sometimes misattributed to Walter Scott, Sir (1771 - 1832) and by Robert Graham (1735 - 1797)
Woo Thee If doughty deeds my ladye...
Language: English
Woo Thee If doughty deeds my ladye please, Right soon I'll mount my steed; And strong his arm, and fast his seat, That bears frae me the meed. I'll wear thy colours in my cap, Thy picture in my heart; And he that bends not to thine eye Shall rue it to his smart. Then tell me how to woo thee, love O tell me how to woo thee! For thy dear sake, nae care I'll take, Tho' ne'er another trow me. If gay attire delight thine eye, I'll dight me in array; I'll tend thy chamber door all night, And squire thee all the day. If sweetest sounds can win thy ear, These sounds I'll strive to catch; Thy voice I'll steal to woo thysell, That voice that nane can match, [Then tell me how to woo thee, love; O tell me how to woo thee! For thy dear sake, nae care I'll take, Tho' ne'er another trow me.]1 But if fond love thy heart can gain, I never broke a vow; Nae maiden lays her skaith to me, I never loved but you. For you along I ride the ring, For you I wear the blue; For you alone I strive to sing, O tell me how to woo! O tell me how to woo thee, love; O tell me how to woo thee! For thy dear sake, nae care I'll take, Tho' ne'er another trow me.
A. Sullivan sets stanzas 1, 3
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Text Authorship:
- sometimes misattributed to Walter Scott, Sir (1771 - 1832)
- by Robert Graham (1735 - 1797), "O tell me how to woo thee", included by Walter Scott in The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Arthur Foote (1853 - 1937), "If Doughty Deeds My Lady Please", copyright © 1885 [ttbb chorus], Boston, Schmidt [ sung text checked 1 time]
- by Arthur Sullivan, Sir (1842 - 1900), "If Doughty Deeds My Lady Please", published 1866, stanzas 1,3 [voice and piano], Boosey and Co. [ sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Ferdinand Freiligrath (1810 - 1876) , "O sag' mir, wie dich frein" ; composed by Adolf Jensen.
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Andrew Schneider [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2011-07-18
Line count: 36
Word count: 239