An Acre of Land- Grinsdale (York) 1972 Gardham A
[Online at Yorkshire Garland Group http://yorkshirefolksong.net/song.cfm?songID=23, originally published in Gardham, An East Riding Songster, Lincolnshire and Humberside Arts, 1982, pp11-12 with music score, and version 3 at p44 without music score. Gardham's notes follow.
R. Matteson 2018]
This text is a later revision. The recording is the first one made. Mrs Grinsdale had confused some of the stanzas in her first recording and in stanza 8 had sung ‘market’ instead of the correctly remembered word ‘mill’.
An Acre of Land sung by Ethel Grinsdale of Aldborough on 08/01/1972. Recorded by Steve Gardham; Version A
1 Me father left me an acre o’ land,
Ee, I and I-over,
Me father left me an acre o’ land,
A bunch o’ green nettles and clover.
2 I ploughed it out wi’ a drove o’ cats,
3 I harrowed it out wi’ me finger nails,
4 I sowed it all over with an egg-shell
5 I cut it down wi’ me pocket-knife,
6 I threshed it out with a leg of a louse,
7 I fied it out with a wing of a flee, (fly)(fied = winnowed)
8 I took it to mill on a mouse’s back,
9 Poor beggar came back with a broken back