Traditional: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

As I cam' down

Traditional

“As I cam' down” as printed in The Book of Scottish Song (1843).

Traditional: Collected Lyrics Text 31 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

As I cam' doun by yon castle wa',

And in by yon garden green,

O there I spied a bonnie, bonnie lass,—

But the flower borders were us between.

A bonnie, bonnie lassie she was,

As ever mine eyes did see:

O five hundred pounds would I give,

For to have such a pretty bride as thee.

To have such a pretty bride as me,

Young man, ye are surely mista'en;

Though ye were king o' fair Scotland,

I wad disdain to be your queen.

Talk not so very high, bonnie lass,

O talk not so very, very high;

The man it the fair that wad sell,

He maun learn at the man that wad buy.

I trust to climb a far higher tree,

And harry a far richer nest:

Tak' this advice o' me, bonnie lass,

Humility wad set thee best.

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, “As I cam' down”

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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