Traditional: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

Green Sleeves

Traditional

“Green Sleeves” as printed in The Book of Scottish Song (1843).

Traditional: Collected Lyrics Text 133 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

Ye watchful guardians of the fair,

Who skiff on wings of ambient air,

Of my dear Delia take a care,

And represent her lover

With all the gaiety of youth,

With honour, justice, love, and truth;

Till I return, her passions soothe,

For me in whispers move her.

Be careful no base sordid slave,

With soul sunk in a golden grave,

Who knows no virtue but to save,

With glaring gold bewitch her.

Tell her, for me she was design'd,

For me who knew how to be kind,

And have mair plenty in my mind,

Than ane who's ten times richer.

Let all the world turn upside down,

And fools rin an eternal round,

In quest of what can ne'er be found,

To please their vain ambition;

Let little minds great charms espy,

In shadows which at distance lie,

Whose hop'd-for pleasure when come nigh,

Proves nothing in fruition:

But cast into a mould divine,

Fair Delia does with lustre shine,

Her virtuous soul's an ample mine,

Which yields a constant treasure.

Let poets in sublimest lays,

Employ their skill her fame to raise;

Let sons of music pass whole days,

With well-tuned reeds to please her.

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, “Green Sleeves”

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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