Drumdelgie
There's a fairmer up in Cairnie,
Wha's kent baith far and wide
To be the great Drumdelgie,
Upon sweet Deveronside.
The fairmer o' yon muckle1) toon
He is baith hard and sair,
And the cauldest day that ever blaws
His servants get their share.
At five o'clock we quickly rise
And hurry down the stair;
It's there to corn our horses,
Likewise to straik their hair.
Syne, after working half-an-hour
Each to the kitchen goes,
It's there to get our breakfast,
Which generally is brose. 2)
We've scarcely got our brose weel supt,
And gi'en our pints3) a tie,
When the forman cries, 'Hallo, my lads!
The hour is drawing nigh'.
At sax o'clock the mull's put on,
To gie us a strait wark;
It tak's four o' us to mak' to her,
Till ye could wring our sark. 4)
And when the water is put aff;
We hurry doon the stair,
To get some quarters through the fan
Till daylicht does appear.
When daylicht does begin to peep,
And the sky begins to clear,
The forman he cries out, 'My lads,
Ye'll stay nae langer here!
There's sax o' you'll gae to the ploo,
And twa will drive the neeps5),
And the owson6) they'll be after you
Wi' strae raips7) roun' their queets8).'
But when that we wer gyaun furth,
And turnin' out to yoke,
The snaw dank9) on sae thick and fast
That we were like to choke.
The frost had been sae very hard,
The ploo she wadna go;
And sae our cairting days commenced
Amang the frost and snow.
Our horses being but young and sma'
The shafts they didna fill,
And they aft required the saiddler10)
To pull them up the hill.
But we will sing our horses' praise,
Though they be young and sma',
They far outshine the Broadland's anes
That gang sae full and draw.
Sae fare ye weel, Drumdelgie,
Far I maun gang awa';
Sae fare ye weel, Drumdelgie,
Your weety weather and a'.
Sae fareweel, Drumdelgie,
I bid ye a' adieu;
I leave ye as I got ye --
A maist unceevil crew.
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1)big farm, 2)oatmeal and water, 3)laces, 4)shirt,
5)turnips, 6)oxen 7)straw ropes, 8)ankles,
9)came down, 10)whip.