Traditional Scottish Songs
- Bonnie Jenny Shaw
Here is a love song by Charles Nicol which sings the praises of a simple milkmaid whose young man thinks she is the best lass in the world - as all young men in love tend to do.
Bonnie Jenny Shaw
Nae doot ye've heard o' Jenny Shaw,
Wha lives doon by the burn;
That winsome lass few can surpass,
Wha daily works the churn.
An' tho' she's but a dairymaid,
She's a' the warl' to me;
She is my jewel, my Jenny fair,
Wi' modest grace to see.When gloamin' shadows a' the glen,
An' tranquil is the scene,
'Tis then I wander forth to meet
My ain, my lovely queen.
An' then sic voos as 'tween us pass,
To be for ever true;
Oh, gin that happy time could last
We aften wish anew.Fu' aft we wander through the fields,
When nae a ane is near,
An' whisper a' oor tales o' love
That's to each ither dear.
But some day sune a bride she'll be,
A bride fu' bien an' braw;
An' then she'll hae to change her name,
My bonnie Jenny Shaw.Meaning of unusual words:
winsome = comely, attractive
gloamin' = dusk
sic voos = such vows
gin = until
fu' bien an' braw = very eager and excellent
Where else would you like to go in Scotland?