“Hey the Mantle!”
Description
"Early in the morning whan the cat crew day, Hey the mantle! how the mantle! Our gudeman saddl'd the bake-bread and fast rade away...." As he travels, he sees many marvels
Supplemental text
Hey the Mantle!
Complete text(s)
*** A ***
From (George R. Kinloch), The Ballad Book (1827), number XII,
pp. 45-47. No source listed, but Kinloch cites a fragment of
another version.
Early in the morning whan the cat crew day,
Hey the mantle! how the mantle!
Our gudeman saddl'd the bake-bread, and fast rade away
And hey for a mantle o' the gude green hay.
Our gudeman's gane awa to the Mers
Hey the mantle! how the mantle!
Wi' his breeks on's head, and his bonnet on's arse,
And hey for a mantle o' the gude green hay.
And as he gaed through thick wud, thin wud's brither,
Hey the mantle! how the mantle!
Ilka tree stood a mile frae the ither,
And hey for a mantle o' the gude green hay.
As he cam by the mill door, he heard psalms singing,
Hey the mantle! how the mantle!
As he cam by the kirk door, he heard the meal grinding,
And hey for a mantle o' the gude green hay.
There war four-and-twenty tailors riding on a snail,
Hey the mantle! how the mantle!
"Ho!" says the foremost, "I'll be heads oure her tail,"
And hey for a mantle o' the gude green hay.
There war four-and-twenty tailors riding on a paddock,
Hey the mantle! how the mantle!
"Ho!" says the foremost, "we'll haud her at the gallop,"
And hey for a mantle o' the gude green hay.
There war four-and-twenty tailors playing at the ba',
Hey the mantle! how the mantle!
Up started the headless and took it frae them a',
And hey for a mantle o' the gude green hay.
Cross references
- cf. "Four and Twenty Tailors" (style)
References
- Kinloch-BBook XII, pp. 45-47, "Hey the Mantle!" (1 text)
- ST KinBB12 (Full)
- Roud #8149
- BI, KinBB12