Early Modern Ballads
Get Up and Bar the Door
I
It fell about the Martinmas' time,
And a gay time it was then,
When our goodwife got puddings to make,
And she's boiled them in the pan.
The wind sae cauld blew south and north,so
And blew into the floor;
Quoth our goodman to our goodwife,
"Cae out and bar the door.go
"My hand is in my hussyfskap.housewife's work
Goodman, as ye may see;
An it should nae be barred this hundred year,if
It SW no be barred for me.shall
They made a paction 'tween them twa,pact
They made it firm and sure,
That the first word whae'er should speak,
Should rise and bar the door.
Then by there came two gentlemen,
At twelve o'clock at night,
And they could neither see house nor hall,
Nor coal nor candle-light.
"Now whether is this a rich man's house,
Or whether is it a poor
But ne'er a word wade ane 0' them speak,would
For barring of the door.
And first they ate the white puddings,
And then they ate the black;
Though muckle thought the goodwife to hersel,much, a lot
Yet ne'er a word she spak.
Then said the one unto the other,
"Here, man, tak ye my knife;
Do ye tak aff the auld man's beard,off
And I'll kiss the goodwife.
"But there's nae water in the house,
And what shall we do then
"What ails ye at the pudding-brao, -broth
That boils into the pan
O up then started our goodman,
An angry man was he:
"Will ye kiss my wife before my een,eyes
And scad me wi' pudding-breejscald / -broth
Then up and started our goodwife,
Gied three skips on the floor:gave
"Goodman, you've spoken the foremost word,
Get up and bar the door.