Traditional: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

A Nursery Rhyme

Traditional

“A Nursery Rhyme” as printed in The Book of Scottish Song (1843).

Traditional: Collected Lyrics Text 10 1843 · historical text
Public domainScottish songFolk
Complete public-domain lyrics

This text comes from The Book of Scottish Song, edited by Alexander Whitelaw, a historical songbook transcribed on Wikisource and reproduced from the pinned revision linked below.

Verse 1

Ba loo! my bonnie lammie,

An' I'll sing you a bit sang;

An' I'll tak' tent, my hinny,

That naething sall you wrang.

Your wee bit bed is saft an' warm,

For it was made by me

An' ye are lyin' safe frae harm

Aneath a mither's e'e.

Ba loo! my sweet wee dawtie,

This is your time o' spring,

When a' is sweet, an' fresh, an' pure—

Nae guilt the heart to sting.

O, lang in innocence remain,

An' safe at hame abide;

An' still uphaud by virtuous deeds

A mither's honest pride!

Ba loo! ye laughin' rogie!

Ye ha'e your daddie's e'e,

Sae sparklin' an' sae winsome—

His glance, sae sweet and slee.

Like him aye may ye grow, till meet

To mingle amang men;

But his sair toils an' sorrows

I pray you ne'er may ken!

Sleep soun', my winsome laddie!

Your daddie 's on the sea—

He 's toilin' late an' early

For bread to you an' me.

Hale nights I lie an' listen

Wi' feelings lane and drear;

An' whan I hear the risin' storm

I'm like to swarf wi' fear.

But while the win's are whistlin'

Wi' wild an' eerie tune,

For my dear Jamie's safety

I look to Ane aboon;

For He can calm the stormy win',

An' still the ragin' sea,

An' bring again my dear gudeman

To my sweet bairn and me.

Credits

Written by Traditional

Traditional words. Historical text published in The Book of Scottish Song (1843); public domain. No claim to a modern recording or arrangement.

Source & text edition

The Book of Scottish Song (1843), edited by Alexander Whitelaw, “A Nursery Rhyme”

Every contribution in this 1843 anthology predates modern copyright terms by more than a century; any contributor died at least 130 years ago, so the text is in the public domain worldwide (life+70 terms expired no later than 2020).

How to read this historical text and its source

Read the source on Wikisource

View copyright evidence · Transcription terms (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Retrieved 2026-10-12. Line spacing and section labels are adapted for reading. The displayed text follows the linked edition. Editorial notes and abstract artwork are by 52lyrics.
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