed and parted,
He always bid me answer No.
O No John! No John! No John! No!
"Madam, shall I tie your garter?
Tie it a little above your knee,
If my hand should slip a little farther
Would you think it amiss of me?"
O No John! No John! No John! No!
One night they went to bed we together
There they lay till cocks did crow
Then they sport till the daylight was breaking
Now it's time for us to go.
O No John! No John! No John! No!