Moorland Johnny/Moorland Johnny

MOORLAND JOHNNY

Tune———Flowers of Edinburgh

COME here all young men and maidens fair,
And hearken to me while I do relate
The sad circumstances of my lot
And how I was brought into misery great
Take warning by me, and keep yourselves free
From all sinful oaths and promises
Which I’m ensnared with, and its like to break my p(illegible text)
When I do remember the case how it is

Now to the world I do declare,
Altho’ that it be to my shame and disgrace,
How I have been slighted by a maiden fair
Who has taken another man into my place.
This lassie I did love, and after her did rove,
Endeavouring for to win her heart;
And when the same I wan I thought myself a m(illegible text)
That so manfully I had play’d my part,

’Tis now to the world I shall relate
How that it was between me and this maid,
How ourselves we did bind with an oath of this ki(illegible text)
But oh ! and alas ! it has proven a snare,
We entered both into a promisary oath,
To cleave to each other while life did remain
I was to marry none but herself alone,
Nor was she to marry another man.

So we did bind ourselves with a curse,
To fall upon any of us that did break;
And now she has broken, therefore I hope
She will get the burden upon her own neck,
He that doth her enjoy, good breeding did destroy
Or else he would never endeavoured,
No nor caused her to break the promise she did make,
Nor her conscience with sin to have burdened,

For a heavy burden she doth bear
of griveous guilt and black perjury,
For she tramples upon light, and says that she’s right
When, positively, the truth she denies.
But I fear I’ll have to stand when both sea and land
Shall all be alter’d into another frame;
To witness against her then, in the sight of all men,
For denying of the truth and abusing the same,

But we will leave her to meditate
Upon her former life and conversation;
And I heartily wish she may get forgiveness,
For every sin and transgression,
O my heart is like to sink, and to break when I think
Upon the flattering words that she spoke;
How she said her heart was glad when I came into her bed,
Or inclosed into her arms in the dark,

When thus inclos’d into her arms
What our behaviour was I will congeal;
For the shameing of mysel’ I darna well tell
What at that present time I did feel———
For truly modesty ought to be set on high,
Among all young men, and maidens likewise
For temtations are not good, nor yet easily withstood
When they come unto you in a pleasant guise.

But O this day! there’s no man knows
The grivious torment that I have endur’d;
For my melancholy I think will make me die,
My diseases they will not he easily cur’d!
I’ve had many a weary night ay longing for day-light
Tormented with many a vexing dream:
My eyes they are grown blear’d with weeping for I’m fear’d,
That l m driven quite out of all esteem.

For among the pretty handsome young maids,
Who of my daft behaviour do hear,
I’m afraid they will me mock, and cry yonder’ greeting Jock,
O this will be their talk of me I do fear.
But now I’m resolv’d all these fears to disolve,
To leave off this weeping and clear up mine eyes
Some lassie brisk and kind will fix on me her mind
And toward me her affection will rise.

But now I do begin to repent
That I myself so far did expose;
I believe I would been wise to have holden my peace
And not to have made such a pitiful noise:
I repent this foolish fit, and do pray for more wit
To behave more wisely the time that’s to come,
Than daftly to lament a thing that is mispent,
which indeed is the thing I have foolishly done.

But let never a man do as I have done,
And I pray you to take this counsel of me,
To keep yourselves free till before the priest you be,
Least you be deceived deceitfully.
Concerning whom I speak my heart is like to break,
And has brought me near to my very grave;
Yet I hope I will recover, to range the world over,
And never more to be a woman's slave,

Altho no mention I have made
What is my name, tho’ I be not asham’d
To tell what I am, nor from whence I came,
Altho this woman I have not nam’d
If my name you want to know the same is still to show,
Altho it is needless the same to disclose;
My name is moorland Johnny I’m better than I’m bonny,
And sometimes I wear some holes in my hose.