Cattie Sits in the Kiln Ring
1.
The cattie sits in the kiln-ring,
Spinning, spinning;
And by came a little wee mousie,
Rinning, rinning.
Oh, what's that you're spinning, my loesome,
Loesome lady?
I'm spinning a sark to my young son,
Said she, said she.
Weel mot he brook it, my loesome,
Loesome lady.
Gif he dinna brook it weel, he may brook it ill,
Said she, said she.
I soopit my house, my loesome,
Loesome lady.
'Twas a sign ye didna sit amang dirt then,
Said she, said she.
I fand twall pennies, my winsome,
Winsome lady.
'Twas a sign ye warna sillerless,
Said she, said she.
I gaed to the market, my loesome,
Loesome lady.
'Twas a sign ye didna sit at hame then,
Said she, said she.
I coft a sheepie's head, my winsome,
Winsome lady.
'Twas a sign ye warna kitchenless,
Said she, said she.
I put it in my pottie to boil, my loesome,
Loesome lady.
'Twas a sign ye didna eat it raw,
Said she, said she.
I put it in my winnock to cool, my winsome,
Winsome lady.
'Twas a sign ye didna burn your chafts then,
Said she, said she.
By came a cattie, and ate it a' up, my loesome,
Loesome lady.
And sae will I you--worrie, worrie--guash, guash,
Said she, said she.
2.
A cattie at a mill door sat spinnin, spinnin,
Fin by comes a moosie rinnin, rinnin.
Says the moosie t' the cattie,
`Faht are ye deein, my winsome laidie?'
`Spinnin a sark t' my braw new son,'
Quo' the cat, quo' she.
`Weel may he brook it, my winsome laidie.'
`If he disna brook it ill, he'll brook it weel,'
Quo' the cat, quo' she.
`A swypit my hoosie clean the streen, my winsome
laidie.'
`Ye didna sit in't fool than,'
`Quo' the cat, quo' she.
`An I fan' a penny in't, my winsome laidie.'
`Ye didna wint siller than,'
Quo' the cat, quo' she.
`An I bocht cheese wee't, my winsome laidie.'
`Ye didna wint meht than,'
Quo' the cat, quo' she.
`An I ate it up my winsome laidie.'
`So will I eat you.'
3.
Pussy sat in the kiln-door, spinnin', spinnin';
By cam' a peerie mouse, rinnin', rinnin';
Sayin', "Whit's this thoo'r deuin', me lady, me lady?"
"Spinnin' coat an' breeks tae me eldest son:
Fast, ye teef, I hae thee."
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(1) Chambers (1842; 1847, 206; 1870, 53), whose
informant adds "The old nurse's imitation of the guash,
guash (which she played off upon the youngest urchin
lying in her lap) was electric!" This is slightly
Scottified, as usual, in Montgomerie SNR, 45 (no. 34), with
a change in wording of the first line: "sat". [The
guash is sometimes rendered gnash when this is
reprinted.] Slightly varied in MacLennan SNR (1909),
27; differs: 1.1 upon 1.3 By comes a little moosie 2.1
What are ye doin' the day 2.3 auldest 3.3 Gin . . .
ill then 4.1 my hoose the day 4.3 Ye didna sit in the
stoure then 5.1 I fand a penny 5.3 Ye didna want for
bawbees then 6.3 Ye didna bide at hame then 7.1 I bocht
a sheepie's heid 7.3 Ye didna want for beef then 8.1 I
boiled it in my pottie 8.3 Ye didna eat it raw then 9.1
I ate it to my dinner 9.3 I'll eat you too then! [and
last line:] Worry--worry--worry!--an' the cat worried
the puir wee moosie!
(2) Gregor (1881), 125, who adds "when the last line was
sung the singer made a clutch at one of the children, in
imitation of the cat seizing moosie." Fool in line 11 is
the northern pronunciation of foul, "unwashed".
(3) From Gosset, Lullabies of the Four Nations (1915),
191 (no. 134), from Orkney. (Contributed by John Frith of
Finstown Frith.)
Paul, Past & Present of Aberdeenshire (1881), 145, has a
fragment, titled "The Cattie an' the Moosie":
The cattie sat o' the kiln barn wa',
Spinnin', spinnin',
By cam' a little wee mousie,
Rinnin', rinnin';
The mousie said, "What are deein' there,
My leesom lady?"
"Spinnin' a sark to my young son,"
Said she, said she:
"Weel mat ye bruik it, my leesom lady:"
"Gin I dinna bruik it weel, I'll bruik it ill,"
Said she, said she:
"I sweepit my hoosie, my leesom lady."
"Ye did na sit foul in't then,"
Said she, said she.
P. notes: "The manuscript here wasn't very legible, but I
fear that at last the poor polite moosie was eaten up by that
hard-hearted cattie."
ODNR (259, no. 292) gives Halliwell's fragmentary version of
1853. [See also Leyden, Complaynt (1801).]
MS
Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!