John Grumlie (1901)An Old Scotch Ballad John Gruumlie swore by the light of the moon,
And the green leaves on the tree,
That he could do more work in a day
Than his wife could do in three.
His wife rose up in the morning
Wi' care and troubles enow--
"John Grumlie, bide at hame, John,
And I'll go haud the plow. Singing, fal de lal lal de ral,
Fal, lal, lal, la], lal, la,
John Grumlie, bide at hame, John,
And I'II go haud the plow. "First ye maun dress your children fair,
And put them a' in their gear;
And ye maun turn the malt, John,
Or else ye'll spoil the beer.
And ye maun reel the tweel, John,
That I spun yesterday;
And ye maun call in the hens, John,
Else they'll a' lay away." Oh, he did dress his children fair,
And he put them a' in their gear;
But he forgot to turn the malt,
And so he spoiled the beer.
And he sang aloud as he reeled the tweel
That his wife span yesterday;
But he forgot to put up the hens,
And the hens a' layed away. The hawket crummie loot doon nae milk.
He kirned, nor butter gat;
And a' gaed wrang, and naught gaed richt;
He danced wi' rage and grat.
Then up he ran to the head of the knowe
Wi' mony a wave and shout--
She heard him as she heard him not,
And steered the stots about. John Grumlie's wife cam' hame at e'en,
And laugh'd as she'd been mad,
When she saw the house in siccan a plight,
And John sae glum and sad.
Quoth he. "I gie up my houswifekep
I'll be nae mair guidwife."
"Indeed," quo' she, "I'm weel content;
Ye may keep it the rest oo' your life." "The deil be in that," quo' surly John;
"I'll do as I've done before."
Wi' that the guidwife; look up a stout rung,
And John made off to the door.
"Stop, stop, guidwife, I'll haud my tongue;
I ken I'm sair in blame;
But heneef on I maun mind the plow,
And ye maun bide at hame." Notes From the South Australian newspaper the Adelaide Observer 2 Feb 1901 p. 35.
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