The Female Drummer
Four Excellent New Songs. The Female Drummer. Come under my pladdie with the Answer. The Kail Brose of Auld Scotland.
Edinburgh: Printed by J. Morren.
The Female Drummer
When I was a girl of the age of sixteen,
From my parents run away and a soldier I became
I listed for a private and a drummer I became,
I learned to beat on a rum a dum a dum.
Many a prank I’ve seen in the field,
Many is the French dog to me has been forc’d to yield
Many is the slaughter I’ve seen among the French
And so boldly as I fought when I was but a wench.
A noble top gallant I have been in my time,
With the noble Duke of York at the siege of Valencienes,
I got favour’d by my officers for fear I should be slain,
And they sent me to old England recruiting again.
With my hat cap and feather, if you had me seen
You would have said and sworm that a man I had been.
The drummers all envy’d me my fingers long and small,
I beat upon my rum a dum the best of them all.
Every night to my quarters when that I came,
I was no ways ashamed to ly with a man,
When stripping of my breeches to myself I often smil’d,
To lie with a soldier and a maid all the while.
They sent me to London on guard of the tower,
Where I might have been a maid to this very day and hour
A young girl fell in love with me, I told her I was a maid,
And she through the regiment my secret betray’d.
No officer he sent for me to know if that was true
For scarce such a thing I can believe of you.
They smiled unto me and this is what they said,
It’s a pitty we should lose such a drummer as you made
My girl for your loyalty at the siege of Valenciennes
My girl you shall be allowed a bounty from the Queen
And now I’ve got a husband, and a drummer he’s become,
And I have learned him to beat on my rum a dum dum.
Here’s a health to the Duke and health unto his crew,
And a health unto every boy that sticks to his colours true.
And if the Duke be short of men before the French get slain,
So boldly as I’ll enter and fight for him again.
*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.
BBO Roud Number: BOD7803
EBBA ID Number: 21779
ECCO Gale Document Number: CB3330755327
ECCO Gale Document Number: CW3316478166
ECCO Gale Document Number: CB3330183462
ECCO Gale Document Number: CB3328747553
ECCO Gale Document Number: CW3314439674
ECCO Gale Document Number: CW3316072111
ECCO Gale Document Number: CW3310097386
ECCO Gale Document Number: CB3331329587
ECCO Gale Document Number: CW3314800496
ESTC Citation Number: T199728
ESTC Citation Number: T199726
ESTC Citation Number: T199727
ESTC Citation Number: T180203
ESTC Citation Number: T300279
ESTC Citation Number: T174863
ESTC Citation Number: T210627