Lyrics - Cam' Ye O'er Frae France? by Steeleye Span

(
Hogg's "
Jacobite reliques")
Cam ye o'er frae
France?
Cam ye doon by
Lunnon?
Saw ye
Geordie
Whelpsand his bonnie woman?
Oh, weren't ye at the placecalled the
Kittle
Housie?
Saw ye
Geordie's gracea-ridin' on a goosie?
Geordie, he's a man,there is little doot o't,
And he's done a' he can,all can dae wi'oot it,
Doon there cam' a blade,linkin' like ma lordie,
He wad drive a tradeat the loom o'
Geordie.
Though the claith were bad,blythly may we niffer
Gin we git oor wab,it makes little differ,we hae tint oor plaid,bonnet, belt and swordie
Ha's and mailin's braid,but we hae oor
Geordie.
Jocky's gone to
France,and
Montgomery's ladythere will learn to dance;madam, are ye ready?
They'll be back belyve,belted brisk and lordly,
Brawly, may they thriveto dance a jig wi'
Geordie!
Hey for
Sandy
Don,hey for
Cockalorum,
Hey for
Bobbin'
John,and his
Hielan' quorum!
Mony a sword and lanceswings at
Hielan hurdie;
How they'll skip and danceo'er the bum o'
Geordie!
Note:
When
George
I imported his seraglio of impoverished gentlewomenfrom
Germany, he provided the
Jacobite songwriters with material forsome of their most ribald verses.
Madame
Kilmansegge,
Countess of
Platen,is referred to exclusively as "
The
Sow" in the songs, while the
King'sfavorite mistress, the lean and haggard
Madame
Schulemburg (afterwardsnamed
Duchess of
Kendall) was given the name of "
The
Goose".
She is the"goosie" referred to in this song.
The "blade" is the
Count
Koningsmark."
Bobbing
John refers to
John,
Earl of
Mar, who was at the time recruiting
Highlanders for the
Hanoverian cause. "
Geordie
Whelps" is, of course,
George
I himself.
MJLunnon=
London
Kittle
Housie=
Brothel
Linkin=
Tripping along
Claith=
Cloth
Niffer=
Haggle
Gin=
If
Wab=
Web (or length) of cloth
Tint=
Lost
Ha's and
Mailins=
Houses and
Farmlands
Gane=
Gone
Belyve=
Quickly
Brawly=
Well
Hurdie=
Buttock

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