BEHAVE YOURSEL' BEFORE FOLK. ALEXANDER RODGER, born 1784, died 1846. Air-"Good morrow to your nightcap." BEHAVE yoursel' before folk, Behave yoursel' before folk; And dinna be sae rude to me, As kiss me sae before folk. It wadna gi'e me meikle pain, Consider, lad, how folks will crack, It's no through hatred o' a kiss I'm sure wi' you I've been as free Sic freedom used before folk. Behave yoursel' before folk, Behave yoursel' before folk; Nor heat my cheeks wi' your mad freaks, Ye tell me that my lips are sweet; At ony rate, it's hardly meet To pree their sweets before folk. Behave yoursel' before folk; Gin that's the case there's time and place, But gin you really do insist And mak' me yours before folk. Behave yoursel' before folk; And when we're ane baith flesh and bane, Ye may tak' ten before folk. From "Whistle Binkie, or the Piper of the Party; a collection of songs for the Social Circle". -a very interesting series of modern songs, edited by Alexander Rodger, and published by David Robertson of Glasgow, between the years 1832 and 1846. This work, from which we have copied, with the kind permission of Mr. Robertson, the admirable songs of Rodger and others, contains some hundreds of songs, mostly original, which present, in the words of the preface to the collected edition published in 1846, "a remarkable instance of the universality of that peculiar talent for song-writing for which the natives of Scotland have always been distinguished, and is a favourable specimen of the national genius in that department of literature." THE ANSWER TO "BEHAVE YOURSEL' BEFORE FOLK." ALEXANDER RODGER. From "Whistle Binkie." CAN I behave, can I behave, Can I behave before folk, When wily elf, your sleeky self, In a' ye do, in a' ye say, Can I behold that dimpling cheek, Whar love 'mang sunny smiles might beek, Yet howlet-like my eelids steek, And shun sic light before folk? Can I behave, can I behave, That lip, like Eve's forbidden fruit, Ay twenty times before folk! Can I behave, can I behave, That gowden hair sae sunny bright, Can I behave, can I behave, Can I behave before folk, When ilka charm, young, fresh, and warm, Cries, "Kiss me now !" before folk? Ye own that were we baith our lane, Can I behave before folk? Sly hypocrite, an anchorite Could scarce desist before folk! But after a' that has been said, 66 We'll hae a blythesome bridal" made, Then I'll behave, then I'll behave, JEANIE MORRISON. WILLIAM MOTHERWELL, born 1797, died 1835. I'VE wander'd east, I've wander❜d west, But never, never can forget The luve o' life's young day. The fire that's blawn on Beltane e'en O dear, dear Jeanie Morrison, Still fling their shadows ower my path, They blind my een wi' saut, saut tears, As memory idly summons up The blythe blinks o' langsyne. "Twas then we luvit ilk ither weel, 'Twas then we twa did part; Sweet time-sad time! twa bairns at schule, Twa bairns, and but ae heart! 'Twas then we sat on ae laigh bink, To leir ilk ither lear; And tones, and looks, and smiles were shed, Remember'd evermair. I wonder, Jeanie, aften yet, When sitting on that bink, Cheek touchin' cheek, loof lock'd in loof, Thy lips were on thy lesson, but My lesson was in thee. Oh, mind ye how we hung our heads, We cleek'd thegither hame? And mind ye o' the Saturdays (The schule then skail't at noon), When we ran aff to speel the braesThe broomy braes o' June? |