I Wish, I Wish

I wish, I wish but it's all in vain

I wish I were a maid again

But a maid again, oh I never shall be

'Til I both grow an allan orange tree

Now a brisk young man, oh he courted me

Until he gained, oh my liberty

He stole my heart, oh with free good will

Although he's false, yet I love him still

Now when my apron it did have no

He courted me all through frost and snow

But now my apron's up to me chin

He passes me by and he says nothing

I wish, oh I wish that my babe was born

And smiling on, oh his grandads knee

And he'd both go all in cold play

With the green grass a growing all over me

There is a may rose in yonder town

Where my love goes and he sits him down

He takes a stranger all on his knee

Why don't you think it's hard grief to me?

Hard grief, hard grief and I'll tell you why

Because she's got o more gold than I

But gold will waste and all beauty will pass

She'll come like me, a poor girl at last

She chose the green grass all for her bed

And a flowery pillow all for her head

And down she lay and no more would spoke

For was just a poor girl and her heart was broke