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Come Lasses and Lads

[ Roud 22885 ; Ballad Index HaGa048 ; Bodleian Roud 22885 ; GlosTrad Roud 22885 ; Wiltshire 107 ; trad.]

John Roberts, Tony Barrand, Fred Breunig and Steve Woodruff sang Come Lasses and Lads on their 1980 album To Welcome In the Spring.

Bill Smith sang Come Lasses and Lads in a July 1982 recording on his 2011 Musical Traditions anthology A Country Life. Rod Stradling noted:

Almost certainly another song Bill learnt at school. Roud has 24 instances, but most are broadsides. D’Urfey had it in Pills to Purge Melancholy (1719-1720), but the only time it has been noted in the oral tradition was when James Madison Carpenter heard it sung by Phyllis Thomas, in Camborne, Cornwall, in the 1930s.

Lyrics

Roberts & Barrand sing Come Lasses and Lads

Come, lasses and lads, take leave of your dads,
And away to the Maypole hie;
For ev’ry fair has a sweetheart there,
And the fiddler’s standing by.
Then Willie shall dance with Jane,
And Johnny has got his Joan,
𝄆 And every maid shall trip it, trip it,
Trip it up and down. 𝄇

“Let’s start”, says Dick, “Aye aye”, says Nick,
“And I prithee, fiddler, play.”
“Agreed, says Hugh, and so says Sue,
“For this is a holiday.”
Then every lad did doff
His hat unto his lass,
𝄆 And every maid did curtsy, curtsy,
Curtsy on the grass. 𝄇

“Begin”, says Matt, Aye aye”, says Nat,
“We’ll lead up Packington’s Pound”
“No, no”, says Nolly, and so says Dolly,
“We’ll first have Sellenger’s Round.”
Then every man began
To foot it round about,
𝄆 And every girl did step it, step it,
Step it in and out. 𝄇

“You’re out”, says Dick, “Not I”, says Nick,
“’Twas the fiddler play’d it wrong.”
“’Tis true, says Hugh, and so says Sue
And so says every one.
The fiddler then began
To play the tune again,
𝄆 And every maid did jig it, jig it,
Jig it to the men. 𝄇

“Let’s kiss”, says Jan, “Aye aye”, says Nan,
And so says every she.
“How many?” says Matt, “Why three”, says Nat,
“For that is a maiden’s fee.”
The men, instead of three,
Did give them half a score.
𝄆 And the maids in kindness, kindness, kindness,
Give ’em as many more. 𝄇

Well there they did stay for the whole of the day
And they tired the fiddler quite,
With dancing and play, without any pay,
From morning until night.
They told the fiddler then
That they’d pay him for his play,
𝄆 And each a twopence, twopence, twopence,
Give him, and went away. 𝄇

“Good night”, says Harry, “Good night”, says Mary,
“Good night”, says Dolly to John.
“Good night”, says Sue to her sweetheart Hugh,
“Good night”, says every one.
Some walked, and some did run,
Some loitered on the way,
𝄆 And they bound themselves with kisses twelve
To meet next holiday. 𝄇

Bill Smith sings Come Lasses and Lads

Come lasses and lads get leave of your dads
And away to the maypole high,
For every fair has a sweetheart there
And a fiddler standing by.
For Molly shall dance with Jane
And Johnny has got his Joan,
𝄆 And every girl do trip it, trip it,
Trip it up and down. 𝄇

“Good night”, says Harry, “Good night”, says Mary,
“Goodnight”, says Poll to John.
“Goodnight”, says Sue to her sweetheart Hugh,
“Goodnight”, say everyone.
Some walked and some did run,
Some loitered on the way
𝄆 And bound themselves by kisses twelve
To meet the next holiday. 𝄇