Let Me In This Ae Nicht
("The New Made Gowne")
"O lassie, art thou sleeping yet,
Or are ye waking, I would wit?
For love has bound me hand and foot,
And I would fain be in, jo.
O let me in this ae nicht,
This ae, ae, ae nicht,
O let me in this ae nicht
And I'll ne'er come back again, jo.
"The morn it is the term-day,
I maun awa', I canna stay;
O pity me, before I gae,
And rise and let me in, jo.
O let me in this ae nicht,
This ae, ae, ae nicht,
O let me in this ae nicht
And I'll ne'er come back again, jo.
"The nicht it is baith cauld and weet,
The morn it will be snaw and sleet,
My shoon are frozen ta my feet
Wi' standing on the plain, jo.
O let me in this ae nicht,
This ae, ae, ae nicht,
O let me in this ae nicht
And I'll ne'er come back again, jo.
I am the laird o' windy-wa's,
I come na here without a cause,
And I hae gotten mony fa's
Upon a naked wame o!"
O let me in this ae nicht,
This ae, ae, ae nicht,
O let me in this ae nicht
And I'll ne'er come back again, jo.
"My faither's walking on the street,
My mither the chamber-keys does keep,
My chamber-door does chirp and cheep,
And I dare na let ye in, jo.
O gae your way this ae nicht,
This ae, ae, ae nicht,
O gae your way this ae nicht,
For I dare nae let ye in, jo."
"But I'll come stealing saftly in
And cannily mak' little din,
My fit-step tread there's nane can ken,
For the souchin wind and rain, jo."
O gae your way this ae nicht,
This ae, ae, ae nicht,
O gae your way this ae nicht,
For I dare nae let ye in, jo."
"Cast aff the shoon frae aff your feet,
Cast back the door up to the weet,
Syne into my bed you may creep
And do the thing ye ken, jo."
O leeze me on this ae nicht,
This ae, ae, ae nicht;
The joys we've had this ae nicht,
Your chamber-wa's within, jo.
She let him in sae cannily,
She let him in sae privily,
She let him in sae cannily,
To do the thing ye ken, jo.
O leeze me on this ae nicht,
This ae, ae, ae nicht;
The joys we've had this ae nicht,
Your chamber-wa's within, jo.
But ere a' was done and a' was said,
Out fell the bottom o' the bed,
The lassie lost her maidenhead,
And her mither heard the din, jo.
O the devil tak' this ae nicht,
This ae, ae, ae nicht,
O the devil tak' this ae nicht,
That ere I let ye in, jo.