Davy Steele)
Chorus:
It's a hard life in the fields
An' workin' there is trashy
But ah'll leave it a' behin'
When ah'm wad tae Seton's lassie
Ah wis picked up at the feein' fair, a halflin' just fourteen, man
Bundled intae a horse an' cairt an' ta'en tae the Seton Dean, man
The first night ah wis pit in the byre, ah lay in the beggar's bed, man
Ah gret an' gret 'til the mornin' came, an' wished ah wis hame instead, man
That mornin' ah went up tae the manse tae hear whit wis ma fee, man
Tenpence a day in the bothy tae stay, an' a' the food ah could need, man
That soon stopped me greetin', an' wi' a smile ah turned away, man
An' the grieve he's ta'en me up tae the field tae see whit ah wis tae dae, man
The first time ah went up fur ma pey, ma hat held in ma hand, man
Young Jessie she cam' sweepin' by in a manner proud and grand, man
When her eyes were fixed on mine ah could neither blink nor turn, man
Then the Maister cried oot ma name, ma face began tae burn, man
Noo ah fell in wi' the quarterman, an' he said right tae ma face, man
Gin ye wid coort the Missie, well ye canna be feart o' the chase, man
If it's her hert ye're efter, ah believe ye've a chance tae take it
But if it's her money an' power ye want, well ye couldna be mair glaikit
Noo seven years ah've worked on the fairm 'til a plooman ah became, man
An ah moved oot o' the bothy tae a cot-hoose o' ma ain, man
Ah've traikled efter Jessie, fur she has ma hert beguiled, man
Now ah've loved her mair as a man-grown than ever ah did as a child, man
Noo Jessie said she'd mairry me gin ah could gain her hand, man
Her heid might be up at the manse, but her hert wis in the land, man
Ah telt her faither gin he'd say no 'twid hurt his dochter sair, man
But it widna mak' ony odds tae me, fur ah couldnae love her mair, man
But Seton's ta'en me by the hand an' pit me at ma ease, man
When Jessie'd said it wis me she'd wed, well he couldnae a been mair pleased, man
Fur he had watched me over the years an' never seen onything bad, man
Sae welcomed me right hertily like the son he'd never had, man
(as sung by Ceolbeg)