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98

Get up and bar the Door

GET UP AND BAR THE DOOR—A

[_]

a. Herd, The Ancient and Modern Scots Songs, 1769, p. 330. b. [Pinkerton], Select Scotish Ballads, 1783, II, 150.

1

It fell about the Martinmas time,
And a gay time it was then,
When our goodwife got puddings to make,
And she's boild them in the pan.

2

The wind sae cauld blew south and north,
And blew into the floor;
Quoth our goodman to our goodwife,
‘Gae out and bar the door.’

3

‘My hand is in my hussyfskap,
Goodman, as ye may see;
An it shoud nae be barrd this hundred year,
It's no be barrd for me.’

4

They made a paction tween them twa,
They made it firm and sure,
That the first word whaeer shoud speak,
Shoud rise and bar the door.

5

Then by there came two gentlemen,
At twelve o clock at night,
And they could neither see house nor hall,
Nor coal nor candle-light.

6

‘Now whether is this a rich man's house,
Or whether is it a poor?’
But neer a word wad ane o them speak,
For barring of the door.

7

And first they ate the white puddings,
And then they ate the black;
Tho muckle thought the goodwife to hersel,
Yet neer a word she spake.

8

Then said the one unto the other,
‘Here, man, tak ye my knife;
Do ye tak aff the auld man's beard,
And I'll kiss the goodwife.’

9

‘But there's nae water in the house,
And what shall we do than?’
‘What ails ye at the pudding-broo,
That boils into the pan?’

10

O up then started our goodman,
An angry man was he:
‘Will ye kiss my wife before my een,
And scad me wi pudding-bree?’

11

Then up and started our goodwife,
Gied three skips on the floor:
‘Goodman, you've spoken the foremost word,
Get up and bar the door.’
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