The Minister and his Wether
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1956.45.A21
Original Tape ID
Summary
A recited fragment of the song 'The Minister and his Wether', in which a boy tells us:
The minister has a fine fat wether,
He was fed on corn and hay,
And I'll go doon wi some corn in ma pooch
And wyle the wether away.
The contributor heard the song from Travellers.
Item Notes
1 verse of 4 lines. This comic song was printed as a cante-fable (a narrative containing sections of song) by many broadside publishers all across Britain in the early 19th century. The song tells of a little boy who outwits a minister or parson, and in doing so secures the minister's sheep to feed his family over Christmas.
See:
Greig-Duncan vol. 2, pp. 417-419
'Tocher' 4 (1971) pp. 118-121
'Folk Music Journal' 3:1 (1975) pp. 48-49
'Scottish Studies' 14 (A. Bruford, 1970) pp. 88-93
'Secret Songs of Silence' (P. Buchan, 1832) pp. 166-168
Recording Location
County - Banffshire
Parish - Inveravon
Village/Place - Glenlivet
Language
English, Scots
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good