The Rover- (London) c.1872 broadside H.P. Such
[From the broadside, "The Rover," H.P. Such, Printer at 177 Union St. and Borough, London c.1872.
The Rover
1. I am a rover, and that's well known,
I am now going to leave my home;
Leaving my friends to sigh and mourn,
Farewell, my bonny girl, till I return.
2. She drew a chair, and bade me sit down,
And soon she told me her heart was won;
She turned her head when I took leave,
Farewell, my bonny girl, for me don't grieve.
3. I sat me down and I wrote a song,
I wrote it wide and I wrote it long;
At every line I shed a tear,
At every line, I cried, Polly dear!
4. Oh am I single or am I free
Or am I bound to marry thee;
A married life you soon shall see,
A contented life shows no jealousy.
5. As I crossed over Dulcimore[1],
There I lost sight of my true love's [door];
My heart did ache, and my eyes went blind,
Thinking of my bonny girl that I’d left behind.
6. I wished, I wished, but all in vain,
I wish I'd been a maid again;
A maid again I never will be,
Till apples grow on the orange tree.
1. for "dreary moor" (rushy moor)