Simon Brodie
Symon Brodie had a cow:
The cow was lost, and he cou'd na find her;
When he had done what man cou'd do,
The cow came hame, and the tail behind her.
Honest, auld Symon Brodie,
Stupid, auld, doited bodie;
I'll awa' to the North Countrie,
And see my ain dear Symon Brodie.
Symon Brodie had a wife,
And wow but she was braw and bonnie;
She took the dish-clout aff the bink,
And prin'd it to her cockernonie.
Honest, auld Symon Brodie, &c.
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Herd 1776 II.230. Paul Past & Present (1881), 148 (no. 8)
[followed by Rymour Club Misc. III (1928), 184, Nicht at
Eenie (1932), 5, Montgomerie SNR (1946), 109 (no. 135)] is
slightly different: Simon Brodie he had a coo;// If he had
done what a man could do,/ The coo had come hame wi' her tail
behind her./ [Cho.] Puir auld Simon Brodie,/ Puir wee doited
body;/ I will awa to the North Countrie/ An' see my ain auld
Simon Brodie.// S.B. he had/ wondrous bonny/ He's taen the
dish-cloot oot o' the bink [etc.] The tune (Simon Brody) is
in the Bodleian MS. of David Young, 1740; McFarlan MS., c.
1743; and before in the Skene MS. as Kette Bairdie; see
"Katie Beardie".
Whistle-Binkie (1890 ed., I.287) has an anonymous poem
incorporating the above, beginning:
Heard ye e'er o' our gudeman,
The gaucy laird o' braid Dunwodie,
The wale o' cocks at cap or can,
Honest canty Simon Brodie!
Stanzas 3 and 4 run thus (lines 5-8, the varied chorus,
omitted):
Simon Brodie had ane wife,
I wat she was baith proud and bonny,
He took the dishclout frae the bink,
And preen't it till her cockernony!
An' Simon had a branded cow,
He tint his cow and couldna find her,
He sought her a' the lee lang day,
But the cow cam hame wi' her tail ahind her.
MS
Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!