abc | ROCK AND WEE PICKLE TOW - trillian.mit.edu/~jc/music/book/CaledonianMusicalRepository/1806/0066

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ROCK AND WEE PICKLE TOW

Found in 1806.abc from the John Chambers' music books abc collection
X: 66
T: ROCK AND WEE PICKLE TOW
O: 1806
B: "Caledonian Musical Repository", 1806, p.138-146
F: http://digital.nls.uk/special-collections-of-printed-music/pageturner.cfm?id=87661539
Z: 2013 John Chambers <jc:trillian.mit.edu>
M: 3/4
L: 1/4
K: G
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D E G A | B2 d/ d/ | e> d B |
w: There was an auld wife had a wee pick-le
{B}A2 (d/c/) | B G A | (B> c) (A/d/) | B G2 |
w: tow, And* she wad gae try* the* spin-ning
G2 D | E G A | B2 d | e g B |
w: o't; But loot-ing her down, her rock took a
{B}A2 (d/c/) | B G A | B2 A | B G2 | G2 |]
w: low, And* that was an ill be-gin-ning o't.
g | e e g | e e g | e e g |
w: She spat on't, she flet on't, and trampt on its
%page 139
(e d) B | d> e d | d> e f | g f e |
w: pow,* But a' that she did on-ly blew up the
{e}d2 B | c> B c | d e f | g d B |
w: low; She curs'd baith the rock and the wee pick-le
{B}A2 f | g G A | B2 (A/d/) | B G2 | G2 |]
w: tow, A-lack! for the drea-ry spin-ning o't.
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W:2.I've wanted a sark for these eight years and ten,
W:    And this was to be the beginning o't;
W:  But I vow I shall want it for as lang again,
W:    Or ever I try the spinning o't.
W:  For never, since ever they ca'd me's they ca' me,
W:  Did sic a mishap and mishanter befa' me;
W:  Ye shall hae leave baith to hang me and draw me,
W:    If ever I try the spinning o't.
W:
W:3.I hae kept a house for these threescore o' years,
W:    And never did try the spinning o't;
W:  But how I was sacked, foul fa' them that spiers,
W:    It minds me upo' the beginning o't.
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W:  But women are now-a-days turned sae braw,
W:  That ilk ane maun hae a sark, some maun hae twa,
W:  The warld was better when the fient ane ava,
W:    To hinder the first beginning o't.
W:
W:4.Foul fa' them that ever advis'd me to spin,
W:    That had been sae lang o' beginning o't;
W:  I weel might hae ended as I did begin,
W:    Nor got sic a fear wi' the spinning o't:
W:  But they say she's a wise wife wha kens her ain weird;
W:  I thought ance on a day it wad never been spier'd,
W:  How loot ye the low tak the rock by the beard,
W:    When ye gade to try the spinning o't?
W:
W:5.The spinning, the spinning, it gars my heart sab,
W:    When I think upon the beginning o't;
W:  I thought ere I died to have made me a wab,
W:    But still I had weirs o' the spinning o't.
W:  But had I nine daughters, as I hae but three,
W:  The safest and soundest advice I wad gie,
W:  Is that they frae spinning wad keep their hands free,
W:    For fear of a bad beginning o't.
W:
W:6.Yet in spite of my counsel, if they will needs run
W:    The drearysome task o' the spinning o't,
W:  Let them seek a lown place in the heat o' the sun,
W:    And there venture on the beginning o't.
%page 141
W:  But to do as I did, alas and avow!
W:  To busk up my rock by the cheek o' the low,
W:  Some may say that I had little wit in my pow,
W:    And as little to do wi' the spinning o't.
W:
W:7.But yet, after a', there is ae thing that grieves
W:    My heart, to think on the beginning o't;
W:  Had I won but the length o' ae pair o' sleeves,
W:    Then there wad been word o' the spinning o't:
W:  Then I'd hae twa washin' and bleached like snaw.
W:  And on my twa gardies like muggons to draw,
W:  And then fouk wad say that auld Grizzy was braw,
W:    And a' was upon her ain spinning o't.
W:
W:8.But gin I wad shog about till a new spring,
W:    I should yet hae a bout o' the spinning o't;
W:  A mutchkin o' lintseed I'd in the yird fling,
W:      For a' the wanchancie beginning o't.
W:  I'll gar my ain Tammie gang down to the howe,
W:  And cut me a rock o' the withershins grow,
W:  O' gude rantry-tree, for to carry my tow,
W:  And a spindle o' the same for the twining o't.
W:
W:9.For now when I mind me, I met Maggy Grim,
W:    That morning, just at the beginning o't;
W:  She was ne'er ca'd chancy, but unlucky and slim,
W:    And sae it has far'd o' my spinning o't.
%page 142
W:  But gin my new rock were ance cutted and dry,
W:  Ise a' Maggy's can and her cantrips defy,
W:  And, but ony soothing, the spinning I'll try,
W:    And yese a' hear o' the beginning o't.
W:
W:10.Quo' Tibby her daughter, tak tent what ye say,
W:    The never a rag we'll be seeking o't;
W:  Gin ye ance begin, ye'll traverse night and day,
W:    Sae it's vain ony mair to be speaking o't.
W:  Since Lammas I'm now gane thirty and twa,
W:  And ne'er a dud sark had I yet, great or sma',
W:  And what waur am I? I'm as warm and as braw
W:    As thrummmy-tail'd Meg, that's a spinner o't.
W:
W:11.To labour lint land, and then buy the seed,
W:    And then to yoke me to the harrowing o't,
W:  And syne hobble amang't, and pick out ilka weed,
W:    Like a swine in a sty, at the farrowing o't:
W:  Syne bowing, and rippling, and steeping, and then
W:  To gar's gae and spread it upon the cauld plain;
W:  And then, after a', maybe labour in vain,
W:    When the wind and the weet gets the fushon o't.
W:
W:12.But though it should happen the weather to bide,
W:    Wi' beetles we're set to the drubbing o't;
W:  And then frae our fingers to gudge a' the hide,
W:    Wi' the wearisome wark o' the spinning o't.
%page 143
W:  And syne ilka tait maun be heckled out-through,
W:  The lint putten ae gate, anither the tow,
W:  Sjne on a rock with it, and it taks a low:
W:    The back o' my hand to the spinning o't.
W:
W:13.Quo' Jenny, I think, woman, ye're in the right,
W:    Set your feet a-spar to the spinning o't;
W:  We may tak our advice frae our ain mither's fright,
W:    That she gat when she tried the spinning o't.
W:  But they'll say that auld fouk are twice bairns indeed,
W:  And sae has she kyth'd it, but there is nae need,
W:  To sic an amshah that we drive out o' head,
W:    As lang's we're sae scar'd frae the spinning o't,
W:
W:14.Quo' Nancy the youngest, I've now heard you a%
W:    And dowy's your doom o' the spinning o't;
W:  Gin ye fan, the cow flings, the cog's cast awa,
W:    Ye may see where ye'll lick up your winning o't.
W:  But I see that by spinning ye'll never be braw.
W:  But gae by the name o' a dilp or a daw;
W:  But lick where ye like, I shall ance shake a fa',
W:    Afore I be dung wi' the spinning o't.
W:
W:15.For weel can I mind me, when black Willie Bell
W:    Had Tibbie there, just at the winning o't,
W:  What blew up the bargain, she kens weel hersel,
W:    Was the want o' the knack o' the spinning o't,
%page 144
W:  And now, poor woman, for ought that I ken,
W:  She never may get sic an offer again,
W:  But pine awa, bit and bit, like Jenkin's hen,
W:    And naething to wyte but the spinning o't.
W:
W:16.But were it for naething but just that alane,
W:    I shall yet hae a bout at the spinning o't;
W:  They may cast me, and e'en ca' me black at the bane,
W:    But no 'cause I shunn'd the beginning o't.
W:  But be that as it happens, I carena a strae,
W:  For nane o' the lads e'er shall hae it to say,
W:  When he comes to woo, she kens naething ava,
W:    Nor has ony can at the spinning o't.
W:
W:17.It's needless for us to tak our remarks
W:    Frae our mither's miscooking the spinning o't;
W:  She never kend ought o' the gude o' the sarks,
W:    Frae this, a' back to the spinning o't.
W:  Three ell o' plaiding was a' that was sought
W:  By our auld waly bodies, and that boot be bought,
W:  For in ilka town sickan things were na wrought,
W:    Sae little they kend o' the spinning o't.
W:
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%page 145
%: 2
T: THE SPINNING O'T
T: to the same air
K:
W:1.Now Sandy, the winter's cauld blasts are awa,
W:    And simmer, we've seen the beginning o't;
W:  I've lang lang been wearied o' frost and o' snaw,
W:    And sair hae I tir'd o' the spinning o't:
W:  For when we were married our cleedin was thin,
W:  And poortith, ye ken, made me eydent to spin;
W:  'Twas fain love o' you that first gart me begin,,
W:    And blessings hae foUow'd the spinning o't.
W:
W:2.When mornings were cauld, and the keen frost and snaw
W:    Were blawing, I mind the beginning o't,
W:  And ye gade to wark, be it frost or be't thaw,
W:    My task was nae less, at the spinning o't.
W:  But now we've a pantry baith muckle and fu'
W:  O' ilka thing gude for to gang in the mou';
W:  A barrel o' ale, wi' some maut for to brew,
W:    To mak us forget the beginning o't.
W:
W:3.And when winter comes back, wi' the snell hail and rain,
W:    Nae mair I'll sit down to the spinning o't,
%page 146
W:  Nor you gang and toil in the cauld fields again.
W:    As little think on the beginning o't.
W:  O' sheep we hae scores, and o' kye twenty -five,
W:  Far less we hae seen wad hae made us fu' blythe;
W:  But thrift and industry maks poor fouk to thrive,
W:    A clear proof o' that is the spinning o't.
W:
W:4.Although at our marriage our stock was but sma',
W:    And heartless and hard the beginning o't,
W:  When ye was engaged the ousen to ca',
W:    And first my young skill tried the spinning o't:
W:  But now we can dress in our plaidies sae sma',
W:  Fu' neat and fu' clean gae to kirk or to ha',
W:  And ay look as blythe as the best o' them a';
W:    Sae luck has been at the beginning o't.
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