A haunting gaelic ballad from the 1600's

MP3 (2:00) [1,882kb] - full version
WAV (0:28) [269kb] - sound clip only

Johnny be fair and Johnny be fine, he wants me for to wed
Oh I would marry Johnny but my father up and said
I'm sad to tell you daughter what your mother never knew,
But Johnny here, he's a son of mine, and so he's kin to you

Oh Billy be fair and Billy be fine, he wants me for to wed
Oh I would marry Billy but my father up and said
I'm sad to tell you daughter what your mother never knew,
But Billy too, he's a son of mine, and so he's kin to you

Well you never seen a girl so sad and sorry as I was
The boys in town are all my kin and my father is the cause
If life should thus continue I should die a single miss
I'm going to go to mother and complain to her of this

Oh my daughter haven't I taught you to forgive and to forget
And if your father's sown his oats, well still you needn't fret
He may be father to all the single boys in town but still;
He's not the one who sired you, so marry whom you will!

CD Down By the Glenside
Label Rockland Records
Credits Sheila Ryan

[click above for Sheila Ryan's website]

Another Version (from St. Helena's Song Page)

Oh, Johnny be fair and Johnny be fine and wants me for to wed.
And I would marry Johnny, but me father up and said,
"I'm sorry to tell you daughter, what your mother never knew,
But Johnny is a son of mine and so he's kin to you."

Oh, William be fair and William be fine and wants me for to wed.
And I would marry William, but me father up and said,
"I'm sorry to tell you daughter, what your mother never knew,
But William is a son of mine and so he's kin to you."

Oh, Thomas be fair and Thomas be fine and wants me for to wed.
And I would marry Thomas, but me father up and said,
"I'm sorry to tell you daughter, what your mother never knew,
But Thomas is a son of mine and so he's kin to you."

Oh, you never saw a maid so sad and sorry as I was.
The lads in town were all me kin and me father was the cause.
If life should thus continue, I will die a single miss,
I think I'll go to mother and complain to her of this.

"Oh, daughter, haven't I told you to forgive and to forget?
Your father sowed his wild oats, but still you need not fret.
Your father may be father to all the lads, but still,
He's not the one who sired you, so marry who you will."