THE MAGDALEN GREEN
Traditional
I am a brisk young sailor lad, just newly
come from sea;
My gallent ship lies anchored in the
harbour o' Dundee,
Young Betsy being the fairest girl that
e'er my eyes have seen,
I asked her wid she take a walk all along
by the Magdalen Green.
But, roguish smile upon her face, she
answered me and said:
"To take a walk with you young man it's I
would be afraid.
For the roads they are so slippery and the
night so hard and keen,
And it would not do for me to fall all
along the Magdalen Green."
But with false words and flattering tongue
the lass soon gied consent,
We wandered here, we wandered there, and
happy times we spent.
And mony's the day and night we roamed to
view the pleasant scene;
I'm afraid this maid got mony's the fall
all along the Magdalene Green.
But some strange thought had crossed my
mind that I would go to sea,
And leave my bonny Betsy, my maid o' sweet
Dundee.
I bade farewell to Dundee where happy we
had been,
And left this maid to weep and mourn all
along by the Magdalen Green.
One night as I lay slumbering I dreamed a
fearful dream,
I dreamed I was the father of a darling
little son;
And for that dear young maiden I saw her
there quite plain,
And she was sad lamenting all along by the
Magdalen Green.
So come all you brisk young sailor lads
and a warning take by me,
Never love a fair young maid then shun her
company;
But I'll come back to Dundee town, for a
rascal I have been,
And I will make it up to her all along by
the Magdalen Green.
Footnote : A Dundee song this week to belatedly celebrate the birthday of
a Dundee loun - The Flag's own Jim Lynch (23 Oct). The word 'Magdelene' is
pronounced 'maudlin' in the song - a reminder of an older age and
pronunciation. An early Dundee Town Council record (1582) describes it as
'Maidlane Geir' (geir being a stretch of land).
