To My Grief and Woe I’ll Let You Know

To my grief and woe I’ll let you know
That I’m a poor land-holder
And Nancy Margit’s my wife’s name
She’s a teaser of a scolder
I sung, aye sure aye sure, all diddle ay
To my right shill er ill ay do

I hadn’t been long cutting ash in a wood
Till I heard the roar of a donkey
And looking round I was tight-l-y hugged
Between two rank-tailed monkeys
I sung, aye sure aye sure, all diddle ay
To my right shill er ill ay do

Oh they dragged me here and they dragged me there
And they dragged me to a river
Between dooking and diving I got rid
I think I done right clever
I sung, aye sure aye sure, all diddle ay
To my right shill er ill ay do.

Notes from Hugh Shields

Dooking means “ducking.” Shields Index 407.