Aw've just mended th' fire wi' a cob;
Owd Swaddle has brought thi new shoon;
There's some nice bacon-collops o'th hob
An' a quart o' ale posset i'th oon;
Aw've brought thi top-cwot, doesto know
For th'rain's comin' deawn very dree;
An th' har'stone's as white as new snow;—
Come whoam to thi childer an' me
When aw put little Sally to bed,
Hoo cried. 'cose her feyther weren't theer,
So aw kiss'd th' little thing, an aw said
Thae'd bring her a ribbon fro' th' fair;
An' aw gave her a doll, an some rags
An' a nice little white cotton-bo';
An' aw kiss'd her again; but hoo said
'At hoo wanted to kiss thee an' o'
An' Dick, too, aw'd sich wark wi' him,
Afore aw could get him up stairs;
Thae towd him thae'd bring him a drum,
he said, when he're sayin his prayers
Then he looked i' my face, an' he said,
"Has th' boggarts taen houd o' my dad?"
An' he cried till his e'en were quite red;—
He likes thee some weel, does yon lad!
At th' lung-length, aw geet 'em laid still;
An' aw hearken't folks' feet 'at went by;
So aw iron't o' my clooas reet well,
An' aw hanged 'em o'th maiden to dry;
When aw'd mended thi stockin's an' shirts,
Aw sit deawn to knit i' my cheer,
An' aw rayley did feel rayther hurt,—
Mon, aw'm one-ly when theaw arrn't theer.
"Aw've a drum an' a trumpet for Dick;
Aw've a yard o' blue ribbon for Sal;
Aw've a book full o' babs, an' a stick
An' some 'bacco an' pipes for mysel';
Aw've brought thee some coffee an' tay,—
Iv thae'll feel i' my pocket, tha'll see;
An' aw've bought tho a new cap to-day,—
But Aw al'ays brings summat for thee!
"God bless tho', my lass; aw'll go whoam,
An' aw'll kiss the an' th' childer o' round;
Thae knows, that wherever aw roam,
Aw'm fain to get back to th' owd ground;
Aw can do wi' a crack o'er a glass;
Aw can do wi' a bit of a spree;
But aw've no gradely comfort, my lass,
excepy wi' yon childer and thee"
Notes
Cob --- A lump of coal
Oon --- Oven
Top-cwot --- Top-coat
Dree --- Wearily continuous
Feyther --- Father
Cotton-bo --- Cotton-ball
Wark --- Work
Th' lung-length --- The long-length (ie the end)
One'ly --- Lonely
Babs --- babies, pictures
Whoam --- Home
Gradely --- Proper, right
This was Waugh's first, and some say best, published dialect poetry. First published in 1856 in the Manchester Examiner. The paper had previously published many pieces by Waugh but this one generated most interest and rocketed him into prominence as a great exponent of the form.
It was subsequently published in pamphlet form and much publicised by Laycock and others. Thanks to the intervention of Lady Burdett-Coutts (a good friend of Dickens) it sold well in England and on the continent.
Within 4 years Waigh was able to give up his job and support himself with income from his writings.
As with much of Waugh's work this could be sung and John Graham includes a tune for this in his book Dialect Songs of the North.
This version and the glossary are taken from Poems and Songs by Edwin Waugh edited by George Milner and published by John Heywood
Jim Saville
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Comments
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This format of a complaint from one spouse answered at the end by the other spouse, was a common format in dialect poetry of that time. It was aimed at supporting marital / domestic values.
Waugh was criticised for his sentimentality by Ben Brierley and others and many parodies were produced.
Jim S -
I felt that 'Father' wasn't coming home and I had prepared myself for a sad ending, with joyous surprise there he was complete with drum and ribbon for the childer. A beautiful tale of an incomplete family whilst Father is away and once again whole upon his return. Lovely!
Von
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