Farmer's Curst Wife- Bates (NS) 1901 Creighton B
[From: Traditional Songs from Nova Scotia by Creighton and Senior, 1950. The title is not local and should be, "There was an Old Farmer." The end of nonsense chorus is inexplicably left off and given as "etc."]
Creighton notes: The Farmer's Curst Wife
[Child 278]
This rollicking song is one of the most singable in my collection. The legend of a curst wife, who was a terror to demons, is widely spread in Europe and the Orient as well as in Great Britain. Child writes: "See Benfey, Panchatantra, I, 519-34; and Ralston, Russian Folk- Tales, p. 39." Variants have been found with and without the effective whistling chorus. Burns is said to have founded his Carle of Killyburn Braes on this ballad.
See Journal, vol. 2, p.184; vol. 3, pp. 131, 132, etc. American texts: Hudson, pp. 124, 125; Linscott, pp. 188-191; Belden, pp. 89-91; Brewster, p. 155; Mackenzie, p. 64; Gerould, p. 48; S.B.N. S. pp. 18, 19; T.F. N. S., with piano accompaniment; Sharp, I, pp. 275-281; Barry, pp. 325-333; Gardner and Chickering, pp. 373-378; Davis, pp. 505-515; Cox, pp. 164, 165.
Library of Congress recordings: Ben Henneberry, Richard Hartlan and Edmund Henneberry; National Museum recording: Ralph Huskins.
According to Mr. Ben Henneberry, the last stanza is variable. It may be:
"This proves that women are better than men,
They can go through hell and come back again."
Or, "They can go to the devil and come back again. "
Farmer's Curst Wife [B] Contributed by Percy Bates who heard a variant sung on my C. B. C. radio broadcast. Mr. Bates had heard it sung on the Veldt thirty-eight years ago by Lancashire soldier" He lives in Vancouver now (1939).
1. There was an old farmer who lived in a dell,
(Whistle chorus)
There was an old farmer who lived in a dell
Whose wife was acquainted with devils in hell,
Sing fol de rol etc.
2. Now the devil he came to the farmer one day,
Says he, "Some of your family I'm bound take away."
3. "Now it isn't my son or my daughter thy'll take
But my crusty old wife, you can take the bitch back."
4. Now the devil he threw her right over his back
Just like an old Scotchman carries his pack.
5. Now the devil he got her outside hell's gate
And he threw her right in at a hell of rate.
6. Now one young devil came in a straw hat,
She up with her foot and she soon settled that.
7. Another young devil came rattling his chains,
She off with her clog and she dashed out his brains.
8. She knocked all devils in hell about,
The old devil he says we must turn the bitch out.
9. Now that shows that women are worse than men
For if you send them to hell they will come back again.