Traditional Scottish Songs
- O Can Ye Sew Cushions?

This old lullaby, sung by a mother whose husband is away at sea, was one of the many which Robert Burns collected and published, sometimes with his own embellishments. Note that some of the "words" are just baby talk and do not have a specific meaning.


O Can Ye Sew Cushions?

O Can Ye Sew Cushions? And can ye sew sheets?
And can ye sing ballooloo when the bairn greets?
And hee and haw birdie, and hee and haw lamb;
And hee and haw, birdie, my bonnie wee lamb!

Chorus:
Heeo, weeo, what wou'd I do wi' you?
Black's the life that I lead wi' you;
Mony o' ye, Little for to gie you.
Heeo, weeo, what wou'd I do wi' you?

I biggit the cradle upon the treetop,
And aye as the wind blew, my cradle did rock.
And hush a baw baby, O ba lil li loo,
And hee and baw, birdie, my bonnie wee doo.

Chorus

Now hush a baw lammie, and hush a baw dear,
Now hush a baw lammie, thy minnie is here.
The wild wind is ravin', thy minnie's heart sair,
The wild wind is ravin', but ye dinna care.

Chorus

Sing bal la loo lammie, sing bal la loo dear,
Does wee lammie ken that its daddie's no here?
Ye're rockin' fu' sweetly on mammie's warm knee,
But daddie's a rockin' upon the saut sea.

Chorus

Meaning of unusual words:
bairn=baby
greets=cries
mony=many
biggit=built
doo=dove
minnie=mother
sair=sore
dinna=don't
lammie=lamb
ken=know
saut=salt

Return to the Index of Traditional Scottish Songs



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