The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland Volume Ii Part 58

Three Sailors

[Music]

-London (A. B. Gomme).

I. Here come three sailors, three by three, To court your daughter, a fair lady (p.r.o.nounced ladee); [_Or_, And down by your door they bend their knee].

Can we have a lodging here, here, here?

Can we have a lodging here?

Sleep, sleep, daughter, do not wake, Here are three sailors we can't take; You cannot have a lodging here, here, here, You cannot have a lodging here.

Here come three soldiers, three by three, To court your daughter, a fair lady; Can we have a lodging here, here, here?

Can we have a lodging here?

Sleep, sleep, daughter, do not wake, Here are three soldiers we can't take; You cannot have a lodging here, here, here, You cannot have a lodging here.

Here come three kings, three by three, To court your daughter, a fair lady; Can we have a lodging here, here, here?

Can we have a lodging here?

Wake, wake, daughter, do not sleep, Here come three kings that we can take; You can have a lodging here, here, here, You can have a lodging here.

Here's my daughter, safe and sound, And in her pocket one hundred pound, And on her finger a gay gold ring, And she is fit to walk with a king.

Here's your daughter, not safe nor sound, Nor in her pocket one hundred pound, On her finger no gay gold ring, I'm sure she's not fit to walk with a king.

-Barnes, Surrey, and London (A. B. Gomme).

II. Here come three tinkers, three by three, To court your daughter, fair lady; Oh! have you any lodgings here, oh, here?

Oh! have you any lodgings here?

Sleep, sleep, daughter, do not wake, Here come three tinkers we cannot take; We haven't any lodgings here, oh, here, We haven't any lodgings here.

Here come three soldiers, three by three, To court your daughter, fair lady; Oh! have you any lodgings here, oh, here?

Oh! have you any lodgings here?

Sleep, sleep, daughter, do not wake, Here come three soldiers we cannot take; We haven't any lodgings here, oh, here, We haven't any lodgings here.

Here come three kings, three by three, To court your daughter, fair lady; Oh! have you any lodgings here, oh, here?

Oh! have you any lodgings here?

Wake, wake, daughter, do not sleep, Here come three kings that we can take; We have some lodgings here, oh, here, We have some lodgings here.

Here's my daughter, safe and sound, And in her pocket five hundred pounds, And on her finger a five guinea gold ring, And she is fit to walk with a king.

Here's your daughter, nor safe nor sound, And in her pocket no five hundred pound, And on her finger no five guinea gold ring, And she's not fit to walk with the king.

-Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).

III. Here's three sweeps, three by three, And down by the door they bend their knee; Oh! shall we have lodgings here, oh, here?

Oh! shall we have lodgings here?

Sleep, dear daughter, do not wake, For here's three sweeps coming to take; Lodgings here they shall not have, So sleep, dear daughter, sleep.

Here's three bakers, three by three, And down by the door they bend their knee; Oh! shall we have lodgings here, oh, here?

Oh! shall we have lodgings here?

Sleep, dear daughter, do not wake, &c. (as above).

Here's three kings, three by three, &c. (as above).

Wake, dear daughter, do not sleep, For here's three kings coming to take; Lodgings here they all may have, So wake, dear daughter, wake.

Here's my daughter, safe and sound, And on her finger a guinea gold ring, And in her pocket a thousand pounds, So she is fit to marry a king.

Here's your daughter, safe and sound, And on her finger no guinea gold ring, And in her pocket no thousand pounds, So she's not fit to marry a king.

-Aberdeen Training College (Rev. W. Gregor).

IV. Here come three tailors, three by three, To court your daughter, fair and fair; Have you got a lodger here, oh, here?

Have you got a lodger here?

Sleep, daughter, sleep, sleep, Here come three tailors we can't take; We haven't got a lodger here, oh, here, We haven't got a lodger here.

[The verses are repeated for "sailors," "blacksmiths," &c., and then "kings," and ends in the same way as the preceding version.]

-Swaffham, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).

V. Here come three sailors, three by three, A courting your daughter, Caroline Mee; [Some would sing it "Because your daughter"]

Can we have a lodging here to-night?

Sleep, daughter, do not wake, Here's three sailors we can't take; You cannot have a lodging here to-night.

Here come three soldiers, three by three, A courting your daughter, Caroline Mee; Can we have a lodging here to-night?

Sleep, daughter, do not wake, Here's three soldiers we can't take; You cannot have a lodging here to-night.

[This is repeated for "kings," and the game ends as in the previous versions. "Three" hundred pounds being subst.i.tuted for "five."]

-Deptford, Kent (Miss Chase).

VI. Here come some travellers three by three, And down by a door they bend their knee.

"Can we get lodgings here?"

The fairest one that I can see Is pretty little --, come to me, And you'll get lodgings here- "Will you come?" "Yes," or "No!"

-Isle of Man (A. W. Moore).

(_c_) The players form in two lines, and stand facing one another. One line consists of a mother and daughters. The other of the suitors. The mother stands a little in advance of her daughters. They remain stationary during the game, the mother alone singing the words on her side. The suitors advance and retire in line while singing their verses.