Jenny dang the weaver

At Willie's wedding o' the green,
The lasses, bonny witches,
Were buskit out in aprons clean,
And snaw-white Sunday's mutches.
Auld Maysie bade the lads tak' tent,
But Jock wad nae believe her;
And soon the fool his folly kent,
For -- Jenny dang the weaver.
Sing, fa la la, etc.

In ilka countra-dance and reel,
Wi' her he wad be babbin;
When she sat down, then he sat down,
And till her wad be gabbin:
Whare'er she gaed, or but or ben,
The coof wad never leave her,
Ay cacklin like a clockin hen;
But -- Jenny dang the weaver.
Sing, fa la la, etc.

Quoth he, "My lass, to speak my mind,
"Good haith! I need na swither;
"You've bonny een, and gif you're kind,
"I needna court anither."
He hum'd and ha'd -- the lass cried, Feugh!
And bade the fool no deave her;
Then snapt her thumb, and lap and leugh,
And -- dang the silly weaver!
Sing, fa la la, &c.

GLOSSARY

Buskit = dressed
Mutches = linen caps
Tak' tent = take heed
Ilka = every
Babbin = dancing
Gabbin = chatting
Or but or ben = outside or inside the house
Coof = blockhead, ninny
Clockin = clucking
Swither = hesitate
Feugh = Fly
Deave = deafen
Lap and leugh = leapt up and laughed

Submitted by Ferdinando Albeggiani

Authorship

• by Sir Alexander Boswell (1775 - 1822) [ author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

• by (Franz) Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809), "Jenny dang the weaver", JHW XXXII/4 no. 272, Hob. XXXIa no. 240 [voice and piano], arrangement; in Scottish Songs for George Thomson III [
   text verified 1 time
  ]

Text added to the website: 2010-04-02.
Last modified: 2014-06-16 10:03:37
Line count: 27
Word count: 162

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