Mally Stuart

The cold Winter is past and gone, and now comes on the Spring,
And I am one of the King’s Life-guards, and must go fight for my King,
My Dear!
I must go to fight for my King.
Now since to the war you need to go, one thing, pray, grant to me:
That I dress my self in man’s attire, and march along with thee,
My Dear!
To go through the world with thee.
Not for ten thousand pound, my Love, shall you to danger go.
The rattling drums and shining swords would cause you sorrow and woe,
My Dear!
They would cause you sorrow and woe.
Yet one thing for my Love, I will do, that she cannot do for me;
I’ll wear black cuffs on my red coat sleeve, and mourn for her till I die,
My Dear!
I will mourn till the day I die.
Nay, I will do more, for my true Love, than he will do for me;
I will cut my hair, my snood I will tear, and mourn for him till I die
My Dear!
And mourn till the day I die.
So farewell to my father and mother, farewell and adieu to you!
And farewell, my bonny Mally Stuart, the cause of all my woe,
My Dear!
The cause of all my woe.
When we leave, bonny Stirling town, no more we sleep in tent;
For by the King we are order’d down, and to Ireland we are sent,
My Dear!
To Ireland we are sent.
So farewell, bonny Stirling town, from the maids we are forced to go;
And farewell, bonny Mally Stuart, the cause of all my woe,
My Dear!
The cause of all my woe.
She took the bauchels off her feet, the cockups frae her hair,

And she has tramped a weary gait, for seven lang years and mair,
My Dear!
For seven lang years and mair.

*Transcriber’s note: Dugaw’s catalogue contains multiple variants of this ballad; this is the first of the variants listed. To review other variants of this ballad, please consult the Dugaw catalogue.

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ESTC Citation Number: T183728