Traditional Scottish Songs
- My Sweet Wee Winsome Bairnie
Charles Nicol (born in 1858) writes fondly and proudly about his pretty daughter and getting her to sing for him before giving her a doll - much to the toddler's delight.
My Sweet Wee Winsome Bairnie
My sweet wee winsome bairnie,
Faither's dautit wean,
For whate'er comes ye carenae,
Naething gie's ye pain.
Come an' sing a sang tae me
Here atween my knees,
Syne a braw thing you will see
That will my lassie please.Eh! Jess yer awfu' prood noo
Wi' yer lauchin' een;
Sae stan' there an' be good noo,
Sing me 'Bonnie Jean.'
Eh! but ye're awfu' clever,
Faither's ain wee lass,
I'm shair, I think, there never
Was ane could you surpass.Noo, you'll see the bonnie thing
That I've got for ye,
A' because ye did sing
That wee sang tae me.
There ye are my bonnie pet,
Rin tae mammy there,
Let her see that ye did get,
A 'baby' I declare.See, there she's awa dancing
Tae let her mammy see,
Syne wi' her doll she's prancing
Fu' o' weanish glee.
May she aye be happy sae,
An' sae free o' care
Frae this until her last day
Is oor heartfelt prayer.Meaning of unusual words:
winsome bairnie = handsome child
dautit wean = spoiled infant
Syne = then
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