A Yacre of Land Greenwood (York) 1904 Williams
[From Imogen Holst and Ursula Vaughan Williams "Sixteen Folk-Songs from the Manuscript Collection of Ralph Vaughan Williams." With music, p. 1, 1961, Oxford University Press, London.
R. Matteson 2018]
A YACRE OF LAND- sung by Mr. Greenwood, The Duncombe Arms, Westerdale, Yorkshire, 13 July 1904.
My father he left me a yacre of land,
Yacre of land, yacre of land,
My father he left me a yacre of land
On Christmas day in the morning.
I ploughed it with an old *stack plod,
Old stack plod, old stack plod,
I ploughed it with an old stack plod,
On Christmas day in the morning.
I harrowed it with a bunch of briars......
I sowed it with a peppercorn......
I reaped it with an old **tup's horn ......
I laid it on a bumble bee's back ......
I threshed it with a wimble*** straw ......
I flayed it with a butterfly's wing ......
I sold it all for one pound ten ......
* stack (or stock) plow. ** ram's horn. *** an instrument for boring in soft ground, an auger.