Transcription
THE DANDY SERVANTS Ye braw decenent women I'll sing you a song,
Of the wit of the auld and the pride of the young,
They are all grown sae gaudy as sure as my life,
Ye' ll hardly ken servant frae the guidwife.
Down down, hey derry down. It's not of farmers' daughters nor tradesmen's indeed,
In Which I intend to sing my new creed.
It's of servant lasses that are getting sae braw,
That they outstrip their mistress far and awa. There is some exceptions I must confess,
I mean in behaviour not in their dress,
For they dress all alike, and like dandies they go,
And some of them decent and some of them no. Between six and seven the miss goes to school,
Before she knows whether she's wise or a fool,
There she learns to count and to write,
Till she's fit for a lawyer or something such like. When schooling is over to service she goes,
And then for high wages as you may suppose,
The first of it goes for a white muslin gown,
And a bonnet that would keep moonlight from the town. And down the bonnet there hangs a bit silk,
Which old granny had serving her milk,
I own it was useful her beauty to trace,
For it hid all the wrinkles that was in her face. She then decks herself like a ship in full sail,
. The ribbons as broad as the green leaves o' kail,
With that and the veil hanging over her e'en,
That there's not a wrinkle at all to be seen. She curls up her hair like water-dogs tail,
Ro' ll up in paper as round as a snail,
The very first Sunday the veil goes on,
One says to to the other who is she yon ? Then on Sunday she goes to the church,
But what she hears there she does not mind much ;
Neither the text nor the psalm will she mind on,
But she'll mind very well what he neighbours had on. At balls and at meetings she will rant and rove,
And every new meeting shall gel a new love,
But with her gallanting ere three years go round,
Her state alters suddenly her bonnet goes down. Syne after they're married away the child goes,
And leaves the poor creature in sorrow and woe,
And away to America then he does trip,
And leaves the poor miss the shaft to lick. Then she's confined like a cow to the grass,
And bonnet laid down with the gown, veil and dress ;
The cradle she rooks while the wean it does roar,
And she grievesat the thine that she laughed at before.
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