Digital Tradition Mirror

Quaker's Wife

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Pennywhistle notation and Dulcimer tab for this song is also available

Quaker's Wife

     The Quaker's wife sat doun to bake
       Wi a' her bairns aboot her;
     She baked them every yin a cake,
       And the miller he wants his mouter.

     Sugar and spice and a' things nice
       And a' things verra guid in it,
     And then the miller sat doun to play
       A tune upon the spinet.

     Merrily danced the Quaker's wife,
       And merrily danced the Quaker.
     Merrily danced the Quaker's wife,
       And merrily danced the Quaker.
     ________________________________________________________

     NAE (1932), 20 [= Montgomerie SNR (1946), 94 (no. 115)], +
     music; ODNR 358 (no. 432). Halliwell NRE (1842), 143
   (no. cclxvi) (= st. 1); Rymour Club Miscellany II (1912-
     19), 135: The Quaker's wife sat doon to bake, Wi' a' her
     bairns aboot her; And ilk yin got a farl cake, And that
     was the miller's mooter.
     Chambers Scottish Songs (1829), 668, from the Mansfield
     (St Clair) MS. of c. 1780 [not in Miller's ed., 1935]:
     The quaker's wife sat down to bake,/ And a' her bairns
     about her;/ Ilk ane got their quarter cake,/ The miller
     got his mou'ter./  Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,/
     Merrily danced the quaker's wife,/ And merrily danced
     the quakers.
     "The Baker's Wife" is in Mason, Nursery Rhymes and
     Country Songs, 1877, and 2nd ed., 1908-9.
With 2.1 cf. the ingredients of little girls, in the English
rhyme (ODNR 100, no. 76), first found in Halliwell, 1844.
The tune is in Dick, Songs [1903] 39; and note, 364.
Previously in Gillespie MS. (1768), no. 213; Bremner, Reels
(1759), 53; Oswald, Pocket Companion for the Guittar (c.
1755) [So merrily danc'd the Quaker].
Words to tune are legion: Nine Inch Will Please a L
MMC), Thine am I, my Faithful Fair (Burns), The Maid of Arran
(Watt), MacPherson the Drover, The Reformer, etc.  In the
present collection, see "Whaur are ye gaun, my bonny wee
lass?"

MS

Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!