Well Pay't Dochter- William Orr (Renf) 1829 Crawfurd

Well Pay't Dochter- William Orr (Renf) 1829 Crawfurd

[From Andrew Crawfurd's Collection of Ballads and Songs: edited E. B. Lyle; Edinburgh: Scottish Text Society, 1975. This version was taken from William Orr in Lochwinioch, a village in the council area and historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and lies on the banks of Castle Semple Loch and the River Calder [ref. Wiki].

This early Scottish version, which I've dated c.1829, was transcribed by Emily Lyle from Andrew Crawfurd's Collection (Crawfurd, a disabled doctor and avid ballad collector, was born in 1786 and died in 1854). It's written in heavy dialect and "rinkand" (wakened) is used for "waukrife" (wakeful); "well pay't dochter" is "well-punished daughter." Compare to the 1795 print.

R. Matteson 2018]

The Well Pay't Dochter- taken from William Orr in Lochwinioch, Renfrewshire about 1829; found in Crawfurd's collection.

1.As I gade o'er the Hieland hills,
I met a bonnie lassie;
She lookit at me, and I at her,
And vow[1] but she was saucie.

2. Whar are you gaun, my bonnie lass
Where are you going, my hinnie
Richt scornfullie she anserit me,
An eirrand for my mannie.

3. What is thy aige, my bonnie lass,
What is thy aige, my hinnie,
Richt scornfullie she anserit me,
I am fyftein cum Sunday.

4. Whar do thou lieve, my bonnie lass
Whar do thou lieve, my hinnie
Richt scornfullie she anserit me,
In a wee house wi' my minnie.

5. Will tu tak a man, my bonnie lass
Will tu tak a man, my hinnie
Richt scornfullie she anserit me,
I daurna not for my minnie.

6. As I gade into my love's roum,
To see if my love was waukand,
Her minnie was blawand the fyre
For she hard us taukand.

7. Then she began to blaw the ingle [coal],
To see if she wad ken me;
But I creipit out at the bed-fit [feet],
And to the woods to screin me.

8. She teuk her by the hair of the heid,
And unto the flore she brocht her,
And wi a gode hazel rung,
She's made her a well pay't dochter[2].

9. Blink owr the burn, my bonnie lass,
Blink owr the burn, my hinnie,
Thou's gat the clog that winna cling,
In spyte o thy rinkan minnie.

10 It's fare thou weil, my bonnie lass,
Fare thou weil, my hinnie,
It's I wad cum and see thee again,
Weren't for your rinkand minnie.

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1. wow (an affectation of the "w" sound)
2. well-punished daughter