The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland Volume I Part 62

-Platt, near Wrotham, Kent (Miss Burne).

[Music]

-Northants (Rev. W. D. Sweeting).

[Music]

-Belfast (W. H. Patterson).

I. I'm come to court Janet jo, Janet jo, Janet jo, I'm come to court Janet jo, How's she the day?

She's up the stair washin', Washin', washin', She's up the stair washin', Ye canna see her the day.

[Then follow verses, the words of which are not given by Chambers, representing Jenny as bleaching, drying, and ironing clothes. At last they say-]

Janet jo's dead and gane, Dead and gane, dead and gane; Janet jo's dead and gane, She'll never come hame!

-Chambers' _Popular Rhymes_, pp. 140-41.

II. I'm come to court Janet jo, Janet jo, Janet jo, Come to court Janet jo, How is she the day?

She's b.u.t.t the house washing, washing, washing She's b.u.t.t the house washing, You can't see her to-day.

Fare ye well, ladies, ladies, ladies, Fare ye well, ladies, For I must away.

-West Scotland (_Folk-lore Record_, iv. 474).

III. We've come to court Jinny jo, Jinny jo, Jinny jo, We've come to court Jinny jo, Is she within?

Jinny jo's washing clothes, Washing clothes, washing clothes, Jinny jo's washing clothes, You can't see her to-day.

So fare ye well, ladies, O ladies, O ladies, So fare ye well, ladies And gentlemen too.

[These verses are repeated for-

(1) drying clothes, (2) starching, (3) ironing, (4) ill, (5) dying.

Then-]

Jinny jo's lying dead, Lying dead, lying dead, Jinny jo's lying dead, You can't see her to-day.

So turn again, ladies, Ladies, ladies, ladies, So turn again, ladies, And gentlemen too.

What shall we dress her in?

Dress her in, dress her in?

What shall we dress her in?

Shall it be red?

Red's for the soldiers, The soldiers, the soldiers, Red's for the soldiers, And that will not do.

[Various other colours are suggested in the same way, but are found unsuitable-black because "black's for the mourners," green because "green's for the croppies," and so on till at last white is named.]

White's for the dead people, Dead people, the dead people, White's for the dead people, And that will just do.

-Belfast (_Notes and Queries_, 7th series, xii. 492, W. H. Patterson).

IV. I came to see Jenny jo, Jenny jo, Jenny jo, I came to see Jenny jo, is she within?

Jenny jo's washing clothes, washing clothes, washing clothes, Jenny jo's washing clothes, and ye can't see her to-day.

Oh but I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Oh but I'm sorry, I can't see her to-day.

Farewell ladies, O ladies, O ladies, Farewell ladies, and gentlemen too.

[Then the same verses are repeated for-

(1) starching clothes, (2) smoothing clothes, (3) dead,

the four lines above being repeated after each, and the verses proceed with-]

What shall we dress her in, dress her in, dress her in?

What shall we dress her in? Shall it be black?

Black for the sweeps, the sweeps, the sweeps, Black for the sweeps, and that shall not do.

What shall we dress her in, dress her in, dress her in?

What shall we dress her in? Shall it be blue?

Blue for the sailors, sailors, sailors, Blue for the sailors, and that shall not do.

What shall we dress her in, dress her in, dress her in?

What shall we dress her in? Shall it be red?

Red for the soldiers, soldiers, soldiers, Red for the soldiers, and that shall not do.

What shall we dress her in, dress her in, dress her in?

What shall we dress her in? Shall it be orange?

Orange for the Orange-men, Orange-men, Orange-men, Orange for the Orange-men, and that shall not do.

What shall we dress her in, dress her in, dress her in?

What shall we dress her in? Shall it be white?

White for the corpse, the corpse, the corpse, White for the corpse, and that will just do.

We have lost a soldier, soldier, soldier, We have lost a soldier, and the Queen has lost a man.

We will bury him in the bed of glory, glory, glory, We will bury him in the bed of glory, and we'll never see him any more.