Get Up and Bar the Door- McGill (NB) 1929 Barry A
From: British Ballads from Maine; 1929
A. Written down as sung by Mrs. James McGill of Chamcook, Charlotte County, New Brunswick, who carefully revised the spelling. Mrs. McGill learned the song from her mother in Scotland. Melody recorded by Mr. George Herzog.
1. It fell aboot the Martinmas time,
And a gey time it was then, O,
When oor guderwife got puddins to mak,
And she's boiled them in the pan, O.
2. The wind sae cauld blew sooth and north,
And blew into the floor, O,
Quoth oor guidman tae oor guidwife,
"Get up and bar the door, O."
3. "My han' is in my hussyfscap:
Guidman, as ye may see, O,
An' it shuldna be barred this hundred year
It'll na be barred by me, O."
4. They made a paction 'tween them twa,
They made it firm and shair, O,
That the first word whae'er shoud speak
Should rise and bar the door, O.
5. Then by cam twa gentlemen,
At twelve o'clock at nicht, O,
And they coud ne'er see hoos or hall,
Or coal or cannel-licht, O.
6. "Now what if this be a rich man's hoos,
Or what if it be a pair, O?"
But ne'er a word wad ane of them speak
For barring o' the door, O.
7. And first they ate the white puddins,
And then they ate the black, O,
Though muckle thoucht the guidwife tae hersel
Yet ne'er ane word she spake, O.
8. Then said the ane untae the ither,
"Here, man, tak ye my knife, O,
Dae ye tak off the auld man's beard,
And I'll kiss the guidwife, O."
9. "But there's nae watter in the hoos,
And what will we do then, O?"
"What ails ye at the puddin brew
That boils in the pan, O?"
10. O, up then got, our guidman,
An angry man was he, O,
"Will ye kiss my wife afore my een,
And scad me wi' puddin-brew, O ?"
11. Then up and started oor guidwife,
Gied three skips on the floor, O;
"Guidman, you've spake the foremost word,
Get up and bar the door, O."