Traditional: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

Bleaching her claes

Traditional

“Bleaching her claes” as printed in The Book of Scottish Song (1843).

Traditional: Collected Lyrics Text 47 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

One morning I dander'd, (I needna say when.)

Whaur a wee bickering burnie rins through a low glen:

I met a young lassie upon the green braes,

Was herding her lammies and bleaching her claes.

The smile on her cheek had the rose's bright hue,

Her complexion was fair as the fresh fa'in' dew,

Her yellow hair stream'd like the sun's parting rays,

And her breath was as sweet as her new-water'd' claes.

I said, "Lovely maiden, how caller the air!

The season how pleasant, the rroming how fair!

The fields are a' flowery, the flowers are a' dew,

And if earth hae aught fairier, sweet girl, it is you!"

She cried, "Let me be; I maun notice my claes,

And canna mind a' thing that ilka ane says,

My mither aye tauld me—and likely she'll ken—

That there's fouth o'fine tales, but nae faith in young men."

"O dinna leuk blate, though your mither may scauld;

Her heart-blood is daiver't, she's doitet and auld,

And say, bonnie lassie, what ills ye could dree

Frae the laddie that loves ye, and loves nane but thee?"

I kiss'd her, I press'd her, mair tender she grew,

And sank in my arms, crying, "Laddie be true!"

Though pride wad ha'e frownit, and art made a phrase,

The lassie had nane that was bleaching her claes.

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, “Bleaching her claes”

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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