Glen Collection of printed music > Printed text > Popular music of the olden time > Volume 2

558
ENGLISH SONG AND BALLAD MUSIC.
In the Douce Collection, p. 190, is " Shall I, shall I, no, no, no," &c. — Tune
of The Doubting Virgin ; " commencing —
" Pretty Betty, now come to me,
Thou hast set my heart on fire,"
and having the burden :
" Never dally, shall I ? shall I ?
Still she answered, No, no, no."
Whenever the tune of The Doubting Virgin is referred to in the Douce Collec-
tion, either Mr. Douce, or some prior possessor, has pencilled against it, " that
I had never married," as the other name.
" that I had never married" is the first line of " Woman's work is never
done, or The Crown Garland of Princely Pastime and Mirth ; the Woman has
the worst of it, or her work is never done. To the tune of The Doubting Virgin."
A copy of this is in Mr. Payne Collier's Collection : it consists of seven stanzas,
the first of which is here printed with the tune : —
, Boldly.
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O that I bad ne-ver mar-ried, Since I led a care-full life;
Things with me are strangely car -ried, Now I am be - come a wife.
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Whilst that he doth take his plea - sure, (Lest he should to ru - in run,)
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Here I la - bour out of mea- sure, Wo-man's work is
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ne-ver done.
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In the Roxburghe Collection, i., 534, is a second ballad on the same subject : —
" A woman's work is never done.
Here is a song for maids to siug, Which will much pleasure to them bring.
Both in the winter and the spring : Maids may sit still, go, or run,
It is such a pretty-conceited thing, But a woman's work is never done.
To a delicate Northern tune, A Woman' 1 s work is never done, or The Beefs-making."
It commences : —
" As I was wand' ring on the way,
I heard a married woman say
That she had lived a sorry life
Ever since the time she was made a wife.
For why, quoth she, my labour's hard,
And all my pleasures are debarr'd ;
Both morning, evening, night and noon,
I'm sure a woman's work is never done."