The Book of Scottish Song/The Cauldrife Wooer

The Cauldrife Wooer.

[This song first appeared in Herd's collection, 1776. Nothing is known of its authorship. In modern collections, it is generally entitled "The Brisk Young Lad," a very different designation from its original one of "The Cauldrife Wooer." The tune, which is a lively one, goes by the comical name of "Bung your eye in the morning."]

There cam' a young man to my daddie's door,
My daddie's door, my daddie's door;
There cam' a young man to my daddie's door,
⁠Cam' seeking me to woo.
⁠And wow! but he was a braw young lad,
⁠A brisk young lad, and a braw young lad,
⁠And wow! but he was a braw young lad,
⁠Cam' seeking me to woo.

But I was baking when he came,
When he came, when he came;
I took him in and gied him a scone,
⁠To thowe his frozen mou'.

I set him in aside the bink;
I ga'e him bread and ale to drink;
But ne'er a blythe styme wad he blink,
⁠Until his wame was fu'.

Gae, get you gone, you cauldrife wooer,
Ye sour-looking, cauldrife wooer ',
I straightway show'd him to the door,
⁠Saying, Come nae mair to woo.

There lay a deuk-dub before the door,
Before the door, before the door;
There lay a deuk-dub before the door,
⁠And there fell he, I trow!

Out cam' the gudeman, and high he shouted;
Out cam' the guid-wife, and laigh she louted;
And a' the toun-neebors were gather'd about it;
⁠And there lay he I trow:

Then out cam' I, and sneer'd and smil'd;
Ye cam' to woo, but ye're a' beguiled;
Ye've fe'en i' the dirt, and ye're a' befyled;
⁠We'll ha'e nae mair o' you!

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