Hold thy way, my bonny bairn,
Hold thy way up on my arm,
Hold thy way, thou soon may learn
To say Dada, so canny.
I wish thy daddy may be well,
He's long in coming from the keel,
Though his black face be like the de'il,
I like a kiss from Johnny.
Thou really has thy daddy's chin,
Thou art like him, leg and wing,
And I, with pleasure, can thee sing,
Since thou belongs my Johnny.
Johnny is a clever lad,
Last night he fuddled all he had,
This morn he wasn't very bad,
He looked as blithe as any.
Though thou's the first, thou's not the last,
I mean to have my bairns fast,
And when this happy time is past
I still will love my Johnny.
For his hair's brown and so is thine,
Thine eyes are grey, and so are mine,
Thy nose is tapered off so fine,
Thou's like thy daddy Johnny.
Thy canny dowp is fat and round,
And like thy dad, thou's plump and sound,
Thou's worth to me a thousand pound,
Thou's altogether bonny.
When daddy's drunk, he'll take his knife
And threaten sore to take my life,
Who wouldn't be a keelman's wife,
To have a man like Johnny.
But yonder's daddy, coming now,
He looks the best among the crew,
They're all going to the Barley Mow
To have a glass with Johnny.
So let's go get the bacon fried,
And let us make a clean fireside,
Then on his knee he will thee ride,
When he comes home to mammy.