Strawberry Lane- Thomas Moran (Leit) 1954 Ennis
[Abbrev. title. From: Some 'English' Ballads and Folk Songs Recorded in Ireland 1952-1954; by Lady Margaret; Journal of the English Folk Dance and Song Society, Vol. 8, No. 1 (1956), pp. 16-28.
R. Matteson 2011]
"Now As You Are Goin' Down Strawberry Lane." (Elfin Knight) Sung by Thomas Moran, Mohill, County Leitrim; December, 1954. Sung by Thomas Moran, Mohill. December, 1954. Recorded and transcribed by Seamus Ennis. (R.P.L. 22026)
[music]
1. Now as you are goin' down Strawberry Lane
Every rose grows merry betimes
It's there you will meet a pretty young man
And tell him that he's a true lover of mine.
2. Tell him to get me a Holland shirt
Every rose grows etc.
Without stitch or seam or needle work
And then he will be a true lover of mine.
3. Tell him to wash it in yonder well
Where water ne'er sprung-nor water ne'er fell.
4. Tell him to dry it on yon whin bush
Where there ne'er grew a thorn since Adam was born.
5. Tell him to get me an acre of land
Between the salt water and the sea-strand.
6. Tell him to plough it with yon deer's horn
And sow it all over with one grain o' corn.
7. Tell him to reap it with shavings o' leather
And bind it all up in a peacock's feather.
8. Tell him to tackle the wren and draw it home
And build it all in a small mouse-hole.
9. Tell him to thatch it with midge's claws
And rope it round with pismire's paws.
10. Tell him to thresh it on yon church-wall
And not let chaff or corn fall.
11. And when he has finished and done his work
Send him to me and I'll give him the shirt
And then he will be a true lover of mine.