What is Jennie Weeping for
1.
Oh, what is Jennie weeping for,
A-weeping for, a-weeping for?
Oh, what is Jennie weeping for,
All on this summer's day?
I'm weeping for my own true love,
My own true love, my own true love;
I'm weeping for my own true love,
All on this summer's day.
Rise up and choose another love,
Another love, another love;
Rise up and choose another love,
All on this summer's day.
2.
Poor Mary is a weeping, a-weeping, a-weeping,
Poor Mary is a-weeping, on a fine summer's day.
Pray tell me what you're weeping for? &c.
Because my father's dead and gone, is dead and gone, is
dead and gone;
Because my father's dead and gone, on a fine summer's
day.
She is kneeling by her father's grave, her father's
grave, her father's grave;
She is kneeling by her father's grave, on a fine
summer's day.
Stand up and choose your love, choose your love, choose
your love;
Stand up and choose your love, on a bright summer's day.
________________________________________________________
(1) from Berwickshire: A.M. Bell in Antiquary XXX.16;
Gomme II (1898), 55; SC (1948), 82 (no. 116); (2) Rev. W.
Gregor, in Gomme, loc cit. Cf. MacColl, Streets of
Song, no. 13, learned in Salford in childhood:
Poor Mary sat a-weeping,
A-weeping, a-weeping,
Poor Mary sat a-weeping,
On a bright summer's day.
O, Mary, what you weeping for,
What you weeping for, what you weeping for?
O, Mary, what you weeping for
On a bright summer's day.
I'm weeping for my lover,
For my lover, for my lover.
I'm weeping for my lover
On a bright summer's day.
[St. 2-3 (at least) sung by girls on Leslie Green, 1938.]
Gomme & Sharp III (1912), 18 ("Poor Mary Sits A-Weeping",
from Kent). See another version in Fraser (1975), 110.
MS
Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!