Where are you going, my pretty maid?
I'm going a milking, sir, she said.
May I go with you, my pretty maid?
You're kindly welcome, sir, she said.
What is your fortune, my pretty maid?
My face is my fortune, sir, she said.
Then I won't marry you, my pretty maid.
Nobody asked you, sir, she said.
Notes
Here's another version from The Mother Goose; Containing All The Melodies The Old Lady Ever Wrote, edited By Dame Goslin (1850):
O where are you going,
My pretty maiden fair,
With your red rosy cheeks
And your coal-black hair ?
I'm going a-milking
Kind sir, says she,
And it's dabbling in the dew
Where you'll find me!
Here's a slightly different version from The Real Mother Goose (1916):
"Where are you going, my pretty maid?"
"I'm going a-milking, sir," she said.
"May I go with you, my pretty maid?"
"You're kindly welcome, sir," she said.
"What is your father, my pretty maid?"
"My father's a farmer, sir," she said.
"What is your fortune, my pretty maid?"
"My face is my fortune, sir," she said.
"Then I can't marry you, my pretty maid."
"Nobody asked you, sir," she said.
Here's the version from The Little Mother Goose (1912):
"Where are you going, my pretty maid?"
"I'm going a-milking, sir," she said.
"May I go with you, my pretty maid?"
"You're kindly welcome, sir," she said.
"What is your father, my pretty maid?"
"My father's a farmer, sir," she said.
"Say, will you marry me, my pretty maid?"
"Yes, if you please, kind sir," she said.
"What is your fortune, my pretty maid?"
"My face is my fortune, sir," she said.
"Then I can't marry you, my pretty maid."
"Nobody asked you, sir!" she said.
The version in A Baby's Opera by Walter Crane (1877) is slightly longer (this is the version in the 2nd mp3):
1. "Where are you going to, my pretty maid?
Where are you going to, my pretty maid?"
"I'm going a-milking, Sir," she said,
"Sir," she said, "Sir," she said,
"I'm going a-milking, Sir," she said.
2. "Shall I go with you, my pretty maid?"
"Yes, if you please, kind Sir," she said,
"Sir," she said, "Sir," she said,
"Yes, if you please, kind Sir," she said.
3. "What is your fortune, my pretty maid?"
"My face is my fortune, Sir," she said,
"Sir," she said, "Sir," she said,
"My face is my fortune, Sir," she said.
4. "Then I can't marry you, my pretty maid."
"Nobody asked you, Sir," she said,
"Sir," she said, "Sir," she said,
"Nobody asked you, Sir," she said.
Photos & Illustrations
Thanks and Acknowledgements
The 1st illustration comes from The National Nursery Book. The 2nd illustration can be found in The Real Mother Goose (1916), illustrated by Blanche Fisher Wright. The 3rd illustration is from The Little Mother Goose (1912), illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith. The score and tune come from A Baby's Opera by Walter Crane (1877).
Recited by Megan Kunkel for Librevox.
