Digital Tradition Mirror

How Can I Keep My Maidenhead

(This score available as ABC, SongWright, PostScript, PNG, or PMW, or a MIDI file)
Pennywhistle notation and Dulcimer tab for this song is also available

How Can I Keep My Maidenhead

My mither built a tiny house,
     A tiny house, a tiny house
My mither built a tiny house
     To keep me frae the men O.

cho: How can I keep my maidenhead

My maidenhead, my maidenhead
     How can I keep my maidenhead

Amang sae many men, O?

The walls fell in and I fell out,
     And I fell out, and I fell out;
The walls fell in and I fell out
     Amang the merry men O.

cho:

The Captain bad a guinea for't
     A guinea for't, a guinea for't
The Captain had a guinea for't
     The Colonel he bad ten O.

cho:

But I'II do as mny minnie did,
     My minnie did, my minnie did,
But I'II do as my minnie did
     For silver I'l hae none, O

cho:

I'll give it to a bonnie lad
     A bonnie lad, a bonnie lad;
I'll give it to a bonnie lad
     For just as good again O.


final cho:
     An auld moulie maidenhead

A maidenhead, a maidenhead
     An auld moulie maidenhead

The weary wark I ken, O

Collected by Burns (and slightly altered); this (earlier) version
     from Sharpe's Ballad Book, 1824
RG

Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!