The Maid of Fife

There once was a troop of Irish dragoons Come marching down thru Fife-y, O And the captain feel in love with a very bonnie la*s And the name she was called was pretty Peggy-o There's many a bonnie la*s in the glen of Auchterla*s There's many a bonnie la*s in Gairioch-o There's many a bonnie Jean in the streets of Aberdeen But the flower of them all lives in Fife-y, O O come down the stairs, Pretty Peggy, my dear Come down the stairs, Pretty Peggy-o Come down the stairs, comb back your yellow hair Bid a long farewell to your mammy-o It's braw, aye it's braw, a captain's lady for to be And it's braw to be a captain's lady-o It's braw to ride around and to follow the camp And to ride when your captain he is ready-o O I'll give you ribbons, love, and I'll give you rings I'll give you a necklace of amber-o I'll give you a silken petticoat with flounces to the knee If you'll convey me doon to your chamber-o What would your mother think if she heard the guineas clink And saw the haut-boys marching all before you o O little would she think gin she heard the guineas clink If I followed a soldier laddie-o I never did intend a soldier's lady for to be A soldier shall never enjoy me-o I never did intend to gae tae a foreign land And I will never marry a soldier-o I'll drink nae more o your claret wine I'll drink nae more o your gla*ses-o Tomorrow is the day when we maun ride away So farewell tae your Fyvie la*ses-o The colonel he cried, mount, boys, mount,boys, mount The captain, he cried, tarry-o O tarry yet a while, just another day or twa Til I see if the bonnie la*s will marry-o Twas in the early morning, when we marched awa And O but the captain he was sorry-o The drums they did beat a merry bra*selgeicht And the band played the bonnie la*s of Fife-y, O Long ere we came to the glen of Auchterla*s We had our captain to carry-o And long ere we won into the streets of Aberdeen We had our captain to bury-o Green grow the birks on bonnie Ethanside And low lie the lowlands of Fife-y, O The captain's name was Ned and he died for a maid He died for the bonny la*s of Fife-y, O