Popular Music Of The Olden Time Vol 1

Ancient Songs, Ballads, & Dance Tunes, Sheet Music & Lyrics - online book

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140
ENGLISH SONG AND BALLAD MUSIC.
Why should young virgins pine away
And lose their chiefest prime ; And all for want of sweet-hearts,
To cheer us up in time ? The young man heard her ditty,
And could no longer stay, But straight unto the damosel
With speed he did away.
When he had played unto her
One merry note or two, Then was she so rejoiced,
She knew not what to do : O God-a-mercy, carman,
Thou art a lively lad; Thou hast as rare a whistle
As ever carman had.
Now, if my mother chide me
For staying here so long; What if she doth, I care not,
For this shall be my song: ' Pray, mother, be contented,
Break not my heart in twain ; Although I have been ill a-while,
I now am well again.'
Now fare thee well, brave carman,
I wish thee well to fare, For thou didst use me kindly,
As I can well declare: Let other maids say what they will,
The truth of all is so, The bonny carman's whistle
Shall for my money go.
I GO FROM MY WINDOW.
This tune is arranged both by Morley and by John Munday, in Queen Eliza­beth's Virginal Book; it is in A new Book of Tablature, 1596; in Morley's First Booke of Consort Lessons, 1599 and 1611; and in Robinson's Schoole of Mustek, 1603. In The Dancing Master, from 1650 to 1686, it appears under the title of " The new Exchange, or Durham Stable;" but the tune is there altered into 2 time, to fit it for dancing.
On the 4th March, 1587-8, John Wolfe had a license to print a ballad called " Goe from the windowe." Nash, in his controversial tracts with Harvey, 1599, mentions a song, " Go from my garden, go." In Beaumont and Fletcher's 'Knight of the Burning Pestle, Old Merrythought sings—