Glen Collection of printed music > Printed text > Ballads and songs of Ayrshire > Volume 1

KIRKDAMDIE FAIR.
To try a lass, but she was shy,
A dram she wadna hae, man.
Weel, fare-ye-weel, I carena by,
There's decent lasses here that's dry,
As pretty's you, and no sae shy,
So ony way you like, man.
There's lads and lasses, mony a sort,
Wha cam' for to enjoy the sport ;
Perhaps they may be sorry for't,
That ever they cam' there, man.
And. mony a lad and lass cam' there.,
Sly looks and winks to barter ;
And some to fee for hay and hairat,
And others for the quarter.
Some did the thieving trade pursue,
While ithers cam' to sell then- woo' ;
And ithers cam' to weet their mou.
And gang wi' lasses hame, man.
Now, I hae tauld what I hae seen,
I maun be stepping hame, man ;
For to be out at twal at e'en.
Would be an unco shame, man.
Besides, my mither said to Kate,
This morning when we took the gate,
Be sure ye dinna stay o'er late.
Come timely hame at een, man.
The much-celebrated fair of Kirkdamdie, which takes place annually on
the last Saturday of May, is held on the green knoll beside the ruins of
Kirkdamdie Chapel, in the parish of Barr — the site, in all probability, of
the ancient burying ground, as it still retains the appearance of having
been enclosed. The institution of this annual meeting, so far as we are