43. Get up and Bar the Door (Child 275)
For analogies in other tongues to this little domestic comedy, see Child's headnote. It has been found occasionally in later tradition: in Scotland (LL 216-18), Newfoundland (BSSN 41-2), New Brunswick (BBM 318-19), Maine (BBM 320-1), Virginia (TBV 495-6, a fragment only). West Virginia (FSMEU 147-8), Florida (FSF 320-1), Missouri (OFS i 186), and Michigan (BSSM 371-2).
A. 'Get Up and Bar the Door.' Obtained from Edna Whitley, date and place not noted. It is very close to Child's A version, suggesting the possibility that it is merely one of the sheets that Dr. Brown sometimes distributed as a means of finding ballads in the memories of school children and others. But even if so, its presence in the Collection means that Edna Whitley recognized it as a ballad she knew.
1 It was about the month of May,
A good time they had then,
That our gude wife had pudding to make
And she boiled them in the pan.
2 The wind blew from the east and north
And blew into the floor.
Quoth our gudeman to our gudewife,
'Get up and bar the door.'
3 'My hand is in my pudding,
Gudeman, as you may see;
And it shouldn't be barred this hunder year
It's never be barred by me.'
4 They made a paction 'tween them two.
They made it firm and strong,
That the first word whatever spoke
Should rise and bar the door.
5 Then by there came two gentlemen
At twelve o'clock at night,
When they can see na either house ;
And at the door they light.
6 'Now whether is this a rich man's house.
Or whether it's a poor?'
But never a word wad one o them speak,
For barring of the door.
7 And first they ate the white puddings.
And soon they ate the black.
Much thought the good wife to herself
Yet never a word did she speak.
8 The one unto the other said,
'Here, man, take you my knife;
Do ye take off the old man's beard,
And I'll kiss the good wife.'
9 'But there's no water in the house;
And what will we do then?'
'What ails ye at the pudding brae
That boils within the pan?'
10 Oup then started our goodman.
An angry man was he :
'Will ye kiss my wife before my een
And scauld me with pudding bree?'
11 Oup then started our gude wife,
Gied three skimps on the floor:
'Gudeman, ye've spoke the first word.
Get up and bar the door.'
B. 'Get Up and Bar the Door.' As sung by Mrs. James York of Olin, Iredell county, September 14. 1941 ; transcribed from the phonograph record by Professor Schinhan. Three stanzas only, with chorus.
1 It came about the Martin's time
A gay time it was aye, no,
When our good wife had things to bake
And she boiled 'em in a pan, oh.
Chorus: And a bar'n of our door weel weel weel
And a bar'n of our door weel.
2 The wind's so cold in north and south.
And blow cold afore, oh,
When our good man to our goodwife:
'Gang out an bar the door oh.'
3 'My hand is in my hostage cap, [1]
This man is yea may see, oh;
And it shouldna be barred this hundred year
And it will never be barred by me, oh.'
1. This stanza is by no means clear. The first two lines of the third stanza of Child's A version run
'My hand is in my hussyfskap,
Goodman, as ye may see.'
"hussyfskap" means housewifery.
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43. Get Up and Bar the Door (Child 275) [Music from Vol. 4]
'Get Up and Bar the Door.' Sung by James York, with guitar. Recorded at Olin, Iredell county, September 14, 1941. Our text is almost identical with that of BBM 318, version A. Anyone who has ever attempted to recover a text, even from a good recording, will know that it is sometimes impossible to understand the words as they were sung. What the present editor gave to the editors of the ballad texts was simply wbat he was able to recover from the recording by careful listening. During a recent visit at the home of the singer, however, he was given the corrected version which follows below.
-A- weel, weel,- weel, -
And the bar'n- of our door weel. —
1 It came about the Martimer's time,
A gay time it was then, O,
When our good wife had puddings to make
And she boiled 'em in a pan, O.
2 The wind's so cold, blew south and north,
And blew into the floor, O,
Said our good man to our good wife,
"Gang out an' bar the door, O."
3 "My hand is in my sausage meat,
Good man, as ye may see, O,
And it shouldna' be barred these hundred years ;
It'll never be barred by me, O."
For melodic relationship cf. ***BB 122B, measures 9-10; ibid. A, meas. 1-2; **BBM 320, B; FSF 320, No. 171 (has no refrain, however).
Scale: Heptachordal, plagal. Tonal Center: g. Structure: abed (4,4,4,4).