Old Yorkie Watson

Brian Dawson, Lincolnshire: On Autumn Harvest ah011: Old Songs & Bothy Ballads 8: The Little Ball of Yarn Live from the Fife Traditional Singing Festival May 2011.

Sung and collected by Brian Dawson.

1: There was old farmer in Temple Bruer dwelt,
His name was Yorkie Watson and we all knew him well;
He kept six chaps on bullybeef and stout,
And when you went to plough, lads, he made you dob it out.
With a fol da riddle I doh, working all the day.

2: Now come all you chaps that want to learn to plough,
Go to Yorkie Watson and he'll show you how;
He'll show you how lads for what I've heard 'em say,
For he'll make you plough five acre in a day.

3: Now come all you chaps that wants to learn to harrer,
Go to Yorkie Watson and he'll make you narrer;
He'll make you narrer lads for what I've heard 'em say,
For he'll make you harrer five acre in a day.

4: Now come all you chaps that wants to learn to roll,
Go to Yorkie Watson and he'll make you stroll;
He'll make you stroll lads for what I've heard 'em say,
For he'll make you roll five acre in a day.

5: Now old Yorkie Watson he kept an old cook,
That cooked such stuff that nobody could eat;
Her bread was hard as iron and the pies were made o bran,
And they rattled in your tummy like an old tin can.

6: Up came the aud shep wi an aud deid yowe,
She had died just a fortneet ago;
"Fetch her up and skin her Shep, and skin her on the sly,
For she'll make my chaps some rattle mutton pie."

7: So he fetched her up and skinned her, skinned her on the block,
Brought her on the table, reeking hot;
Mawks they were running, ten thousands in a click,
So I jumped on the table with me walking stick.

8: Now aud Yorkie's hosses wis all very thin,
You could see every bone as they lyed in the skin;
Some were knockie kneed and the others swingie backed,
And Yorkie brought them round with a, "Wo, Gee, Back!"
With a fol da riddle I doh, working all the day.

c p 2012 Autumn Harvest : www.springthyme.co.uk