Seventeen Come Sunday / As I Roved Out / One May Morning

As I roved out on a May morning,
On a May morning quite early,
I met my love upon the way,
But oh lord she was early.

Chorus (after each verse):

And she sang lilttle lidle diddle idle dum
And she hidle deedle dum
And she hidle deedle doo and she landy

“Oh how old are you, my pretty fair maid?
How old are you, my darling?”
She answered my quite modestly,
“Sixteen come Monday morning.”

“Do you want to marry me, pretty fair maid?
Do you want to marry me darling?”
She answered my quite modestly,
“Oh I would but for my mammy.”

“Won't you come to my house on top of the hill
When the moon is shining brightly?
I'll arise and I'll let you in
And my mammy won't he hearing.”

And I went up to the top of the hill
When the moon was shining brightly.
She arose and let me in
But her mammy wasn't hearing.

She took my horse by the bridle and reins
And let it to the stable.
“There is plenty of oats for the soldier's horse
As fast as he can eat it.”

She took me by her lily white hand
And let me to the table.
“There is plenty of wine for the soldier boy
As fast as he can take it.”

And she went up and dressed the bed,
she dressed it soft and easy.
I went up and I rolled her in,
“Oh my lassie are you able?”

And it's there we stayed till the break of day
And the devil a one did hear me.
I got up and put on my clothes,
“Oh my lassie I must leave you.”

“Then when will you return again
And when will we get married?”
“When broken delft make Christmas bells,
it's then we will get married.”

Now a pint at night is my delight
And a gallon in the morning.
The old women are my heartbreak
But the young ones are my darling.

As I walked out one May morning,
One May morning so early,
There I spied a fair pretty maid
All in the dews up early.

As I strolled out one May morning,
One May morning so early,
I overtook a handsome maid
And, my goodness, she was early.

Chorus (after each verse):

With a rue dum da, whack fol de la
Whack fol de diddle I-do

Her shoes were black and her stockings were white
And her buckles they shone like silver.
She had a dark and roving eye
And her hair hung over her shoulder.

“Where are you going, my fair pretty maid,
Where are you going, my honey”
Cheerfully she answered me,
“I've an errand for my Mummy.”

“How old are you, my fair pretty maid,
How old are you, my honey?”
Cheerfully she answered me,
“I'm seventeen come Sunday.”

“How old are you, my fair pretty maid,
How old are you, my honey?”
She answered me so cheerfully,
“Well, I'm seventeen come Sunday.”

“Will you take a man, my fair pretty maid,
Will you take a man, my honey?”
Straightaway she answered me,
“I dare not for my Mummy.”

“Could you love me, my fair pretty maid,
Could you love me, my honey?”
She answered me so tearfully,
“Oh, I can't because of Mummy.”

“But if you come round in the middle of the night
When the moon is shining clearly,
I'll lift the pin and let you in
And my Mummy shall not hear me.”

“But if you come to my Mummy's house
When the moon is shining brightly,
Oh, I'll come down and let you in
And my Mummy shall not hear me.”

So I went round in the middle of the night
When the moon was brightly shining;
She lifted the pin and she let me in
And I lay in her arms till morning.

So he went to her Mummy's house
When the moon was brightly shining;
And she came down and she let him in
And she rolled in his arms till the morning.

Then she said, “Will you marry me?”
As she let me out in the morning.
“By you I'm one that's quite undone
If you leave me here in scorning.”

She says, “Kind sir, will you marry me?”
I says, “Oh no, my honey,
For the fife and drum is my delight
And I'm happy in the army.”

So now she's with her soldier bright
Where the wars they are alarming;
And her delight is to dance all night
And a pint of rum in the morning.