Eence Upon A Time
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1962.72.B9
Original Tape ID
Summary
In this short song [likely a fragment], a young girl tells us "Eenst I had a bonnie wee lad, but noo ah hinnae ony", and that "I gied him a' ma breid an' milk / Tae tickle up ma baggie [belly]". The singer ends with a warning to any lover "For I could dae wi a man, But I can dae withoot ye".
Item Notes
4 verses of 4 lines; last verse is a repeat of the first.
Porter and Gower suggest a possible origin of this song, but fail to mention the clear link with 'Had I the Wyte?' (Roud Folk Song No. 7253), itself modelled on the Robert Burns' song of the same name. Ray Fisher used Jeannie Robertson's fragment and added verses of her own.
See:
'Come Gie's a Sang' (S. Douglas, 1995) p.66
'Greig-Duncan Folk Song Collection' vol.7, p.234
'The Scottish Folksinger (N. Buchan & P. Hall, 1973) p.63
'Songs from David Herd's Manuscripts' (H. Hecht, 1904) p.117, 288
'Jeannie Robertson: Emergent Singer, Transformative Voice' (J. Porter
& H. Gower, 1995) pp.217-218
Language
Scots
Genre
Collection
Classification
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Fair