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The Moon Shined on My Bed Last Night

Jeannie Robertson sang The Moon Shined on My Bed Last Night on her 1963 Prestige album The Cuckoo’s Nest and Other Scottish Folk Songs. An earlier recording made by Alan Lomax in 1953 was included in 1998 on her Rounder anthology The Queen Among the Heather. The latter’s album notes commented:

As Jeannie notes below in her comments on Andrew Lammie, few sins are greater than to come between true lovers. The girl in this ballad thought so, too, and would not be swayed by wealth or gossip.

Sam Lee learned The Moon Shone on My Bed Last Night from Stanley Robertson who learned it from Jeannie Robertson. He sang it on his 2015 album The Fade in Time.

Hannah Rarity learned The Moon Shined on My Bed Last Night from the singing of Jeannie Robertson and sang it on her 2018 CD Neath the Gloaming Star.

Lyrics

Hannah Rarity sings The Moon Shined on My Bed Last Night

For the moon shined on my bed last night,
No rest I could not find,
For thinking on the bonnie boy,
The boy I left behind.
If he were here that I love dear
I’d go to my bed and sleep,
But instead of sleep, all night I weep
And mony’s the tear I shed.

Young men so full of jealousy,
Young girls so frank and free.
If it was my will I would be still
In my love’s company.
If he were here that I love dear
I’d go to my bed and sleep,
But instead of sleep, all night I weep
And mony’s the tear I shed.

For an auld man came a-courtin’ me
An’ he asked me tae be his bride.
My parents, they advised me
To give up my one true love.
He had little money,
It was all they would endure,
But I will live in poverty
And wae the lad I loe.

For it’s some they speak of my true love,
Yet mony more speaks o’ me,
But I let them all say whit they will
And I’ll keep his company.
I let them a’ say whit they will
An’ I’ll do the best I can,
For I’m bound to leave this country
And follie my nice young man.