O Gin I Were a Baron's Heir
Music File
Lesley Nelson

Information
Lyrics
This tune was composed by Joseph William Holder (1765-1823), an Englishman and a music graduate of Oxford University. It appeared in Scots Minstrelsies in 1893. The words are traditional. O gin I were a baron's heir,
An' could I braid wi' gems your hair,
And mak' ye braw as ye are fair,
Lassie, would ye lo'e me?
An' could I tak' ye tae the toun
An' show ye braw sights mony a ain,
And busk ye wi' a silken goun,
Lassie, would ye lo'e me?

Or should ye be content to prove,
In lowly life, unfading love,
A heart that nought on earth could move,
Lassie, would ye lo'e me?
And ere the lav'rock wing the sky,
Say, would ye to the forest hie,
And work wi' me sae merrily,
Lassie, would ye lo'e me?

And when the braw moon glistens o'er
Our lonesome beild an' heath'ry muir,
Will ye na greet that we're sae puir,
Lassie, for I lo'e ye?
For I ha'e nocht to offer ye,
Nae gowd frae mine, nae pearl frae sea,
Nor am I come o' high degree,
Lassie, but I lo'e ye!
From A Treasury of Old Scots Songs
See Bibliography for full information.