The Whummil Bore- Motherwell 1827 Child A
[Motherwell published one verse and a tune in his Minstrelsy, Appendix, p. xvi, No III (See below). The rest of the text comes from his manuscript p. 191.
According to Vance Randolph in his notes to the similar "Keyhole in the Door": "In actual fact, the whole thing is a trumpery, as there is every reason to believe that "The Whummil Bore" is itself a fake, created by Peter Buchan perhaps, for William Motherwell, to ornament his Minstrelsy, Ancient and Modern (1827)..."]
The Whummil Bore; Child Version A
a. Motherwell's Manuscript, p. 191.
b. Motherwell's Minstrelsy, Appendix, p. xvi, No III.
1 Seven lang years I hae served the king,
Fa fa fa fa lilly
And I never got a sight of his daughter but ane.
With my glimpy, glimpy, glimpy eedle,
Lillum too tee a ta too a tee a ta a tally
2 I saw her thro a whummil bore,
Fa fa fa fa lilly
And I neer got a sight of her no more.
With my glimpy, glimpy, glimpy eedle,
Lillum too tee a ta too a tee a ta a tally
3 Twa was putting on her gown,
Fa fa fa fa lilly
And ten was putting pins therein.
With my glimpy, glimpy, glimpy eedle,
Lillum too tee a ta too a tee a ta a tally
4 Twa was putting on her shoon,
Fa fa fa fa lilly
And twa was buckling them again.
With my glimpy, glimpy, glimpy eedle,
Lillum too tee a ta too a tee a ta a tally
5 Five was combing down her hair,
Fa fa fa fa lilly
And I never got a sight of her nae mair.
With my glimpy, glimpy, glimpy eedle,
Lillum too tee a ta too a tee a ta a tally
6 Her neck and breast was like the snow,
Fa fa fa fa lilly
Then from the bore I was forced to go.
With my glimpy, glimpy, glimpy eedle,
Lillum too tee a ta too a tee a ta a tally
________________
III. THE WHUMMIL BORE [Motherwell's Minstrelsy, Appendix, p. xvi, No III.]
This ballad, had it been obtained perfect, would probably have found a place in this collection. As nothing but a few stanzas were recovered we have contented ourselves with merely preserving its tune.
Seven lang years I have served the king,
Fa, fa, fa, lily,
And I ne'er got a sight of his dochter but ane,
With my glimpy, glimpy, glimpy, eedle,
Lillum too a tee too a tally.