Folk and Traditional Song Lyrics:
Roses Up and Roses Down
Roses Up and Roses Down
Roses Up and Roses Down
1.
Roses in and roses out,
Roses in the garden:
I would not give a bunch of flowers
For twopence halfpenny farthing.
2.
Roses up and roses doon,
Roses in the garden;
I wadna gie ye a bunch o flooers
For tenpence halfpenny farden.
Take her by the lily-white hand,
Lead her across the water;
Gie her a kiss, and one, two, three,
For she's a lady's daughter.
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(1) Nicholson Golspie (1897), 133; tune, p. 201, also
sung to "I'll take her by the lily white hand" and "I've
a lad at Golspie." Part of a line game sequence; one
informant substitutes for 3-4 the last two of "I'll take
her" etc., q.v. These two stanzas were often combined
with "Queen Mary", q.v.; the whole sequence seems to
combine a series of floaters.
(2) SC (1948), 81 (114), from Berwick.
MS