Roving in the dew
Language: English
"Where are you going to, my pretty fair maid, Red rosy cheeks and coal-black hair?" "I'm going a milking, kind sir," she answered me, "For roving in the dew makes the milk-maids fair." "What is your father then, my pretty fair maid, Red rosy cheeks and coal-black hair?" "My father's a farmer, kind sir," she answered me, "For roving in the dew makes the milk-maids fair." "What is your mother then, my pretty fair maid, Red rosy cheeks and coal-black hair?" "The wife of my father, kind sir," she answered me, "For roving in the dew makes the milk-maids fair." "May I come along with you, my pretty fair maid, Red rosy cheeks and coal-black hair?" "Just as it please you, kind sir," she answered me, "For roving in the dew makes the milk-maids fair." "Suppose I ran away from you, my pretty fair maid, Red rosy cheeks and coal-black hair?" "The devil may run after you, I will stand and laugh at you, For roving in the dew makes the milk-maids fair."
Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by George Sainton Kaye Butterworth (1885 - 1916), "Roving in the dew", from Folk Songs from Sussex, no. 9. [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 173