User:Stelio/Tyneside Songs

To do: confirm spellings in physically published writing (given internal inconsistencies in lyrics quoted below; e.g. niver and nivver).

Come Geordie ha'd the bairn

Come, Geordie, ha'd the bairn,

Aw's sure aw'll not stop lang;

Aw'd tyek the jewel me sel,

But really aw's not strang.

Thor's floor an' coals to get,

The hoose-wark's not half deun,

Sae - haud the bairn for fairs,

Thou's often deun't for fun.

Then Geordie held the bairn,

But sair agyen his will;

The poor bit thing wes good,

But Geordie had nee skill;

He haddent its Muther's ways,

He sat byeth stiff an' numb;

Afore five minutes was gyen,

He wish'd its Muther wad cum.

His wife had hardlys gyen,

The bairn began to squall,

With hikin't up an' doon

He vary neigh let it fall.

It nivver wad ha'd its tung,

Tho' some aud teun he'd hum -

"Jack and Jill went up the hill" -

"Aw wish thy Muther wad cum."

What weary toil said he

This nursin' bairns mun be;

A bit on't's well enough,

Aye, quite eneuf for me.

To ha'd-a blubberin' bairn,

It may be grand to some;

A day's wark's not as bad -

"Aw wish thy Muther wad cum.

"Men seldom give a thowt

To what their wives endure;

Aw thowt she'd nowt to dee

But clean the hoose, aw's sure,

Or myek my dinner an' tea -

(It's startin' to sook its thumb;

The Poor thing wants its tit) -

"Aw wish thy Muther wad cum."

What a selfish world this is!

There's nowt mair sae than Man;

He laffs at Wimmin's toill,

An' nivvir 'll norse his awn -

(It's startin' to cry agyen -

Aw see tuts throo it's gum;)

Maw canny bit pet, O dinna thoo fret -

"Aw wish thy Muther wad cum."

But kindness did a vast -

It's nee use getting vext -

It'll niver please the bairn,

Or ease a mind perplex.

At last it's gyen to sleep,

The Wife'll not say aw's numb -

She'll think aw's a real good nurse -

But - "Aw wish thy Muther wad cum."

The Keel Row

As I came thro' Sandgate,

Thro' Sandgate, thro' Sandgate,

As I came thro' Sandgate,

I heard a lassie sing:

'O, weel may the keel row,

The keel row, the keel row,

O weel may the keel row

That my laddie's in.'

'He wears a blue bonnet,

Blue bonnet, blue bonnet,

He wears a blue bonnet

A dimple in his chin.

And weel may the keel row,

The keel row, the keel row,

And weel may the keel row

That my laddie's in.'

The New Keel Row

'O wha's like my Johnnie,

Sae leish, sae blithe, sae bonnie?

He's foremost 'mang the mony

Keel lads o' coaly Tyne;

He'll set or row sae tightly

Or, in the dance sae sprightly,

He'll cut and shuffle slightly,

'Tis true, were he nae mine.'